To All
Good Tuesday Morning March 17, 2026. Nice clear day here and will get to 94 today and stay in the mid 90s for a few days. .Classes went well last night and it looks like most are ready for Thursday when testing starts.
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
No changes on YP 's status
Until a couple of minutes ago I have had no luck getting a hold of TR. It rings a lot then comes up to tell me that the mail box is full and cannot accept any messages.
As you know I save a lot of things so I went into the TR file and found Rich Swartz and left him a phone message. Turns out he is a long time List member and we had a short talk. Apparently TR got a new phone and is having trouble with it. I will go visit him and see if we can get him back on the track.
So good news he is ok…skip
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Apparently I missed putting this in the List.
Thanks to Shadow
Subject: California Dreaming (YGTBSM)
Bubbas… Made the pilgrimage to San Diego to meet Skip in person and enjoy the company of other Bubbas in the process. That part of the visit was fulfilling and rewarding… however another part of it was so disappointing, it is hard to get over it. I couldn't help but think back to my first introduction to San Diego as a young Marine and spending years living there in college and later in Laguna Niguel while flying out of El Toro… followed by building a house in La Costa when I got off active duty and living there until moving back to Florida. Think I'll start with the beginning.
The year was 1964… I was looking out the window of a Lockheed Electra as we slid over the mountains on the approach to Lindbergh Field in San Diego… I along with about 60 other young Marines, were pressed up against our windows to take in our first look at a new world that awaited us. We marveld at the view down below of incredible houses… seemed like every other one had a swimming pool in the back yard! As we came down over the city, we got our first look as San Diego, the bay and past that our first look at the Pacific Ocean. Virtually all of us were from the Deep South… Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia… the Carolinas. Recent graduates of Parris Island and ITR at Camp Geiger next to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Until our arrival… California was as alien to us as a foreign nation! Think we all were as excited as could be and looked forward to experiencing this new and wonderful world. Upon landing, within a few blocks upon leaving the airport, I think we all felt we'd landed in heaven!
Get this… as we deplaned, we were herded into the ubiquitous "Cattle Car" of Marine ground transport… upon entry, one of the guys pulled out a transistor radio a turned it on and searched for a radio station. He found KGB radio… and I shit you not; the first song we heard was "California Dreaming" by the Mamas and Papas! As we left the airport, we pulled onto Harbor Drive, heading for PCH to turn and go to MCRD San Diego. As we got close to PCH, someone yelled out, look at this! On out left was a big neon sign that said, "The Barbary Coast"… below that were the words, "Topless Dancers". It was the first topless bar any of us had ever seen! As we turned onto PCH and passed the old terminal back in the day… a couple of PSA stews came out and the radio now starts playing "California Girls", by The Beach Boys! I swear this is the honest to god truth! It is really what happened in that first hour on the ground. And I assure you that not only me, but just about every Marine in the Cattle Car felt we had arrived in the "Promised Land"! For the next year and a half, we found nothing to dissuade ourselves of those thoughts.
After spending time in Radio School and playing baseball and soft ball for MCRD… I went from heaven to hell! A full tour as a radio man with the Grunts in Vietnam. Then a short tour at Camp Lejeune and back to San Diego for two years in college and then back on active duty for Flight Training…. (Oops, forgot to mention I married a California Girl along the way) Then Pensacola, Meridian, Yuma and finally back in California at El Toro. Once again, living the California Dream. After I finished my second tour, I stayed in California and took a job in "Marketing" (I was a salesman) for a textile company. Don't laugh… within six moths I was making more money than the CG at El Toro. The money was good, but my ego took a big hit. I spent a little over a year learning the business and then decided I would go it alone and started my own business. Once I left the Corps, we sold our house in Laguna and built a house in La Costa. Life was good!
Then about 1980, things started to change… between the Environmentalist, Democrats and Crazies (excuse me, I doth repeat myself)… California started to change. I looked around me and saw the world changing. We lived in an affluent neighborhood that was rife with drugs, craziness and becoming an environment where I didn't want to raise my two girls. In addition, my mother was indicating my father was in ill health and wanted me to come back to Florida. I finally made up my mind, came home one day and told the wife I was selling the house and business and we were moving back to Florida. She was not a Happy Camper! But she finally agreed and both assets sold within months of each other. We moved back to Jacksonville, paid cash for a four bedroom house and I retired at the ripe old age of 37. Of course that didn't last long and I eventually started to buy and sell old airplane parts and eventually started doing restorations. From there, a dear friend, Jim (Black) Lucas came to Jacksonville and I enticed him to come to work with me when he retired and I started "Black Shadow Aviation". We had a good run and our employees did over thirty projects for various Museums and a few flying aircraft for friends. They were the best years of my life!
FROM THEN TO NOW….
I think it was almost 30 years since I'd been back in California. Made a couple of trips back there on business, but once I retired, I didn't travel back there for a long time. My urge to visit Skip compelled me to finally make the trip again. The wife had been back a few times visiting family, but I'd not had the ties that she did. As we flew into Lindbergh, I couldn't help but reflect on my first flight into San Diego. Same Bay, same ocean… but everything else had changed. Wendy's brother picked us up at the airport and took us to the "Rent a Car" place… couldn't believe the traffic in the middle of the day… even more shocking was the degradation of middle class neighborhoods that now approached ghetto status! As her brother took a few "short cuts" through various canyons and neighborhoods, it got worse. San Diego has gone from one of the cleanest cities in the world to being an annex to Tijuana. I just couldn't believe it! As I inquired about real estate prices, I was further shocked at substandard housing being worth seven figures (YGTBSM)!
The wife and I took my old secretary out to lunch in Old Town… it was crowded but not the same… beggars on the streets and generally rundown, even the food was substandard..On Saturday we decided to go view our "Happy Places". For me, that meant "Cabrillo Point"... just pass the National Cemetery in Pt. Loma. A place I discovered after attending the funeral of a fellow Marine I served with in Vietnam. The view from there was incredible and luckily we had a beautiful day. North Island and Coronado were spectacular… but I was puzzled in that there was no air traffic at North Island save one ugly, noisy, Osprey. I couldn't help but remember the days I flew in and out of there and it was always busy…. Weekend or not. Now it was like a Ghost Town. We did get a little bonus though, as one of the nukes was leaving the sub base and going out to sea. Kinda cool! On to Wendy's "Happy Place"… Mt. Soledad. Once again, great weather, could see MCAS Miramar quite clearly and La Jolla and the ocean to the west. Actually, the view was better than I remembered it. Whoever is taking care of it is doing a great job! From there we went to visit our old home in La Costa that we built back in the late seventies. Happy to say that at least our old neighborhood was still first class… but my God we couldn't believe how many houses were up on the hills compared to when we built there. Most of our incredible view is now gone. But at least the folks living there have taken good care of it. (I'll send a picture later)
From La Costa, we cut over to the PCH and drove from there all the way to La Jolla. I was curious to see if "Swami's" was still there (it was)… but it seemed the whole aura of PCH had changed. A lot more buildings along the coast and a lot less views of the ocean. More high-rises everywhere! And I do mean Everywhere! Funny, I remembered a song from back in the sixties that had a line that said, "They took paradise and turned it into a parks lot"… Actually, instead of a parking lot, they've seem to have built high-rises and apartments with no parking lots! Couldn't believe the number of cars parked alongside the roads… I mean in the canyons and neighborhoods. It seemed that in the canyon areas folks would have to walk up hill for a quarter mile or more in either direction to just get to their apartment, condo or house? Again, another song comes to mind… "That Ain't No Way To Live… That Just Ain;t Right"!
All in all… I was sorely disappointed with San Diego… it had changed so much, most of the areas I didn't even recognize anymore. Not to mention there wasn't a Bully's, World Famous, The Pennant, Floyd Smith's Eating and Drinking Club, Pozo Del Mundo… and so many other places we all used to hang out at.
And one other thing… "Prices"! When we left here, gas in Jacksonville was around $2.35 a gallon. When we arrived in San Diego it was between $4.85 to a little over $5.00, depending on the gas station. When I left… prices had risen to just over $5.00 to $5,60. Can't blame, Trump for all that… most of it falls at the foot of your insane State Government. In general, all politicians suck… California politicians suck Big Time! BTW… had a $30 dollar lunch at a McDonalds. Two hamburgers and one French fry we shared. Again, YGTBSM!
SOMETHING THAT HASN'T CHANGED…
The spirit and pride of Naval Aviation… especially our generation. As I wrote to Bear Taylor… "We are now modern dinosaurs… we were the last generation that did it all the hard way. No auto-landings, no auto cat shots… no computer bombing, beyond visual range missiles, etc." In our day and in our time, it was all skill, guts and at times luck. And in the process, as YP has often said… "We've all shared a few private talks with the "Big Guy" up above to help us along the way". Had to laugh when one of us made the remark… "Can you imagine never being lost, no matter where you were in the world"? Hell, my cell phone has better navigation than any airplane I ever flew! BTW, We didn't have to be "Drafted" to serve. We answered the call voluntarily. And in return we can look back on our lives and know we have lived a life that very few ever did or could. We weren't just different… we were exceptional... compared to the herd. During the two get togethers I attended with Skip… I looked around and thought to myself… we may look normal these days… but in each group, I know that every one of those old men led a life of adventure… danger, challenges... and sometimes disappointment and grief for brothers that did not make it. Every one of them saw things, did things and tried things very few humans would ever even contemplate. I will always feel proud of being "One of them". As disappointed as I was about the degradation of San Diego… I couldn't have been more proud to break bread again with my personal heroes. Thank You!
All the Best, Shadow
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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 17
1898
John Holland's submarine, Holland IV, performs the first successful diving and surfacing tests off Staten Island, N.Y.
1944
USS Block Island (CVE 21) torpedo bomber aircraft from Composite Squadron (VC 6), along with USS Corry (DD 463) and USS Bronstein (DE 189), sink German submarine U 801 west of Cape Verdes.
1945
USS Sealion (SS 315) sinks Bangkok-bound Thai oiler Samui off Trengganu coast, while USS Spot (SS 413) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks army cargo vessel Nanking Maru off Yushiyama Island and damages cargo Ikomasan Maru, beached off Matsu Island.
1958
The Naval Research Laboratory satellite Vanguard 1 is launched into orbit to test the capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earths orbit.
1959
USS Skate (SSN-578) becomes the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, traveling 3,000 miles in and under Arctic ice for more than a month.
1962
USS Raleigh (LPD-1), the Navy's first amphibious transport dock, is launched at New York Naval shipyard.
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This Day IN World History
On March 17, 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Today he is honored with the annual holiday of St. Patrick's Day Much of what is known about Patrick's legendary life comes from the Confessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.
March 17
According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled "The Voice of the Irish." As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.
1766 Britain repeals the Stamp Act.
1776 British forces evacuate from Boston to Nova Scotia.
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte and his army reach Mediterranean seaport of St. Jean d'Acra, only to find British warships ready to break his siege of the town.
1868 The first postage stamp canceling machine patent is issued.
1884 John Joseph Montgomery makes the first glider flight in Otay, Calif.
1886 Twenty African Americans are killed in the Carrollton Massacre in Mississippi.
1891 The British steamer Utopia sinks off the coast of Gibraltar.
1905 Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, marries Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York.
1910 The Camp Fire Girls are founded in Lake Sebago, Maine.
1914 Russia increases the number of active duty military from 460,000 to 1,700,000.
1924 Four Douglas army aircraft leave Los Angeles for an around the world flight.
1930 Mob boss Al Capone is released from jail.
1942 The Nazis begin deporting Jews to the Belsen camp.
1944 The U.S. Eighth Air Force bombs Vienna.
1959 The 14th Dalai Lama flees Tibet and goes to India.
1961 The United States increases military aid and technicians to Laos.
1962 The Soviet Union asks the United States to pull out of South Vietnam.
1966 A U.S. submarine locates a missing H-bomb in the Mediterranean.
1970 The Army charges 14 officers with suppression of facts in the My Lai massacre case.
1972 Nixon asks Congress to halt busing in order to achieve desegregation.
1973 Twenty are killed in Cambodia when a bomb goes off that was meant for the Cambodian President Lon Nol.
1973 First POWs are released from the "Hanoi Hilton" in Hanoi, North Vietnam.
1985 President Ronald Reagan agrees to a joint study with Canada on acid rain.
1992 White South Africans approve constitutional reforms giving legal equality to blacks.
Today was a sad day for Naval Aviation with the loss of one of our comrades - Hoser -Had left the bonds of Earth.
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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 17 . .
March 17: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2158
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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This is a real Hoot and it got better and I added another at the end
Thanks to Roy (Shadow), Dr.Rich, Trees (Tom) and Jim (Black) and YP
From the "Black" in Black Shadow Aviation… my man!
Shadow
P.S.
Trees, care to add anything?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Thomas Morgenfeld
Date: March 16, 2024 at 8:25:21 PM EDT
Subject: Re: SASC 78
He was a pilot after all so that probably explains his reaction. Dang, do I ever wish we had a video of that hearing!
On Mar 16, 2024, at 5:13 PM, James L Lucas wrote:
The funniest reaction, Trees, came from Sen. Goldwater 🤣
At the time, I was XO of VMFA-323 (F-4's) at El Toro and Trees in VX-4 at Pt. Mugu. I, along with Trees, and four more Navy guys, were assigned to the F/A-18 Aircrew Systems Advisory Panel (ASAP). Basically we would advise MCAIR on the cockpit, controls & displays … going to the factory in St. Louis near monthly. Trees & I were probably the longest serving members going back to the mid-70's.
In November of 77 Tom, Sandy Coward & myself were offered by F/A-18 Program Manager, RADM Corky Lenox, to fly the YF-17 at Edwards AFB; Tom & me were to evaluate air-to-air and Sandy (an A-7 guy) air-to-ground with bombs.
Looking back, we were given a couple of procedures books to review before our first flights the next day. They were thinner than many restaurant menus and wine lists I've seen over the years.
Hank Chouteau, Northrop test pilot, gave us the briefings. I mentioned to him the next morning that I'd seen nothing about out of control or spin procedures. He said, "Don't worry about it."
Suffice to say, coming from the Phantom … the Cobra was a real rocket ship!
During Tom & my flights a Tomcat showed up from Mugu. As a result of our after-action reports we were "invited" to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March of 78.
The Senate hearing would be my very first introduction to DC. The day before the hearing we met with VADM Ed Martin, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air Warfare. His words of wisdom I'll never forget … ."The first thing they do to you when you come to DC is to slit your tongue down the middle so you can talk out of both sides of your mouth at the same time."
Just prior to the hearing Adm Lenox gathered the three of us together, looked at me and said, "You are going first." My reply, "What am I supposed to say, Admiral?" Says he, "Whatever comes to mind."
Shortly thereafter I was ushered to the microphone in front of the SASC, wearing green "Alphas".
Note: The Senators had access to the reports we had written.
When the hearing resumed, my very first question was from Sen. Gary Hart …. as best I recall 46 years later:
"Major, I see by your report, in several engagements with the F-14 you arrived in an offensive position within 20 - 25 seconds from a neutral start. How do you know that?"
My reply, "Well, Senator ….. because I was there." 😳 It was then Goldwater about fell out of his chair laughing while gesturing at his colleague.
The next question from Senator Hart: "Major, did you consider perhaps the Tomcat pilot only had 1500 hours in type (don't recall the exact number)?"
My reply, "Senator, I had perhaps 20 minutes in the YF-17 before our first engagement." …. more laughter 😂
I got no more questions from Sen. Hart and frankly don't recall getting any more questions at all.
Help me here, Trees!
🍻 🍻 🍻 🍻 🍻
Indeed it was Shadow. It was all I could do to keep from bursting out in laughter when Luke delivered his reply. Good times for sure but I will pass on participating in any more Senate investigations!
Trees
More chithottery COOL!
YP
On Mar 17, 2024, at 6:57 AM, Roy Stafford <stafford44@icloud.com wrote:
A little note about "Trees"…
When Trees left the Navy to join the "Black World" at Lockheed… on occasion he and Black would cross paths and Black, like I any of us would ask… "Hey, what are you doing over there"? Trees would smile and say, "Can't tell ya… but you can't shoot me if you can't see me". Of course that went right over our heads… none of us had heard anything about Stealth. Eventually when the F-117 became public, it finally made sense. Trees had been heavily involved with test flying the Night Hawk.
From there he went into test the F-22. A real airplane. Of course we wanted to know how good it was. Well Trees dropped in on us at Black Shadow one day and gave us some scoop. It was a great visit… he said his first takeoff in it, he had an F-15 chase and in basic engine, the Eagle couldn't keep up with him in full burner during the climb. The plane was eye watering and a winner!
Jealous? You bet… Black was always telling me I got out one airplane too soon (F-18)… but at least I still had my F-4 memories to fall back on. And then one morning, I had the big screen in the office on and there was a story about an accident with the new F-22. Holy chit… hope Trees wasn't flying it! Well at one second, I noticed in the video, I saw the pilot had a blue helmet and I knew it was Trees!
At the time, Black was out west courting his about to be bride. So I waited until about noon our time and finally called Tom's house. His wife answered the phone and I asked if Trees was OK… she replied, "Is this Black or Shadow"? I said Shadow… she then said, "Tom is fine and said to tell you… that after they get through blaming the pilot, he'll call and tell you what really happened"!
Eventually he did call and filled us in… he had quite a ride, thanks to the sensors in the plane encountering something they'd not been programmed for. At one point I kidded him and said, "After the plane came to a stop, I hope you beat Neil Anderson's F-16 escape from his gear up". Trees said, "Actually, I didn't… the impact caused the canopy to stick… and I had to blow it to get out… took what seemed like forever to get out"!
BTW… Neil had bellied in an F-16 when the gear didn't come down (in the grass?)… and after he came to a stop, sat there, shut everything down and calmly opened the canopy, unstrapped, took off his gloves and slowly exited the cockpit just like it was a normal day at the office (did I mention that Neil was a former Marine)! Any sane person would have been out of there like a rocket, considering the potential for fire, etc. I kidded him at Reno one year that his display of "Test Pilot Cool"… went a bit too far!
Shadow
P.S.
Damn… I've led a blessed life with all the incredible human beings I've met (and be able to call them friends) from Naval Aviation and just aviation in general… Thank you Lord!
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
There are no snakes in Ireland.
For the estimated 30% of Americans with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) — one of the world's most common phobias — Ireland may seem like heaven on Earth. That's because throughout its entire modern history, the Emerald Isle has been home to precisely zero snake species. Although one of the nation's most popular legends tells of St. Patrick driving serpents from the island in the fifth century CE, snakes haven't slithered along Ireland's soil since at least before the last ice age.
Ireland's geological history makes it perfectly inhospitable for snakes. During the last ice age, the northern latitudes of the British Isles were just too cold for ectotherms (animals dependent on the sun to warm their bodies), so these creatures migrated south. As the ice age receded, glaciers retreated to the poles, and water levels rose; the land bridge to Ireland became submerged around 8,500 years ago, whereas the land bridge to England stuck around for 2,000 more years, allowing snakes more time to migrate north as the planet warmed. This is why England has endemic snakes, while Ireland does not. (New Zealand and Iceland lack snakes for similar reasons.)
However, this doesn't mean you won't run into any snakes in Ireland. While the island has no endemic snake species, it isn't illegal to have one as a pet (like it is in Hawaii) — in fact, pet snakes were seen as a status symbol in Ireland during the 1990s. With many people setting their pet snakes free during the economic recession around 2008, it's possible a few populations of snakes are slithering about, though not nearly in large enough numbers to threaten Ireland's ecosystem or its residents.
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Rome was the first city to reach 1 million inhabitants.
Today, Tokyo is the world's largest city by population, with more than 37 million residents, but long before the Japanese metropolis took that honor, there was another record-holder: Rome. The ancient city was the world's largest back in 133 BCE, when it became the first city to reach 1 million inhabitants.
Everyday life in ancient Rome was largely dictated by wealth: Affluent residents lived in finely decorated townhouses (and often had countryside estates for trips out of the city), while lower-income citizens resided in apartment-like buildings called insulae. But all social classes enjoyed the perks of living in a major city, including fresh water piped in from aqueducts, and the availability of markets, entertainment, and even food stalls that served quick meals. Rome's population eventually declined as the Roman Empire fell, yet no city would surpass its record population for millennia — that is, until London became the world's largest city, with 1 million people in 1800 and growing to more than 6 million people by 1810.
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All these are very close to home..skip
Thanks to Boysie ... and Dr. Rich
Aging
"If you want to know how old a woman is, ask her sister-in-law." - Edgar Howe
"Old age comes at a bad time." – San Banducci
"Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened." - Jennifer Yane
"Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard, there is nothing you can do about it." - Golda Meir
"The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened. - Mark Twain
"I'm at that age where my back goes out more than I do." - Phyllis Diller
"Nice to be here? At my age, it's nice to be anywhere." – George Burns
"First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down." - Leo Rosenberg
"You spend 90 percent of your adult life hoping for a long rest and the last 10 percent trying to convince the Lord that you're actually not that tired." – Robert Brault
"Old people shouldn't eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get." – Robert Orben
"At my age, flowers scare me." - George Burns
"It's like you trade the virility of the body for the agility of the spirit." – Elizabeth Lesser
"The years between 50 and 70 are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down." - T.S. Elliot
"At age 20, we worry about what others think of us… at age 40, we don't care what they think of us… at age 60, we discover they haven't been thinking of us at all." - Ann Landers
"When I was young, I was called a rugged individualist. When I was in my fifties, I was considered eccentric. Here I am doing and saying the same things I did then, and I'm labeled senile." – GB
"The important thing to remember is that I'm probably going to forget." - Unknown
"We don't grow older, we grow riper." - Pablo Picasso
"It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone." - Andy Rooney
"The older I get, the better I used to be." – Lee Trevino
"I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a lot more as they get older, and then it dawned on me — they're cramming for their final exam."- George Carlin
"Everything slows down with age, except the time it takes cake and ice cream to reach your hips." - John Wagner
"Grandchildren don't make a man feel old, it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother that does." - J. Norman Collie
"When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old." - Mark Twain
"You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks." - Joel Plaskett
"There's one advantage to being 102, there's no peer pressure." - Dennis Wolfberg
"There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus, he does not believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus." - Bob Phillips
"Looking fifty is great — if you're sixty." - Joan Rivers
"At my age 'getting lucky' means walking into a room and remembering what I came in for." - Unknown
"Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician." – Anonymous
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Another from Boysie and Dr. Rich
Bargains
An 84-year-old man is having a drink in Harpoon Harry's. Suddenly a gorgeous girl enters and sits down a few seats away. The girl is so attractive that he just can't take his eyes off her.
After a short while, the girl notices him staring, and approaches him.
Before the man has time to apologize, the girl looks him deep in the eyes and says to him in a sultry tone: "I'll do anything you'd like. Anything you can imagine in your wildest dreams, it doesn't matter how extreme or unusual it is, I'm game. I want $100, and there's another condition."'
Completely stunned by the sudden turn of events, the man asks her what her condition is.
"You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words."
The man takes a moment to consider the offer from the beautiful woman. He whips out his wallet and puts $100 dollars into her hand... He then looks her square in the eyes, and says slowly and clearly: "Paint my house."
Our needs change as we get older, and we tend to look for bargains.
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From the archives
Thanks to DR
TYSON
This company is one of the largest meat producers in the nation. Between them and Purdue, they control most of the market for chickens, as well as much of the pork market in the US. Tyson employs 139,000 people. But, all is not roses and sunshine in their part of the business. So, the company is closing a number of processing plants, and changing the focus of operations. One such plant in Ohio is closing, leaving 1276 Americans with no job. As the major employer in a small town of about 8000, this is devastating to the local economy. Tyson is moving operations to NY, so they can employ illegals (something they have done for years. Illegals will work cheap, and will take jobs, like 'chicken eviscerator' that Americans just will not accept) and cut costs. They are offering incentives to illegals to apply for their new jobs. They seek to hire 52,000 of these people, so they offer free legal services, temporary housing, transportation, relocation expenses and many more items. Like child care while the parents work at gutting chickens. And, even with all this, it is cheaper than hiring Americans, paying a living wage and paying taxes. Tyson says it is 'working with state and local officials' to deal with the economic impact that their choices have on the communities. Wonder what that means? More importantly, what federal incentives are they getting to hire illegals, which Biden is shipping to communities all over the land at our expense. We know that the Biden team wants to replace all those racist Americans with third world people - so you can bet they turn a blind eye to law, and are spending your money to eliminate your jobs.
I've puchased Tyson products for years in my DFAS commissary. Normally the lowest prices on the shelf. No more. DR
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This Day in U S Military History
17 March
1756 – St. Patrick's Day was 1st celebrated in NYC at Crown & Thistle Tavern.
1762 – In New York City, the first parade honoring the Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is held by Irish soldiers serving in the British army. Saint Patrick, who was born in the late 4th century, was one of the most successful Christian missionaries in history. Born in Britain to a Christian family of Roman citizenship, he was taken prisoner at the age of 16 by a group of Irish raiders who attacked his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland, and he spent six years in captivity before escaping back to Britain. Believing he had been called by God to Christianize Ireland, he joined the Catholic Church and studied for 15 years before being consecrated as the church's second missionary to Ireland. Patrick began his mission to Ireland in 432, and by his death in 460, the island was almost entirely Christian. Early Irish settlers to the American colonies, many of whom were indentured servants, brought the Irish tradition of celebrating St. Patrick's feast day to America. The first recorded St. Patrick's Day parade was held not in Ireland but in New York City in 1762, and with the dramatic increase of Irish immigrants to the United States in the mid-19th century, the March 17th celebration became widespread. Today, across the United States, millions of Americans of Irish ancestry celebrate their cultural identity and history by enjoying St. Patrick's Day parades and engaging in general revelry.
1776 – During the American War for Independence, British forces are forced to evacuate Boston following Patriot General George Washington's successful placement of fortifications and cannons on Dorchester Heights, which overlooks the city from the south. During the evening of March 4, Patriot General John Thomas, under orders from Washington, secretly led a force of 800 soldiers and 1,200 workers to Dorchester Heights and began fortifying the area. To cover the sound of the construction, Patriot cannons, besieging Boston from another location, began a noisy bombardment of the outskirts of the city. By the morning, more than a dozen cannons from Fort Ticonderoga had been brought within the Dorchester Heights fortifications. British General Sir William Howe hoped to use British ships in Boston Harbor to destroy the Patriot position, but a storm set in, giving the Patriots ample time to complete the fortifications and set up their artillery. On March 17, 11,000 British troops and some 1,000 Royalists departed Boston by ship and sailed to the safety of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The bloodless liberation of Boston by the Patriots brought an end to a hated eight-year British occupation of the city, known for such infamous events as the "Boston Massacre." For the victory, General Washington, commander of the Continental Army, was presented with the first medal ever awarded by the Continental Congress.
1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River, at Remagen, collapses under the combined strain of bomb damage and heavy use but US Army engineers have built several other bridges nearby and the advance over the Rhine continues. To the south, the US 3rd Army offensive over the Moselle River takes Koblenz and Boppard on the left flank of the drive while farther forward, the Nahe River has been crossed.
1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber. The North American B-45 Tornado was the United States Air Force's first operational jet bomber, and the first multi-jet engined bomber in the world to be refueled in midair. The B-45 was an important part of the United States's nuclear deterrent for several years in the early 1950s, but was rapidly succeeded by the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. B-45s and RB-45s served in the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command from 1950 until 1959. It was also the first jet bomber of the NATO Alliance, which was formed in 1949.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day 17 March
MULLEN, PATRICK (First Award)
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Baltimore, Md. G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation: Served as boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. Wyandank during a boat expedition up Mattox Creek, 17 March 1865. Rendering gallant assistance to his commanding officer, Mullen, lying on his back, loaded the howitzer and then fired so carefully as to kill and wound many rebels, causing their retreat.
SANDERSON, AARON
Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: North Carolina. G.O. No.: 59, 22 June 1865. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Wyandank during a boat expedition up Mattox Creek, 17 March 1865. Participating with a boat crew in the clearing of Mattox Creek, L/man Anderson carried out his duties courageously in the face of a devastating fire which cut away half the oars, pierced the launch in many places and cut the barrel off a musket being fired at the enemy.
BRYAN, WILLIAM C.
Rank and organization: Hospital Steward, U.S. Army. Place and date: At Powder River, Wyo., 17 March 1876. Entered service at: St. Louis, Mo. Born: 9 September 1850, Zanesville, Ohio. Date of issue: 15 June 1899. Citation: Accompanied a detachment of cavalry in a charge on a village of hostile Indians and fought through the engagements, having his horse killed under him. He continued to fight on foot, and under severe fire and without assistance conveyed 2 wounded comrades to places of safety, saving them from capture.
GLAVINSKI, ALBERT
Rank and organization: Blacksmith, Company M, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Powder River, Mont., 17 March 1876. Entered service at:——. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 16 October 1877. Citation: During a retreat he selected exposed positions, he was part of the rear guard.
MURPHY, JEREMIAH
Rank and organization: Private, Company M, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Powder River, Mont., 17 March 1876. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 16 October 1877. Citation: Being the only member of his picket not disabled, he attempted to save a wounded comrade.
*DEVORE, EDWARD A., Jr.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, 17 March 1968. Entered service at: Harbor City, Calif. Born: 15 June 1947, Torrance, Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. DeVore, distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on the afternoon of 17 March 1968, while serving as a machine gunner with Company B, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission approximately 5 kilometers south of Saigon. Sp4c. DeVore's platoon, the company's lead element, abruptly came under intense fire from automatic weapons, Claymore mines, rockets and grenades from well-concealed bunkers in a nipa palm swamp. One man was killed and 3 wounded about 20 meters from the bunker complex. Sp4c. DeVore raced through a hail of fire to provide a base of fire with his machine gun, enabling the point element to move the wounded back to friendly lines. After supporting artillery, gunships and air strikes had been employed on the enemy positions, a squad was sent forward to retrieve their fallen comrades. Intense enemy frontal and enfilading automatic weapons fire pinned down this element in the kill zone. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Sp4c. DeVore assaulted the enemy positions. Hit in the shoulder and knocked down about 35 meters short of his objectives, Sp4c. DeVore, ignoring his pain and the warnings of his fellow soldiers, jumped to his feet and continued his assault under intense hostile fire. Although mortally wounded during this advance, he continued to place highly accurate suppressive fire upon the entrenched insurgents. By drawing the enemy fire upon himself, Sp4c. DeVore enabled the trapped squad to rejoin the platoon in safety. Sp4c. DeVore's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in close combat were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 39th Infantry, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 17, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
17 March
1911: At Potomac Park in Washington DC, Army and government officials watched the first flight of the military-type Curtiss D. The Signal Corps bought the plane, making it the first from the Curtiss Manufacturing Company and second in the inventory (Signal Corps No. 2). (4)(12)
1945: 307 B-29s delivered 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Kobe, Japan. (24)
1947: The US AAF's first multiengined jet bomber, the North American XB-45 Tornado, powered by four General Electric J-35 engines, flew for the first time. (12)
1958: Vanguard I, the second US satellite to go into orbit, launched from Cape Canaveral. (5)
1961: Northrop delivered the first T-38 Talon, a supersonic jet trainer, to ATC at Randolph AFB. (24)
1966: The X-22A V/STOL research airplane, designed and built by Bell Aerosystems Company, completed a 10-minute first flight at Niagara Falls IAP. (5) (26)
1967: The US and Thai governments announced that USAF units in Thailand were flying missions against North Vietnam. (16)
1978: A Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council approved development of the Space Shuttle's inertial upper stage. (5)
1981: At Long Beach, the Douglas Aircraft Company turned over the first KC-10 Extender (79-0434) to Lt Gen Edgar S. Harris, the Eighth Air Force Commander. He flew it to Barksdale AFB for testing with the 4200th Test and Evaluation Squadron. (1) (12)
1988: Exercise GOLDEN PHEASANT. Through 18 March, 50 airlifters carried 3,200 US soldiers to Honduras for this exercise after Sandinista forces from Nicaragua crossed the border. For the mission, 23 tankers refueled 31 planes with 1.5 million pounds of fuel. (16)
1997: Operation GUARDIAN RETRIEVAL. The Air Force Special Operations Command provided a joint task force with MC-130 aircraft and MH-53 helicopters to evacuate U. S. citizens and other foreigners from Zaire due to an outbreak of civil unrest. By late March, the special operations effort had moved 532 passengers in 57 missions. To assist, Air Mobility Command dispatched C-5s, C-17s, C-141s, and KC-135s. Besides placing tankers at Moron AB in Spain, Air Mobility Command airlifted a Joint Task Force and special operations forces to Libreville, Gabon, and Brazzaville, Congo, while setting up support operations at Ascension Island; Brussels, Belgium; and Yaounde, Cameroon. By 17 April, AMC had flown over 115 missions, carrying over 1,200 passengers and 2,400 short tons of cargo. (21) (22)
2001: A C-5 Galaxy from the New York ANG's 105 AW delivered 65,600 pounds of relief supplies to earthquake-ravaged El Salvador at the San Salvador International Airport. (32)
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