To All
. Good Thursday morning March 26. .Well we are into the night and morning low clouds followed by afternoon clearing mantra that we all remember. It is all clear now as I am getting ready to send.
.My son is headed east this morning if the schedule holds, He has been on 24 or 48 hour reeainess for months. Now I know how my parents felt back in 72.
Warm Regards,
skip
HAGD
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
March 26
1942 During World War II, Adm. Ernest J. King becomes Chief of Naval Operations and also Commander, U.S. Fleet, holding both positions through the rest of the war, guiding the Navy's plans and global operations.
1942 Task Force 39, commanded by Rear Adm. John W. Wilcox, Jr., sails from Portland, Maine, for Scapa Flow, Orkeny Islands, Scotland, to reinforce the British Home Fleet due the British Fleets involvement in Operation Ironclad, the British invasion of the Vichy French controlled Madagascar. The following day, Rear Adm. Wilcox, while taking an unaccompanied walk on his flagship, USS Washington (BB 56), is washed overboard and disappears in the heavy seas.
194 During the Battle of Komandorski Islands, Task Group 16.6, commanded by Rear Adm. Charles H. McMorris, prevents Japanese reinforcements from reaching Kiska, Aleutian Islands. USS Salt Lake City (CA 25) is damaged by gunfire from Japanese heavy cruisers, but damages one with return fire.
1945 USS Halligan (DD 584) is sunk by a mine off Okinawa. Also on this date, USS Balao (SS-285) sinks Japanese army stores ship No.1 Shinto Maru.
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Today in World History March 26
1517 The famous Flemish composer Heinrich Issac dies.
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte captures Jaffa, Palestine.
1804 Congress orders the removal of Indians east of the Mississippi River to Louisiana.
1804 The territory of New Orleans is organized in the Louisiana Purchase.
1827 German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven dies in Vienna. He had been deaf for the later part of his life, but said on his death bed "I shall hear in heaven."
1832 Famed western artist George Catlin begins his voyage up the Missouri River aboard the American Fur Company steamship Yellowstone.
1885 Eastman Film Co. manufactures the first commercial motion picture film.
1913 The Balkan allies take Adrianople.
1918 On the Western Front, the Germans take the French towns Noyon, Roye and Lihons.
1938 Hermann Goering warns all Jews to leave Austria.
1942 The Germans begin sending Jews to Auschwitz in Poland.
1950 Senator Joe McCarthy names Owen Lattimore, an ex-State Department adviser, as a Soviet spy.
1951 The United States Air Force flag design is approved.
1953 Eisenhower offers increased aid to the French fighting in Indochina.
On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the crippling disease of polio.
In 1952—an epidemic year for polio—there were 58,000 new cases reported in the United States, and more than 3,000 died from the disease. For his work in helping to eradicate the disease, which is known as "infant paralysis" because it mainly affects children, Dr. Salk was celebrated as the great doctor-benefactor of his time.
Polio, a disease that affected humanity many times throughout recorded history, attacks the nervous system and can cause varying degrees of paralysis. Since the virus is easily transmitted, epidemics were commonplace in the first decades of the 20th century. The first major polio epidemic in the United States occurred in Vermont in the summer of 1894, and by the 20th century thousands were affected every year. In the first decades of the 20th century, treatments were limited to quarantines and the infamous "iron lung," a metal coffin-like contraption that aided respiration. Although children, and especially infants, were among the worst affected, adults were also often afflicted, including future president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1921 was stricken with polio at the age of 39 and was left partially paralyzed. Roosevelt later transformed his estate in Warm Springs, Georgia, into a recovery retreat for polio victims and was instrumental in raising funds for polio-related research and the treatment of polio patients.
Salk, born in New York City in 1914, first conducted research on viruses in the 1930s when he was a medical student at New York University, and during World War II helped develop flu vaccines. In 1947, he became head of a research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh and in 1948 was awarded a grant to study the polio virus and develop a possible vaccine. By 1950, he had an early version of his polio vaccine.
I spent almost the entire summer of '52 in the hospital at Fort Hood Texas with polio but was lucky and made it out of there in time to start school. My mom dragged me to every new version of the vaccine that came out after that….Skip
1954 The United States sets off an H-bomb blast in the Marshall Islands, the second in four weeks.
1961 John F. Kennedy meets with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in Washington to discuss increased Communist involvement in Laos.
1969 The Soviet weather Satellite Meteor 1 is launched.
1969 Writer John Kennedy Toole commits suicide at the age of 32. His mother helps get his first and only novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, published. It goes on to win the 1981 Pulitzer Prize.
1979 The Camp David treaty is signed between Israel and Egypt.
1982 Ground is broken in Washington D.C. for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1989 The first free elections take place in the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin is elected.
1992 An Indianapolis court finds heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson guilty of rape.
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Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..March 26 . .
March 26: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1060
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/ )
For 26 March…be sure to read this one….Longest held POW??
March 26: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=36
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. Thanks to Shadow and billy
Subject: Re: Loss of Medal of Honor Recipient Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare
One of the Wildcats we restored was flown by O'Hare on Lexington. It originally went to the Marine Corps at El Toro until it was discovered it was flown by O'Hare. They moved it to Chicago, repainted it and has been on display at O'Hare International Airport in the main lobby. We replaced it with an FM-2 Wildcat. It's now back at El Toro having been at Miramar.
Shadow
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 5, 2025, at 3:53 PM, Richard Sugden, MD <rsugden@tetondata.com> wrote:
Thanks to Skip and TheList ...
<Screenshot 2025-02-05 at 1.47.16 PM.jpeg>
Loss of Medal of Honor Recipient Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare
After sundown on 26 November 1943, the U.S. Navy attempted the first carrier-based night fighter intercept operations. The fighters were launched in response to continuing night attacks by Japanese land-based twin-engine Betty torpedo bombers (which had previously hit and damaged the light carrier Independence. During the mission, the commander of Enterprise Air Group, Lieutenant Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare, was shot down, and neither his aircraft or body were ever found. O'Hare had previously been awarded the Medal of Honor for single-handedly downing several Japanese Betty torpedo bombers attempting to strike the aircraft carrier Lexington (CV-2) on 20 February 1942, making him the first naval aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II. This also made him an instant national hero at a time when the nation needed one in the dark days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Like the loss of Doris Miller on Liscome Bay, the loss of Butch O'Hare was a shock to the American public. For many years, there was uncertainty as to whether he was shot down in the darkness by "friendly fire" from another Navy aircraft or whether he was shot down by the Japanese. The analysis that I find most compelling indicates that he was hit and downed by a lucky shot from one of the Betty bombers.
O'Hare came from a colorful background. At the time O'Hare was seeking to enter the U.S. Naval Academy, his father was a lawyer working for mobster Al Capone, but who turned on Capone providing key evidence leading to the gangster's conviction on tax evasion, and was rewarded for his efforts by being gunned down in a mob hit in November 1939. Despite this, O'Hare graduated from the Naval Academy in 1937 and finished aviation training in May 1940, reporting to Fighter Squadron 3 (VF-3), where future "ace" Lieutenant John S. "Jimmy" Thach was executive officer. Thach quickly recognized O'Hare's talent, especially at gunnery. When Saratoga (CV-3) was torpedoed and damaged by a Japanese submarine on 11 January 1942, VF-3 transferred to Lexington, replacing her obsolete F2A Brewster Buffalo squadron, and was re-designated VF-2. Thach led one section and future ace (and four-star) Noel Gayler led the other.
On 20 February 1942, Task Force 11, centered on Lexington, was approaching the Japanese base of Rabaul (which had yet to develop the formidable air defenses seen in 1943), but was detected by a Japanese flying boat while still 450 miles away. At 1112, Thach and another pilot shot down the four- engine Kawanishi H6K4 Type 97 Mavis at 43 nautical miles from the carrier, but not before the plane had radioed a report. At 1202, two other Lexington fighters shot down a second Mavis, while a third radar contact turned away. The Japanese wasted no time in launching a two-group 17-plane strikeof G4M Betty medium torpedo bombers. Unfortunately for the Japanese, no torpedoes or fighters had arrived at Rabaul yet, so the Bettys carried only bombs, and launched with no fighter escort.
At 1542, Lexington radar detected the incoming strike at long range, but lost the contact. At 1625, radar re-acquired the incoming strike at 47 nautical miles and closing fast, which turned out to be nine Bettys. Fighters were vectored to intercept and additional fighters were launched, including O'Hare (flying F4F BuNo. 4031 "White 15"), but O'Hare and his wingman Marion "Duff" Dufilho were held overhead as the Bettys were engaged and five were shot down. Four of the Betty's dropped bombs on Lexington, but missed by 3,000 yards. The surviving Bettys were pursued and shot down, although two Wildcats were shot down by the Bettys' lethal tail guns. One of the Bettys was actually shot down by an SBD Dauntless dive bomber on ASW patrol.
However, at 1649, Lexington radar detected a second formation of Bettys approaching from the disengaged side at a range of only 12 nautical miles. The situation was critical as seven Wildcats were pursuing the remnants of the other formation of Bettys in the opposite direction, while five were orbiting, waiting to recover and low on fuel. O'Hare and Dufilho were vectored toward the new threat and intercepted the incoming Bettys (reported as nine, but actually eight) at 9 nautical miles from the carrier. Dufilho's guns jammed and O'Hare attacked alone. (Early models of the Wildcat mounted four .50-caliber machine guns with 450 rounds per gun, which amounted to about 34 seconds of firing time.) On his first firing pass, using a deflection technique he had developed (which kept him out of the envelope of the 20-mm cannon in the Betty's tail position), O'Hare hit the two trailing Bettys, knocking them out of formation, one of them on fire. However, the crew of the burning Betty was able to extinguish the fire, and, unbeknownst to O'Hare, both Bettys were able to catch up and rejoin the formation before the weapons release point. On his second firing pass, O'Hare hit two Bettys in a trailing "V" formation, one of which crashed in flames while the other dumped its bombs and aborted.
As the Betty's approached their bomb release point, O'Hare made his third firing pass, shooting down the leader of the trailing "V," and then shooting down the plane of the Japanese mission commander, Lieutenant Commander Takuzo Ito. O'Hare made a fourth firing pass on what was actually one of the planes that had caught up, but ran out of ammunition. As Ito's command plane was falling, his command pilot, Warrant Officer Chuzo Watanabe, attempted to crash the flaming plane into Lexington, but missed. The four surviving Bettys dropped ten 250-kilogram bombs on Lexington, but missed, this time by only 100 feet. Of the 17 Betty bombers, only two made it back to Rabaul, both damaged by O'Hare.
O'Hare claimed to have shot down six Bettys and damaged one. Lexington's commanding officer, Captain Frederick "Ted" Sherman, reduced it to five, since four of what was believed at the time to be nine aircraft flew over the Lexington. Lieutenant Commander Thach reported seeing three planes falling in flames at the same time, which, based on post-war records, was in fact the actual number, as only eight Japanese planes were in the second strike. Nevertheless, O'Hare was given credit for five kills, which made him the first Navy ace of the war. O'Hare's plane received only one bullet hole in the engagement, although he was fired on by a Lexington .50-caliber gunner while returning, who fortunately didn't lead enough. O'Hare's historic aircraft crashed while later being transferred to Yorktown (CV-5). O'Hare was sent back to the States and, on 21 April 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt presented him with the Medal of Honor:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in aerial combat, at grave risk to his life above and beyond the call of duty, as section leader and pilot of Fighting Squadron 3 on February 20, 1942. Having lost the assistance of his teammates, Lieutenant O'Hare interposed his fighter between his ship and an advancing enemy formation of 9 attacking twin-engine heavy bombers. Without hesitation, alone an unaided, he repeatedly attacked this enemy formation of 9 attacking twin-engine heavy bombers, at close range in the face of intense combined machine gun and canon fire. Despite this concentrated opposition, Lieutenant O'Hare, by his gallant and courageous action, his extremely skillful marksmanship in making the most of every shot of his limited amount of ammunition, shot down 5 enemy bombers and severely damaged a sixth before they reached the bomb release point. As a result of his gallant action – one of the most daring, if not the most daring action in the history of combat aviation – he undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage."
After several months of duty as a national hero (and missing the Battle of the Coral Sea), Lieutenant Commander O'Hare assumed command of VF-3 from Thach on 19 June 1942 and spent the next year training others. On 15 July 1943, VF-3 swapped squadron designations with VF-6 and was equipped with the new F6F-3 Hellcat fighter. VF-6 was planned to go aboard Enterprise (CV-6), which is why the designation was changed, during a time when air group and squadron numbers were supposed to match the parent carrier's hull number, a system that was soon given up on as too complicated. Instead, two thirds of O'Hare's VF-6 (24 Hellcats) embarked on light carrier Independence (CVL-22) on 22 August 1943. It participated in the strikes on Marcus Island on 1 September 1942, the first combat missions for the Hellcat, during which O'Hare would be awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC.) He would be awarded a second DFC for actions on the Wake Island strikes on 5 October 1943.
On 17 September 1943, O'Hare became commander of Carrier Air Group 6 (CAG 6) embarked on Enterprise. However, his squadron, VF-6, was split up amongst the light carriers and VF-2 embarked on Enterprise instead. By this time of the war, it had become standard practice for the CAG to fly in a TBF Avenger configured as a command aircraft to coordinate strikes. However, O'Hare successfully lobbied to continue flying the F6F Hellcat.
During Operation Galvanic, groups of Japanese twin-engine Betty bombers, trained in making night torpedo attacks, flew from airfields in the Marshalls attempting to strike U.S. ships. On the evening of 25 November, 13 Betty twin-engine torpedo bombers from the Marshalls attacked the U.S. Northern Assault Group. However, Rear Admiral Turner's insistence on constant battle drills while en route to Makin and Tarawa paid off. Due to radical (but purposeful) and constant maneuvering by the U.S. ships, the Japanese bombers were never able to gain an advantageous torpedo attack position. Nevertheless, the night-time raids represented a serious threat. In an attempt to counter these raids, the commander of the Northern Carrier Group (TG 50.2), Rear Admiral Arthur W. Radford (embarked on Enterprise), O'Hare, and the Enterprise air officer, Commander Tom Hamilton, worked to develop ad hoc tactics for conducting night carrier-based fighter intercepts.
The tactics involved using a "Bat Team" of one radar-equipped TBF Avenger and two F6F Hellcats. The Hellcats would join on the Avenger and would be vectored to the targets by the Enterprise fighter director officer based on shipboard radar, and then the Avenger would use its radar to lead the Hellcats to the incoming Japanese strike. Once the Hellcats sighted the blue-flamed exhaust of the Japanese bombers, they would engage. Four Bat Team fighter pilots were selected, one of which was Lieutenant Roy Marlin Voris, who would later found and command the Blue Angels Navy Flight Demonstration Team.
On the night of 26 November 1943, another Japanese raid was detected inbound and the Bat Team was launched, with O'Hare choosing to fly one of the fighters himself. The other was flown by Ensign Warren Andrew "Andy" Skon of VF-2. The TBF-1C Avenger was flown by the VT-6 ("Black Panthers") squadron skipper, Lieutenant Commander John C. Phillips. The night tactics proved harder to execute in practice than in theory. The fighter director had difficulty sending the Bat Team in the right direction, and the fighters had a hard time finding the TBF. When they did, it appears they were already in the middle of the Japanese formation flying the same direction.
O'Hare's plane was last seen by his wingman and the TBF turret gunner at the five o'clock position on the TBF. The turret gunner then saw a Betty bomber that was above and behind O'Hare in the six o'clock position. The turret gunner fired on the Betty and the nose gunner in the Betty returned fire. O'Hare's plane did not appear to have been hit in the crossfire, but both the turret gunner and wingman reported that O'Hare's plane veered to the left, dropped down into the darkness, and was never seen again, suggesting that a round from the Betty's nose gun killed or incapacitated O'Hare and he lost control of the aircraft. The action caused confusion in the Bettys' formation and they broke off the attack. Navy historian Samuel Eliot Morison recorded that one Betty was shot down by Phillips in the TBF (which had a forward-firing gun). An extensive search for O'Hare failed to find any trace of him or his aircraft, and, on 9 December, he was officially declared missing in action. O'Hare would be awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his last action:
"The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch O'Hare, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as a Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron TWO (VF-2), attached to the USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), and deployed over Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, in action against enemy Japanese forces on 26 November 1943. When warnings were received of the approach of a large force of Japanese torpedo bombers, Lieutenant Commander O'Hare volunteered to lead a fighter section of aircraft from his carrier, the first time such a mission had been attempted at night, in order to intercept the attackers. He fearlessly led his three-plane group in combat against a large formation of hostile aircraft and assisted in shooting down two Japanese planes and dispersed the remainder. Lieutenant Commander O'Hare's outstanding courage, daring airmanship and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
The Gearing-class destroyer, USS O'Hare (DD-889), launched 22 June 1945 was named in honor of Butch O'Hare and served until she was decommissioned in October 1973 and transferred to the Spanish Navy before being scrapped in 1992. On 19 September 1949, Chicago's Orchard Depot Airport (ORD) was renamed Chicago O'Hare, and an F4F Wildcat, recovered from Lake Michigan in the 1990s and restored and on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, is on display in Terminal 2, painted in the markings of O'Hare's Medal of Honor flight.
(Sources for this section include: "Defending the USS Lexington: Action off Bougainville" by Allyn Vannoy, 27 November 2018, onwarfarehistorynetwork.com, and Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare by Steve Ewing and John B. Lundstrom, 1997.)
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. . 1911
March 25
Triangle Shirtwaist fire kills 146 in New York City
In one of the darkest moments of America's industrial history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burns, killing 146 workers, on March 25, 1911. The tragedy led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of factory workers.
The Triangle factory, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, was located in the top three floors of the 10-story Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. It was a sweatshop in every sense of the word: a cramped space lined with workstations and packed with poor immigrant workers, mostly teenage women who did not speak English. At the time of the fire, there were four elevators with access to the factory floors, but only one was fully operational and it could hold only 12 people at a time. There were two stairways down to the street, but one was locked from the outside to prevent theft by the workers and the other opened inward only. The fire escape, as all would come to see, was shoddily constructed, and could not support the weight of more than a few women at a time.
Blanck and Harris already had a suspicious history of factory fires. The Triangle factory was twice scorched in 1902, while their Diamond Waist Company factory burned twice, in 1907 and in 1910. It seems that Blanck and Harris deliberately torched their workplaces before business hours in order to collect on the large fire insurance policies they purchased, a not uncommon practice in the early 20th century. While this was not the cause of the 1911 fire, it contributed to the tragedy, as Blanck and Harris refused to install sprinkler systems and take other safety measures in case they needed to burn down their shops again.
READ MORE: How the Horrific Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Led to Workplace Safety Laws
Added to this delinquency were Blanck and Harris' notorious anti-worker policies. Their employees were paid a mere $15 a week, despite working 12 hours a day, every day. When the International Ladies Garment Workers Union led a strike in 1909 demanding higher pay and shorter and more predictable hours, Blanck and Harris' company was one of the few manufacturers who resisted, hiring police as thugs to imprison the striking women, and paying off politicians to look the other way.
On March 25, a Saturday afternoon, there were 600 workers at the factory when a fire broke out in a rag bin on the eighth floor. The manager turned the fire hose on it, but the hose was rotted and its valve was rusted shut. Panic ensued as the workers fled to every exit. The elevator broke down after only four trips, and women began jumping down the shaft to their deaths. Those who fled down the wrong set of stairs were trapped inside and burned alive. Other women trapped on the eighth floor began jumping out the windows, which created a problem for the firefighters whose hoses were crushed by falling bodies. Also, the firefighters' ladders stretched only as high as the seventh floor, and their safety nets were not strong enough to catch the women, who were jumping three at a time.
Blanck and Harris were on the building's top floor with some workers when the fire broke out. They were able to escape by climbing onto the roof and hopping to an adjoining building.
The fire was out within half an hour, but not before over 140 died. The workers' union organized a march on April 5 to protest the conditions that led to the fire; it was attended by 80,000 people.
Though Blanck and Harris were put on trial for manslaughter, they managed to get off scot-free. Still, the massacre for which they were responsible did finally compel the city to enact reform. In addition to the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law passed that October, the New York Democratic set took up the cause of the worker and became known as a reform party.
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. . From the archives
Thanks to Mike.
not everyone appreciates this kind of cleverness
John Travolta tested negative for coronavirus last night. Turns out it was just Saturday night fever.
The World Health Organization has announced that dogs cannot contract Covid-19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. To be clear, WHO let the dogs out.
I saw an ad for burial plots, and thought to myself that's the last thing I need.
Intelligence is like underwear. It is important that you have it, but not necessary that you show it off.
Relationships are a lot like algebra. Have you ever looked at your X and wondered Y?
A courtroom artist was arrested today for an unknown reason, details are sketchy.
People are making end of the world jokes like there's no tomorrow.
Whatever you do, always give 100% unless you're donating blood
What do you call a sleepwalking nun? Roamin' Catholic.
What did Snow White say when she came out of the photo booth? Someday my prints will come.
A girl said she recognized me from her vegetarian club but I'd never met herbivore.
I've always had an irrational fear of speed bumps but I'm slowly getting over it.
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? Short.
I've finally told my suitcases there will be no holiday this year. Now I'm dealing with the emotional baggage.
If you're not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb in the refrigerator?
My dad died when we couldn't remember his blood type. As he died, he kept insisting "be positive," but it's hard without him.
Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
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. . Thanks to Barrel
Are Airline Pilots narcissistic?
In all the many years I spent as a First Officer I never had a God complex. I did however develop a Jesus complex. That came from all those years sitting at the right hand of God. Plus, the Captains would frequently say to me, "Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!?!"
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. . Thanks to Ken ... and Dr.Rich
Worth the repeat
True story…
The Desks…
NOW SHE IS A TEACHER!!!
In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?'
She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.' They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said. 'Maybe it's our behavior.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW.
Do you think this email is worth passing along so others won't forget either, that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by our U.S. Veterans? ................... I did.
Let us always remember the men and women of our military and the rights they have won for us.
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. Thanks to Dr. Rich
One Lucky Kitty
https://youtu.be/OpyIY7ixgI8?si=W40DDJIy0_5ag-_n
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Thanks to Nice News
I have things in my closet that are .over 50 years old or older like Pendleton shirts. ..skip
Yes, Fashion Repeats Itself — Science Confirms It
Lawrence Schwartzwald—Sygma/Getty Images
It's commonly said that fashion is cyclical — point to bandanas, baggy jeans, and all things related to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's style showing up everywhere these days. And now, a recent study out of Northwestern has the math to back up that claim.
Researchers analyzed about 37,000 garments from runway collections dating from 1869 to today, as well as the University of Rhode Island's Commercial Pattern Archive. After examining specific features such as hemlines, waistlines, and necklines, they mathematically demonstrated that fashion trends indeed recycle certain themes about every two decades — a phenomenon often referred to as the 20-year rule.
"To our knowledge, this is the first time that someone developed such an extensive and precise database of fashion measures across more than a century," lead study author Emma Zajdela said in a statement. The researchers noted that the pattern has become slightly less clear in recent years, as fashion evolves to be more diverse and niche.
All that's to say, wear what makes you feel good … it's likely to be trendy sooner or later!
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Thanks to 1440
🇺🇸 Civics Thursday—American civil life has long been defined by who participates. This week, we're focusing on three Americans who reshaped those boundaries: Abigail Adams, who called for women's inclusion; Sojourner Truth, who advanced abolition and equal rights; and Eleanor Roosevelt, who helped expand civil rights.
Need To Know
Social Media Verdict
A Los Angeles jury held Meta and Google's YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial yesterday, awarding the plaintiff $3M in compensatory damages. The decision could influence more than 1,600 similar lawsuits from more than 350 families and over 250 school districts.
The case centers on a now-20-year-old woman identified as KGM who began using social media as a child. KGM accused Meta and YouTube of "addictive design," with notifications and recommendation features she says fostered a decline in her mental health, including body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Now, after two weeks of deliberations, the jury found Meta and Google negligent in the design and operation of their platform. Meta is being held liable for 70% of the harm, with YouTube responsible for 30%.
The decision has been likened to the tobacco trials of the 1990s. .
'Three Musketeer' Remains
The skeleton of what may have been Charles de Batz de Castelmore was discovered beneath a Dutch church, local media reported yesterday. The French soldier known as d'Artagnan was the inspiration behind Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel "The Three Musketeers."
D'Artagnan was a 17th-century Gascon nobleman who traveled to Paris to serve as a member of the royal bodyguard. He served Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV before being killed in the 1673 siege of Maastricht. His body was never found. Now, researchers believe they may have found his remains in a Maastricht church. Renovations this year revealed a skeleton beneath where the altar used to be, suggesting the person buried there was important. A bullet at chest level also supports the theory the remains could be D'Artagnan. DNA analysis is ongoing.
Learn about the history behind Learn about the history behind "The Three Musketeers"—including why they often fought with swords over muskets—here (w/video).
The Architect of Food Safety
Dutch food scientist Huub Lelieveld received the 2026 World Food Prize yesterday for pioneering a global food safety movement. He is credited with preventing millions of cases of foodborne illness, improving access to food, and reducing food waste.
Lelieveld, 82, spent four decades at Unilever, updating food production practices to improve hygiene and reduce reliance on salt, sugar, and preservatives. He then founded the Global Harmonization Initiative, a network of roughly 1,600 volunteers spanning 113 countries, in 2004. The nonprofit has introduced atmospheric water generation to areas with unsafe drinking water and taught communities to remove toxins that cause neurological diseases from cassava plants. (If toxic, why is cassava a staple crop?)
The award, which comes with $500K and is often called the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture, was created by 1970 Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug. Lauded as the "Father of the Green Revolution," Borlaug developed high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties that improved food security from Mexico to India.
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Thanks to |Dale
Skip,
Beating Cancer
The following is an email from a SEAL classmate and rugby teammate back to his community. He had prostate cancer and underwent the full spectrum of treatment except radical surgery. He had used one of the highest ranked Docs in the country, but it has metastasized.
He is one of the strongest and most courageous men I have ever known so he has taken an active role in designing his treatment plan. His missive below has a link for a more detailed description. He knows the rest of us circa 80 years young in different warfare communities especially Aviators are facing similar forecasts and wants to provide a head's up for all.
Hello Brother,
I hope this finds you well, vertical, and vital.
As we all attempt to maintain the well advertised, seldom attained, aura of SEAL invulnerability, the reality is that the speed bumps on the highway of life can range from distracting to devastating.
Between your emails, those of the association, plus my Naval Academy classmates, the cumulative obits highlight the profound impact cancer imposes on every American.
Many of the students I taught in my personal defense courses (hand to gland) at USNA, whether selected for BUD/S or not, have taken advantage of my offer to them of individual mentorship, and have continued to communicate with many over the years. The link below is an article about a USNA class of '74 alumnus, Jeff Kramer, whose story was sent to me by one of his classmates, quarterback of the Navy football team when Bert Calland played wide receiver. We had kept in touch, and he had learned through mutual friends that I have been enjoying a challenge with prostate cancer since 2022.
Whereas you have a wide audience across the age spectrum of our Brotherhood, I thought you best to share this story through your network.
I notified my oncologist last week that I was going off the grid, collected the requisite ammo load, body armor, launching into the abyss of battle this past Wednesday.
I cannot personally vouch for results, but did not want to wait for the 3 month protocol duration before sharing the concept with our teammates. I have, however, researched the requisite modalities for several months, to the point of believing that the risk of not going against FDA and my medical team advice was greater than the downside and cost of these unapproved therapies.
I am happy the discuss my own research, share the data and procedures with anyone who may have an interest, the need, or the frustration.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/09/05/new-cancer-treatment-protocol-a-success/
HooYah Health, may the Brotherhood live long and prosper,
Runt
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Thanks to the Flyover
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2026
Good Morning! On this day in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson received a giant loaf of bread, called the mammoth loaf, to accompany the remnants of a 1,200-pound block of cheese sent by women from Massachusetts.
In our Throwback Thursday section today, we're looking back at 15 things that got banned from American schools in the 1980s. Rubik's Cubes, Walkmans, chain wallets... the list might bring back some memories. What got confiscated at your school? Reply to this email and let us know.
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Iran on Wednesday rejected Trump's ceasefire proposal and issued a five-point counterproposal demanding war reparations, guarantees against future attacks, and full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's foreign minister told state media the country doesn't want a ceasefire, saying it'll end the war on its own terms.
The White House insisted talks remain "productive," even as the U.S. deployed 82nd Airborne paratroopers to supplement roughly 50,000 troops already in the region.
An Iranian drone attack Wednesday ignited a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, while Israel continued striking targets in Tehran.
Baseball Season Opens Today
The 2026 MLB season officially opens today with 11 games across the country, following Wednesday night's streaming opener on Netflix between the Yankees and the Giants. See today's schedule here.
All eyes are on the Los Angeles Dodgers, who enter the season as back-to-back World Series champions with a league-leading $398 million payroll. Tickets to tonight's home opener in LA are averaging $392 on the resale market, making it the most expensive Opening Day game in MLB history.
This season brings the sport's biggest rule change in years: the automated ball-strike challenge system. Players can now challenge an umpire's ball-or-strike call by tapping their helmet, triggering an instant review using Hawk-Eye camera technology.
The Dodgers are +230 favorites to win the World Series, well ahead of the Yankees (10-1), Mariners (12-1), and Mets (13-1). The longest odds sit at 500-1 for the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals..
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| British Iron Age Hoard |
| Archaeologists have uncovered a once-in-a-lifetime trove of Iron Age artifacts in northern Britain—the results of an early analysis of a site known as the Melsonby hoard in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The discovery has major implications for historians' understanding of the relative wealth of natives in northern Britain roughly 2,000 years ago.
First discovered in 2021 by metal detectorist Peter Heads, the trove contains roughly 800 objects, all believed to have been burnt or broken before being buried as a demonstration of wealth. The iron tires of at least seven four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled chariots were discovered at the site, as well as decorative wine-mixing bowls, cauldrons, and spears, among other items. The breadth of the objects suggests northern Britain's elites were more wealthy and connected to European trade networks than previously thought.
Researchers have not publicized the exact location of the excavation site to avoid theft. See photos of the discovery here. |
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This Day in U S Military History…26 March
1943 – Battle of Komandorski Islands, prevents Japanese reinforcements from reaching Attu. An American squadron of 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers (under the command of Admiral McMorris) meets a Japanese squadron of 4 cruisers and 5 destroyers (under the command of Admiral Hosogaya) off the Komandorski Islands. A traditional gun engagement begins and a cruiser on each side is badly damaged. Hosogaya decides to break off at this point although he has a clear superiority which is beginning to tell.
1945 – On Iwo Jima, the few hundred Japanese troops remaining on the island mount a final suicide attack. They are wiped out by elements of the 5th Marine Division, which have been assigned the task of reducing the last pockets of resistance. About 200 of the Japanese garrison of 20,700 remain alive as prisoners of the marines of US 5th Amphibious Corps. American casualties have been almost 6,000 dead and 17,200 wounded.
1945 – US naval forces (TF58 and TF52) continue air strikes on Okinawa. US Task Force 54 (Admiral Deyo), with 10 battleships, 10 cruisers and 33 destroyers, begin the main bombardment of Okinawa. The US 77th Infantry Division (General Bruce) lands on Kerama Retto and overruns the small Japanese garrison. The British Pacific Fleet (Admiral Rawlings), also designated Task Force 57, with 4 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 5 cruisers and 11 destroyers, attacks airfields and other targets on Sakashima Gunto. Japanese submarines make unsuccessful attacks on the Allied ships. Coast Guardsmen participated in the landings at Geruma Shima, Hokaji Shima, and Takashiki in the Ryukyu Islands.
1975 – The city of Hue, in northernmost South Vietnam, falls to the North Vietnamese. Hue was the most recent major city in South Vietnam to fall to the communists during their new offensive. The offensive had started in December 1974, when the North Vietnamese had launched a major attack against the lightly defended province of Phuoc Long, located north of Saigon along the Cambodian border. The communists overran the provincial capital of Phuoc Binh on January 6, 1975. President Richard Nixon had repeatedly promised South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu that the United States would come to the aid of South Vietnam if North Vietnam committed a major violation of the Peace Accords. However, by the time the communists had taken Phuoc Long, Nixon had already resigned from office and his successor, Gerald Ford, was unable to convince a hostile Congress to make good on Nixon's promises to Saigon. This situation emboldened the North Vietnamese, who launched a campaign in March 1975 to take the provincial capital of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. The South Vietnamese defenders there fought very poorly and were overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese attackers. Once again, the United States did nothing. President Thieu ordered his forces in the Highlands to withdraw to more defensible positions to the south. What started out as a reasonably orderly withdrawal degenerated into a panic that spread throughout the South Vietnamese armed forces. They abandoned Pleiku and Kontum in the Highlands with very little fighting and the North Vietnamese pressed the attack from the west and north. In quick succession, Quang Tri and Hue fell. The communists then seized Da Nang, the second largest city in South Vietnam. Many South Vietnamese, both military and civilian, died in the general chaos while attempting to escape from the airport, docks, and beaches. By this time, the South Vietnamese forces were in flight all over the northern half of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese continued to attack south along the coast, overrunning city after city, methodically defeating the South Vietnamese forces. By April 27, the North Vietnamese had completely encircled Saigon and began to maneuver for their final assault, which became known as the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign." By the morning of April 30, it was all over. As the North Vietnamese tanks broke through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, the Vietnam War came to an end.
1982 – Ground was broken in Washington D.C. for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial designed by Maya Lin of Yale. It was dedicated Nov 13.
2003 – In the 8th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom about 1,000 members of the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade parachute into northern Iraq and seize control of an airfield. The U.S. Navy announces that Iraq's Persian Gulf oil export terminal of Mina al-Bakr has escaped sabotage and is ready to resume operations.
2233 – James T. Kirk, science fiction captain of USS Enterprise (Star Trek), was born.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*MARTIN, HARRY LINN
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 4 January 1911, Bucyrus, Ohio. Appointed from. Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as platoon leader attached to Company C, 5th Pioneer Battalion, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 March 1945. With his sector of the 5th Pioneer Battalion bivouac area penetrated by a concentrated enemy attack launched a few minutes before dawn, 1st Lt. Martin instantly organized a firing line with the marines nearest his foxhole and succeeded in checking momentarily the headlong rush of the Japanese. Determined to rescue several of his men trapped in positions overrun by the enemy, he defied intense hostile fire to work his way through the Japanese to the surrounded marines. Although sustaining 2 severe wounds, he blasted the Japanese who attempted to intercept him, located his beleaguered men and directed them to their own lines. When 4 of the infiltrating enemy took possession of an abandoned machinegun pit and subjected his sector to a barrage of hand grenades, 1st Lt. Martin, alone and armed only with a pistol, boldly charged the hostile position and killed all of its occupants. Realizing that his few remaining comrades could not repulse another organized attack, he called to his men to follow and then charged into the midst of the strong enemy force, firing his weapon and scattering them until he fell, mortally wounded by a grenade. By his outstanding valor, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacious determination in the face of overwhelming odds, 1st Lt. Martin permanently disrupted a coordinated Japanese attack and prevented a greater loss of life in his own and adjacent platoons. His inspiring leadership and unswerving devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
*DICKEY, DOUGLAS E.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company C, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, 3d Marine Division (Rein). Place and dale: Republic of Vietnam, 26 March 1967. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: 24 December 1946, Greenville, Darke, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While participating in Operation Beacon Hill 1, the 2d Platoon was engaged in a fierce battle with the Viet Cong at close range in dense jungle foliage. Pfc. Dickey had come forward to replace a radio operator who had been wounded in this intense action and was being treated by a medical corpsman. Suddenly an enemy grenade landed in the midst of a group of marines, which included the wounded radio operator who was immobilized. Fully realizing the inevitable result of his actions, Pfc. Dickey, in a final valiant act, quickly and unhesitatingly threw himself upon the deadly grenade, absorbing with his body the full and complete force of the explosion. Pfc. Dickey's personal heroism, extraordinary valor and selfless courage saved a number of his comrades from certain injury and possible death at the cost of his life. His actions reflected great credit upon himself, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 26, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
26 March
1939: Pan American began survey flights between Baltimore and South Hampton. (5)
1940: US commercial airlines ended a year of flying without a fatal accident or serious injury. (24)
1942: The Douglas C-54 Skymaster first flew. (http://www.afa.org/magazine/gallery/c-54.html) 1943: The first Air Medal awarded to a woman went to 2Lt Elsie S. Ott, Army Nursing Corps, who served as nurse for five patients evacuated from India to Washington DC. (24)
1944: Marine Corsairs from Engebi flew the first fighter escort for US AAF B-25s on a 360-mile bombing mission against Ponape. (24)
1949: The YB-36D prototype, the first 10-engine plane with six reciprocating and four Allison J35 jetassist engines, made a successful maiden test flight at Fort Worth. The later production-model B-36D received J47-GE-19 jet engines. (16) (24)
1958: White Alice, a military radio relay network using tropospheric scatter, inaugurated in Alaska for better communications between isolated Arctic posts and their headquarters. It joined the radar warning outposts of the Alaskan segment of the DEW line with the Alaskan Air Command. (5) Explorer III, the third US satellite to go into orbit, launched from Cape Canaveral. (16)
1958: Explorer III, the third US satellite to go into orbit, launched from Cape Canaveral. The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Missile Test Center of the Atlantic Missile Range (AMR), in Florida by the Juno I launch vehicle. The Juno I had its origins in the United States Army's Project Orbiter in 1954. The project was canceled in 1955 when the decision was made to proceed with Project Vanguard
1959: The US and Italy signed an agreement to deploy to squadrons of Jupiter IRBMs to Italy. (6)
1961: NASA's Aerobee research rocket attained 252 miles in altitude after being launched from Wallops Station. (24)
1961: From Cape Canaveral, NASA launched Explorer 10 into a highly elliptical ("Yo-Yo") orbit with an apogee of 148,000 miles and perigee of 100 miles to survey magnetic fields and charged particles. Explorer 10 (also known as Explorer X or P14) was the first satellite to measure the "shock wave" generated by a solar flare
1965: A successful first launch of the Army's rapid-acceleration intercept Sprint missile took place at White Sands Missile Range. (5)
1968: Maj William J. Knight received the 1968 Octave Chanute Award for flying the X-15A-2 rocket aircraft to a new speed record of 4,354 MPH. (16)
1977: TEAM SPIRIT 77. Through 26 April, 548 aircraft from the USAF, US Navy, USMC, and the Republic of Korea flew about 6,400 sorties. (16) (26)
1987: Gruman's F-14A Tomcat passed the 1,000,000 flight hour milestone. Lt Bing Stickney (pilot) and Cmdr Ed James (radar intercept officer) of VF-111 (The Sundowners) achieved the record in F-14 (number 160666).
1996: The F-4 Phantom line retired from active service.
1998: The National Science Foundation (NSF), DoD, USAF, Navy, U.S. Transportation Command, and the National Guard Bureau signed a Memorandum of Agreement to transfer responsibility for airlift support of NSF operations in Antarctica from the US Navy to the New York ANG's 109th Airlift Wing. (32)
1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE. An F-15 shot down two MiG-29s in aerial combat over Yugoslavia on the third day of the operation. (3) (21) 2003: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Nearly 1,000 173d Airborne Brigade "Sky Soldiers," based at Vicenza, Italy, parachuted from C-17 Globemaster IIIs into the Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq. It was the C-17's first insertion of paratroopers into combat. The aircraft and aircrews came from Charleston AFB and McChord AFB. (22)
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