To All
. Good Sunday morning May 17. . .It is starting out cool today and overcast clouds but the sun is starting to peek through now but there are no clear skies forecast except for a bit around 4.The forecast is for a lot of clear skies next and 79 next week but 70 is the high today..
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 97 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History May 17
1942 USS Tautog (SS 199) sinks Japanese submarine I-28; USS Triton (SS 201) sinks the Japanese submarine (I 64), and USS Skipjack (SS 184) sinks a Japanese army transport ship.
1943 Destroyers USS Moffett (DD 362) and USS Jouett (DD 396) sink German submarine U 128, which was credited with sinking 12 Allied merchant vessels, including 4 American ships.
1962 – Three thousand US Marines begin landing at Bangkok, Thailand, in response to troop movements near the Thai border by the Soviet-supported Laotian Pathet Lao army. The Marines are flown 350 miles north to Udorn, which is 35 miles from the Laotian capital of Vientiane. This US show of force, ordered by President Kennedy at the request of the Thai government, is out of Thailand by the beginning of August.
1973 Capt. Robin Lindsay Catherine Quigley becomes the first woman to hold a major Navy command when she assumes command of U.S. Navy Service School, San Diego, Calif.
1987 USS Stark (FFG-31) is struck by two Iraqi Exocet Missiles in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 Sailors and wounding 21.
1990 USS Roark (FF-1053) rescues 42 refugees from an unseaworthy craft in the South China Sea.
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Today in World History May 17
1540 Afghan chief Sher Khan defeats Mongul Emperor Humayun at Kanauj.
1630 Italian Jesuit Niccolo Zucchi sees the belts on Jupiter's surface.
1681 Louis XIV sends an expedition to aid James II in Ireland. As a result, England declares war on France.
1756 Britain declares war on France.
1792 Merchants form the New York Stock Exchange at 70 Wall Street.
1814 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden.
1863 Union General Ulysses Grant continues his push towards Vicksburg at the Battle of the Big Black River Bridge.
1875 The first Kentucky Derby is run in Louisville.
1881 Frederick Douglass is appointed recorder of deeds for Washington, D.C.
1940 Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium and begins the invasion of France.
1954 The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules for school integration in Brown v. Board of Education.
1973 The Senate Watergate Committee begins its hearings.
1987 In the Persian Gulf the American guided missile frigate USS Stark is struck by 2 Exocet missiles fired by an Iraqi aircraft; only one detonates, but 37 sailors are killed and 21 are wounded. Whether the launch was deliberate or a mistake is still debated.
1943 The Memphis Belle flies its 25th bombing mission »
1940 Lancasters return to England after conducting the “Dambusters” Raid on the Ruhr Valley
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May 17
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
For Sunday May 17..
May 17: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2882
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
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
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in “search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Thanks to Cowboy and Bro Len
Subject: Re: Aviators
So true about Aviators Bro Jim...
I've been there and done that for more than half a century.
It Tugs at the Heartstrings.
Keep them coming...
And please refresh my memory... Are You an Aviator?
GBY & Yours Jim, Now & Always.
Bro Len... 🙏🏻 ✈️
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On Mon, May 13, 2024 jdoss wrote:
Aviators...
Once the wings go on, they never come off, whether they can be seen or not.
It fuses to the soul through adversity, fear, and adrenaline and no one who has ever worn them with pride, integrity and guts can ever sleep through the “call of the wild” that wafts through bedroom windows in the deep of the night.
When a good pilot leaves the “job” and retires, many are jealous, some are pleased, and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder...
We wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind because we already know.
We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.
We know in the world of flying, there is a fellowship which lasts long after the flight suits are hung up in the back of the closet.
We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life.
We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.
Because we fly, we envy no man on earth.
-Author Unknown.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
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Thanks to Brett
Mark Kelly told American enemies exactly what our weapons stockpiles look like after the Iran war.
Now the Pentagon's legal counsel is reviewing whether that conversation on CBS violated his oath – again.
What Kelly said next to dig himself out made everything significantly worse.
The Specific Weapons He Named on National Television
Kelly sat down with CBS's Margaret Brennan on Sunday and spelled it out.
Tomahawks. ATACMS. SM-3 rounds. THAAD interceptors. Patriot rounds.
He said it was "shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines."
He said replenishment will take years.
He said those depleted stockpiles could affect a hypothetical conflict with China.
Every enemy intelligence analyst watching Face the Nation just got a confirmed status report on America's defensive firepower – straight from a senator who sits on both the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.
Hegseth noticed immediately and fired off a post: "'Captain' Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he's blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a CLASSIFIED Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath… again? @DeptofWar legal counsel will review."
Kelly's Defense Made Things Worse
Kelly's response was to post a video clip of a Senate hearing in which Hegseth said replenishment would take "months and years."
"That's not classified, it's a quote from you," Kelly wrote.
The problem with that defense is glaring.
At a public hearing, Hegseth acknowledged broad timelines.
On CBS, Kelly named specific weapons systems and described exactly how deep each stockpile has been hit.
That distinction is precisely what classification exists to protect.
Any foreign intelligence service can speculate that America burned through interceptor missiles defending against Iranian strikes – but speculation without confirmation is useless.
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Donald Trump's military removed a narco-terrorist dictator from power and unlocked $40 trillion in oil.
Now he's asking whether America should keep it.
And nobody in Washington, DC can explain why that's a bad idea.
What Just Happened in Venezuela
Nicolas Maduro spent 25 years running Venezuela into the ground.
A country with the largest proven oil reserves on earth – more than Saudi Arabia, more than Iraq – watched its citizens starve while Maduro looted the treasury and shipped drugs into American cities.
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Thanks to Nice News
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Newly Described Fish Named After Beloved “Sesame Street” Character
David Harasti
A real-life Snuffleupagus exists — but unlike the cuddly character from Sesame Street, this one lives under the sea. Described for the first time in a recent paper, the hairy ghost pipefish species has officially been dubbed Solenostomus snuffleupagus thanks to the brightly colored filaments that give it a decidedly shaggy appearance.
While marine biologist David Harasti first spotted the furry-looking fish in coral near Papua New Guinea in 2001, it wasn’t until 2020 that he and research partner Graham Short were able to obtain a pair from the Great Barrier Reef. They later confirmed the fish is an entirely new species, only known to be located in the southwestern Pacific.
“Once you see it, the resemblance to Snuffleupagus is impossible to ignore,” Harasti told Popular Science. Like other ghost pipefish, the species can blend in with its surroundings, using its flamboyant “hair” to hide among filamentous algae within coral reefs.
As for Sesame Street, the show is all for its association with the sea creature. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop senior vice president of global education, said in a statement: “Connecting science with imagination and discovery is what Sesame Street has always been about, and this charming new species is a wonderful reminder that there is still so much to explore and learn about the world.” Watch footage of “Snuffy” underwater.
Science
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Scientists Are Developing a “Very Promising” Hantavirus Vaccine
EnsiliTech / SWNS
A team of scientists has been hard at work at a U.K. laboratory developing a vaccine against a strain of hantavirus, the virus family at the center of the recent deadly outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Hantaviruses are carried by rodents such as mice and rats and are most commonly transmitted by their droppings and urine. Transmission between people is rare, and the World Health Organization has said the risk to the public from the current spate of cases is low (this graphic puts it in perspective). There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for infections, however, which can range from mild to life-threatening.
The international group of scientists say they’ve created a new antigen against Hantaan disease, a type of hantavirus, and are seeing promising early signs of its effectiveness. For context, the strain responsible for the cruise ship cases is Andes virus.
“This is a completely new vaccine that has now been tested in the laboratory and in animal models, indicating excellent immune response,” chemistry researcher Asel Sartbaeva told SWNS. “While more work needs to be done to bring this vaccine to public (clinical trials and approvals), this is a very promising development of a completely new and needed vaccine.”
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Thanks to the Flyover
SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026
Good Morning! On this day in 1792, 24 stockbrokers and merchants met under a buttonwood tree and signed the so-called Buttonwood Agreement, establishing the rules for trading in the first incarnation of the New York Stock Exchange.
Tupperware began simply as a line of food containers in the mid-20th century before taking hold in American suburbs with the lure of parties, status, and income. Over time, however, cultural shifts made the products less appealing, as seen in "Whatever Happened To..."
In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown shared three simple habits researchers say may help keep your brain sharp as you age. Scientists believe small everyday choices could play a bigger role in long-term cognitive health than many people realize.
Today’s sponsor, Qnetic, is developing long-duration energy storage technology designed to help meet the massive power demands of AI data centers with a more durable, reliable alternative to traditional lithium battery systems.
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Supreme Court Rejects Virginia Redistricting Map
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives.
Without any noted dissents, the justices declined to block a split decision from Virginia’s top court that Democrats didn’t follow the proper procedures in sending their proposal to voters.
Democrats hoped to enact a favorable 10-1 design that would add four pickup opportunities in the battle for the House in November.
The new map was proposed as part of nationwide redistricting wars sparked when President Trump called on Texas to draw a map more favorable to Republicans.
US, Nigerian Forces Kill ISIS Leader
U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission on Saturday.
A spokesman for the Nigerian military task force said the mission was a “highly complex precision air-land operation” and was carried out during three hours of darkness early Saturday without any casualties or loss of assets.
President Donald Trump identified Abu Bakr al-Mainuki as the second-in-command of the Islamic State group globally and the senior leader of the administrative body that provides "operational guidance and funding around the world.”
U.S. Africa Command’s initial assessment indicated that multiple terrorists, including other senior ISIS leaders, were killed in the operation.
List: Fastest-Growing Cities in the US
Celina, Texas—north of Dallas— is the fastest-growing city in the United States, with a 24.6% growth rate, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Texas dominated the latest population rankings, with all five of the nation's fastest-growing cities, including four clustered in the suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Charlotte, North Carolina, experienced the largest numeric increase in the U.S. in 2025, adding more than 20,000 residents.
The South claimed 10 of the country’s 15 fastest-growing cities, while growth slowdowns in the nation’s largest cities were most pronounced in the Northeast.
➤ Napoleon Solo, who entered the race with 10-1 odds, won the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park in Maryland by pulling away from favored Iron Honor in the homestretch.
➤ The PGA of America announced the purse for the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club is $20.5 million, putting the tournament alongside the Masters and the U.S. Open with purses of at least $20 million.
➤ The NHL stripped the Vegas Golden Knights of a second-round draft pick and fined coach John Tortorella $100,000 after the team didn’t open its dressing room to reporters following Thursday’s series-clinching win over Anaheim.
➤ Martial artist and actress Gina Carano said she lost 100 pounds to make weight for Saturday night’s 145-pound featherweight MMA bout against Ronda Rousey.
➤ Charles Woodson Jr., a class of 2027 defensive back and son of 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, committed to play football at Michigan, following his father’s footsteps to Ann Arbor.
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Thanks to American Prosperity
TRUTH & PATRIOTISM
LIBERTY & FREEDOM
JET ENGINE INCIDENT
A lone trespasser scaled a 12-foot razor-wire fence at Denver International Airport, dashed onto a runway, and vanished into a jet engine during takeoff—yet all 231 aboard walked away with just minor scrapes.
Story Snapshot
Frontier Flight 4345 struck unidentified intruder on Runway 17L at 11:20 p.m. May 8, 2026, aborting takeoff after engine fire.
Intruder jumped perimeter fence two minutes prior; not an employee, fence intact post-incident.
224 passengers and 7 crew evacuated via slides; 12 minor injuries, 5 hospitalized.
NTSB, FAA, TSA, and Denver PD investigate security breach; runway reopened next morning.
Sequence of the Fatal Breach
Denver International Airport’s Runway 17L saw routine operations until 11:17 p.m. on May 8. An unidentified person deliberately scaled the east perimeter fence, topped with razor wire.
Within two minutes, Frontier Airlines Flight 4345, an Airbus A321neo bound for Los Angeles, accelerated down the runway at high speed. The jet struck the trespasser, who got partially ingested into an engine.
Pilot Response and Evacuation
Pilots immediately reported the strike over air traffic control: “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire… smoke in the aircraft… evacuate on the runway.” Takeoff aborted successfully.
Firefighters extinguished the brief engine blaze. All 231 people evacuated using inflatable slides. Buses transported them to the terminal, where most rebooked on another flight.
Injury Toll and Passenger Accounts
Twelve passengers sustained minor injuries, likely from the slides or chaos. Five required hospital transport but faced no serious harm. Eyewitnesses described thick smoke filling the cabin and a chaotic yet orderly exit.
Passenger accounts highlight crew professionalism amid panic, turning potential disaster into a controlled response.
Security Lapse Exposed
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the victim breached security intentionally. Airport officials inspected the fence Saturday morning and found it intact, ruling out structural defects.
The intruder had no connection to parallel runway work. This rapid undetected entry at a top U.S. hub raises alarms on surveillance gaps despite post-9/11 fortifications.
Investigation and Airport Recovery
The National Transportation Safety Board leads the probe, with FAA, TSA, and Denver Police Department support. Runway 17L closed overnight but reopened by 11:30 a.m. May 9.
Frontier Airlines expressed sorrow and cooperation. Victim identity and motive remain unknown, possibly suicide or protest. No operational delays followed at DIA, the nation’s fifth-busiest airport.
Lessons from Rare Human Incursion
Unlike common bird strikes, human incursions during high-speed takeoff prove exceedingly rare. Past cases, like a 1995 JFK trespasser survival, underscore this outlier.
Experts praise the crew’s textbook evac, crediting rigorous training. Yet the two-minute breach window demands better tech like ground radar or drones.
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This Day in U S Military History…….May 17
1945 – On Luzon, the US 152nd Division, part of US 11th Corps, entrenches in favorable positions on Woodpecker Ridge as the Japanese retire. The US 43rd Division captures the Ipoh dam, the main source of water for Manila, intact after an intensive bombing and artillery preparation.
1945 – On Okinawa, the US 6th Marine Division, part of US 3rd Amphibious Corps, continues assaulting Sugar Loaf hill. Japanese positions are heavily bombarded by aircraft, artillery and ships. Elements of US 1st Marine Division capture the western part of the Wana valley but fail to take the ridge. Units of the US 77th Division, part of US 24th Corps, make a surprise attack on Ishimmi Ridge, west of the village, and end up in positions exposed to Japanese fire.
1972 – Preceded by five B-52 strikes, which reportedly killed 300 North Vietnamese to the south, South Vietnamese forces arrive by helicopter to within two miles of An Loc in continuing efforts to relieve this besieged city. It had been surrounded by three North Vietnamese divisions since early April. The North Vietnamese had been holding An Loc under siege for almost three months while they made repeated attempts to take the city. The defenders suffered heavy casualties, including 2,300 dead or missing, but with the aid of U.S. advisors and American airpower, they managed to hold An Loc against vastly superior odds until the siege was finally lifted on June 18.
I remember looking at photos I took over that city and seeing burned out tanks and destroyed buildings….skip
1987 – At 8:00pm local time, a Mirage F-1 fighter jet took off from Iraq’s Shaibah military airport and headed south into the Persian Gulf, flying along the Saudi Arabian coast. An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane, in the air over Saudi Arabia and manned by a joint American-Saudi crew, detected the aircraft. Aboard the USS Stark, a Perry-class frigate on duty in the gulf,… radar operators picked up the Mirage when it was some 200 miles away; it was flying at 5,000 feet and traveling at 550 mph. Captain Glenn Brindel, 43, commander of the Stark, was not particularly alarmed. He knew it was fairly common for Iraqi and Iranian warplanes to fly over the gulf. Earlier in the day, Iraqi jets had fired missiles into a Cypriot tanker, disabling the vessel. But no American vessel had been attacked. In keeping with standard procedure, Captain Brindel ordered a radio message flashed at 10:09 PM: “Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself.” There was no reply. A second request was sent. Still no answer. Brindel noted that the aircraft’s pilot had not locked his targeting radar on the Stark, so he expected it to veer away. At 10:10 PM, the AWACS crew noticed that the Mirage had banked suddenly and then turned northward, as though heading for home. What they failed to detect was the launching by the Iraqi pilot of two Exocet AM39 air-to-surface missiles. The Exocets had a range of 40 miles and each carried a 352 lb. warhead. For some reason, the sea-skimming missiles were not detected by the Stark’s sophisticated monitoring equipment. A lookout spotted the first Exocet just seconds before the missile struck, tearing a ten-by-fifteen-foot hole in the warship’s steel hull on the port side before ripping through the crew’s quarters. The resulting fire rushed upward into the vessel’s combat information center, disabling the electrical systems. The second missile plowed into the frigate’s superstructure. A crewman sent a distress signal with a handheld radio that was picked up by the USS Waddell, a destroyer on patrol nearby. Meanwhile, the AWACS crew requested that two airborne Saudi F-15s pursue the Iraqi Mirage. But ground controllers at Dhahran airbase said they lacked the authority to embark on such a mission, and the Mirage was safely back in Iraqi airspace before approval could be obtained. As fires raged aboard the Stark, Brindel ordered the starboard side blooded to keep the gaping hole on the port side above the waterline. All through the night the fate of the stricken frigate was in doubt. Once the inferno was finally under control, the Stark limped back to port. The Navy immediately launched an investigation into an incident that had cost 37 American seamen their lives. The Stark was endowed with an impressive array of defenses — an MK92 fire control system that could intercept incoming aircraft at a range of 90 miles; an OTO gun that could fire three-inch anti-aircraft shells at a rate of 90 per minute; electronic defenses that could produce bogus radar images to deceive attackers; and the Phalanx, a six-barreled gun that could fire 3,000 uranium rounds a minute at incoming missiles. Brindel insisted that his ship’s combat system was fully operational, but Navy technicians in Bahrain said the Stark’s Phalanx system had not been working properly when the frigate put out to sea. (Brindel was relieved of duty and later forced to retire.) A C141B Starlifter carried 35 flag-draped caskets to the Stark’s home base at Mayport, Florida. (Two of the crewmen were lost at sea during the attack.) President Reagan and the First Lady were on hand to extend condolences to grieving families. Reagan was under fire from Congress and the press for putting American servicemen in harm’s way on a vaguely defined mission. “We need to rethink exactly what we are doing in the Persian Gulf,” said Republican Senator Robert Dole. The Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution, sponsored by Dole and Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, that demanded the president explain to Congress the strategy and goals of the Persian Gulf mission — and the risks involved. Congress was also unhappy with Saudi Arabia for what it viewed as a lackadaisical response to the request to pursue the Iraqi Mirage — so unhappy, in fact, that the administration thought it wise to delay submission of a proposal to sell new F-15 fighter jets to the Saudis. The strife in the gulf had started in 1984 when Iran and Iraq, at war since 1980, began attacking each other’s ships. Inevitably, the vessels of third countries became targets. Over 200 ships had been attacked in the past three years. The Iranians were particularly keen to target the ships of Iraq’s ally, Kuwait. Even though only 7% of American oil supplies came from the region, the Reagan administration insisted that U.S. strategic interests required a naval presence in the gulf. Critics complained that Western Europe and Japan, which acquired 25% and 60% of their respective oil needs from the gulf, weren’t doing their part in keeping the sea lanes open. In fact, certain Western European nations had become major suppliers of military hardware to both Iran and Iraq. Damage done to the Stark had been caused by French-built missiles fired from a French-built aircraft. The administration argued that to withdraw from the gulf would be to surrender America’s role as leader of the free world, and that if oil shipments were disrupted, prices would soar, adversely affecting the U.S. economy. As one Western diplomat put it, if the U.S. backed out, it wouldn’t “have enough credibility to float a teacup.” Furthermore, the Soviet Union had increased its naval presence in the gulf, and the fear was that if the U.S. faltered, the Soviets would gain the upper hand in the region — and growing Soviet influence in the region would pose a long-term threat to the West’s oil supplies. “We will not be intimidated,” said Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. “We will not be driven from the gulf.” He described the attack on the Stark as a “horrible error,” and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was quick to apologize for the “unintentional incident.” Evidently, the Mirage pilot had mistaken the Stark for an Iranian tanker. Iraq promised to pay compensation to the families of the 37 slain seamen, and reparations for damages to the frigate. Officially the United States was neutral in the Iran-Iraq conflict, but the administration had decided that geopolitic considerations required that Iraq not lose the war. In the aftermath of the Stark incident, the rhetoric coming out of Washington was of a forgiving nature where Iraq was concerned, while growing increasingly hostile in reference to Iran. The White House was resolute. “The use of the vital sea lanes of the Persian Gulf will not be dictated by the Iranians,” said President Reagan during a press conference. “Those lanes will not be allowed to come under the control of the Soviet Union. The Persian Gulf will remain open to navigation by the nations of the world.” The U.S. naval presence was increased from six to nine ships. Air cover would be provided by a carrier stationed outside the gulf. The American warships would escort convoys of Kuwaiti tankers every ten days or so. Iran vowed to continue attacking Kuwaiti tankers regardless of whether they flew the Stars and Stripes. Congress objected to the open-ended nature of this commitment. Memories of Vietnam — and of the Lebanon peacekeeping debacle in the early 1980s, during which 241 Marines were killed in their barracks by a suicide bomber — prompted many solons to insist on knowing what rules of engagement the U.S. Navy would be operating under while escorting oil tankers in the gulf. The answer: A U.S. warship could fire on any aircraft that came within 20 miles of it, on the authority of the captain. Unfortunately, the U.S. was so concerned about Iranian Sidewinder missiles being placed so as to control the Strait of Hormuz that it neglected to sweep the approaches for mines, one of which damaged an escorted tanker in July. The incident was egg on the face of the Navy, accused of sloppy mission preparation, and embarrassed the administration, which, while presiding over an unprecedented peacetime military buildup, had only three operational ocean-going minesweepers in service. But on 21 September 1987, the military redeemed itself by conducting a successful raid involving U.S. Navy SEALS on an Iranian vessel caught laying mines. Five Iranian seamen were killed. That same week, Iran attacked a British-flagged tanker; Britain responded by shutting down Iran’s London-based arms procurement office. (By this time, British, French, Belgian, Dutch and Italian warships had joined the Americans and Soviets in patrolling the gulf.) The American raid gave some senators an excuse to push for invocation of the War Powers Act; they claimed the U.S. was clearly engaged in hostilities. The law required that the president obtain congressional approval of military action extending beyond a period of 60 days. But the Senate voted 51-40 not to invoke the law. Following the September 21 raid, Iran amassed 60 gunboats and directed the flotilla toward Khafji, a Saudi-Kuwaiti oil facility. The USS La Salle, flagship of Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen, commander of the U.S. Navy Middle East Force, moved to intercept the gunboats, which turned back after being buzzed by Saudi warplanes. Another encounter involved an Iranian warship that locked fire control radar on a USN destroyer, the Kidd; warned off by the Kidd’s skipper, the Iranian ship sailed away. Then, on October 8, Iranian gunboats fired at a U.S. Army helicopter, missing the target but attracting the attention of two U.S. AH-6 gunship choppers, which sank one of the gunboats and damaged two others. Iran responded by firing Silkworm missiles at the U.S.-owned Liberian supertanker Sungari and the reflagged Kuwaiti tanker Sea Isle City, damaging both vessels. There were no fatalities, though the American skipper of the Sea Isle City, Captain John Hunt, was blinded. Few doubted the U.S. would retaliate. Two weeks later, four U.S. destroyers fired over one thousand rounds of 5-in. shells into Iran’s Rashadat oil-loading platforms in the Persian Gulf — after giving the platform crews twenty minutes to evacuate. Ninety minutes of continuous shelling left the platforms smoldering ruins; SEAL commando teams exploded the pilings and sent the rubble plunging into the sea. The Iranians answered by firing another Silkworm at Sea Island, Kuwait’s deep-water oil-loading facility, destroying the loading dock. “We’re not going to have a war with Iran,” said President Reagan. “They’re not that stupid.” But it certainly seemed as though an undeclared war was already underway. A public opinion poll revealed that while 68% of Americans expected a “military exchange” between the U.S. and Iran, 60% were in favor of stronger retaliatory action against the Iranians. The situation remained tense throughout the winter, but not until April 1988 did violence erupt once again in the Persian Gulf. Ten seamen were injured when the USN frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine on April 14. Being careful to consult with Congress this time, President Reagan ordered a retaliatory strike against two Iranian oil platforms in the southern gulf — platforms that served as bases for Iran’s intelligence service. While one platform was shelled by the frigates Simpson and Bagley, Marines helicoptered to the second, seized it, planted explosive charges, and destroyed it. A few minutes later, the Simpson sank an Iranian patrol boat that had fired a missile at the USN guided-missile cruiser Wainwright. (The Wainwright defended itself by dispensing aluminum chaff in the air, which deflected the missile.) Meanwhile, near the Strait of Hormuz, two Iranian frigates and several gunboats were sunk by American warships and an F-14 Tomcat from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. During the day-long battle, a Cobra helicopter carrying two American crewmen was shot down by the Iranians. This defeat at sea, coupled with grave setbacks in the land war with Iraq, persuaded Iranian leaders to seek improved relations with the West. The Ayatollah Khomeini agreed with Hashemi Rafsanjani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on the need to pursue a new foreign policy that would defuse tensions in the Persian Gulf. As for the United States, its resolve in the gulf in 1987-88 improved its standing with allies, not only in the Middle East but also around the world.
1995 – Shawn Nelson steals a tank from a military installation and goes on a rampage in San Diego resulting in a 25 minute police chase. Nelson is killed by an officer after the tank got stuck on a concrete barrier and tried to break free. I remember watching this on the local TV in San Diego. He drove it up and down streets destroying vehicles and property. The police officer that got him jumped on the tank and pulled open the top hatch while he was trying to get off the barrier and then shot him. He had been an army tanker in the Gulf War and knew how it all worked….skip
2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef. USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) – nicknamed Mighty O, and occasionally referred to as the O-boat – was one of the few Essex-class aircraft carriers completed only after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany. The history of Oriskany differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Originally designed as a “long-hulled” Essex-class ship (considered by some authorities to be a separate class, the Ticonderoga class) her construction was suspended in 1947. She eventually was commissioned in 1950 after conversion to an updated design called SCB-27 (“27-Charlie”), which became the template for modernization of 14 other Essex-class ships. Oriskany was the final Essex-class ship completed. She operated primarily in the Pacific into the 1970s, earning two battle stars for service in the Korean War, and five for service in the Vietnam War. In 1966 one of the worst shipboard fires since World War II broke out on Oriskany when a magnesium flare was accidentally ignited; forty-four men died in the fire. Oriskany’s post-service history also differs considerably from that of her sister ships. Decommissioned in 1976, she was sold for scrap in 1995, but was repossessed in 1997 because nothing was being done (lack of progress). In 2004 it was decided to sink her as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. After much environmental review and remediation to remove toxic substances, she was carefully sunk, settling in an upright position at a depth accessible to recreational divers. As of 2008, Oriskany is “the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef”. Oriskany is mentioned in the 1986 film Top Gun as the ship from which the main character’s father had flown during the Vietnam War. She has been featured in films such as Men of the Fighting Lady and The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) and What Dreams May Come (1998).
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
KENDALL, WILLIAM W.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company A, 49th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At Black River Bridge, Miss., 17 May 1863. Entered service at: Dubois County, Ind. Birth: Dubois County, Ind. Date of issue: 12 February 1894. Citation: Voluntarily led the company in a charge and was the first to enter the enemy’s works, taking a number of prisoners.
DAY, JAMES
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands from 14 to 17 May 1945. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In the ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separated occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy’s final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
*BURKE, ROBERT C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company 1, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Southern Quang Nam Province Republic of Vietnam, 17 May 1968. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 7 November 1949, Monticello, Ill. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for service as a machine gunner with Company 1. While on Operation ALLEN BROOK, Company 1 was approaching a dry river bed with a heavily wooded treeline that borders the hamlet of Le Nam (1), when they suddenly came under intense mortar, rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a large, well concealed enemy force which halted the company’s advance and wounded several marines. Realizing that key points of resistance had to be eliminated to allow the units to advance and casualties to be evacuated, Pfc. Burke, without hesitation, seized his machine gun and launched a series of 1-man assaults against the fortified emplacements. As he aggressively maneuvered to the edge of the steep river bank, he delivered accurate suppressive fire upon several enemy bunkers, which enabled his comrades to advance and move the wounded marines to positions of relative safety. As he continued his combative actions, he located an opposing automatic weapons emplacement and poured intense fire into the position, killing 3 North Vietnamese soldiers as they attempted to flee. Pfc. Burke then fearlessly moved from one position to another, quelling the hostile fire until his weapon malfunctioned. Obtaining a casualty’s rifle and hand grenades, he advanced further into the midst of the enemy fire in an assault against another pocket of resistance, killing 2 more of the enemy. Observing that a fellow marine had cleared his malfunctioning machine gun he grasped his weapon and moved into a dangerously exposed area and saturated the hostile treeline until he fell mortally wounded. Pfc. Burke’s gallant actions upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 17. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
For May 17
1913: Domingo Rosillo flew from Key West to Havana in a Morane land monoplane to win a $10,000 prize, flying 90 miles in 2 hours 30 minutes. (24)
1919: The Director of the Air Service ordered the use of the national star insignia on all service planes. (4)
1933: The Army's nonrigid helium coastal patrol airship, the TC-13 (the largest nonrigid airship built for the Air Corps), arrived at Langley Field.
1934: In a Sikorsky S-42, Boris Sergievsky and Raymond B. Quick set a US seaplane altitude record by carrying a 5,000-kilogram (11,000-pound) payload to 20,407 feet at Bridgeport. (24)
1942: The Army Air Forces first helicopter, the Sikorsky XR-4 Hoverfly, is delivered to Wright Field, Ohio. Igor Sikorsky and C.L. “Les” Morris deliver the craft personally. It is accepted by the AAF on May 30th. The XR-4 will be the only U.S. helicopter to see action during World War II.
1943: The crew of the B-17F Flying Fortress Memphis Belle completes 25 combat missions in the European Theater. Led by Capt. Robert Morgan, the crew then returns to the U.S. with their bomber, Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress, serial number 41-24485, assigned to the 324th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), VIII Bomber Command, based at Air Force Station 121 (RAF Bassingbourne, England), and flies it on a nation-wide tour selling war bonds.
1944: USS Saratoga joined a British Eastern Fleet carrier air strike against the Japanese base at Soerabaja, Java. (24)
1946: The Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster flew for the first time. This experimental twin-engine platform will later result in the production of the four-engine B-45 Tornado. The XB-43 was a development of the XB-42 , replacing the piston engines of the XB-42 with two General Electric J35 engines.
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 22 May, FEAF Bomber Command B-29s flew 94 (mostly nighttime) sorties against enemy ground forces, far more close air support missions in a similar previous period in the war. The B-29s flew few other types of missions during this time. (28)
1958: Captain Walter Irwin sets a new absolute speed record piloting a Lockheed F-104A (#55-2969) Starfighter to an average speed of 1,404.012 miles per hour surpassing the previous F.A.I. record.
1961: Cmdr Patrick L. Sullivan and Lt Beverly W. Witherspoon (USN) flew an HSS-2 helicopter to a 192.9 MPH world speed record over a 3-kilometer (1.86 miles) course at Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, Conn. (24)
1964: Operation WATER PUMP. The Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF) began operations against the Pathet Lao. Earlier in March, Detachment 6, 1st Air Commando Wing, moved four T-28s to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, to train the RLAF in operations and maintenance. The T-28s were painted on 18 May with Laotian markings and turned over to the RLAF. Additional aircraft were obtained from the Vietnamese in late May. (17)
1990: Col Frank Birk and Leroy Schroeder flew Northrop's B-2A on a six-hour, 36-minute test flight above Edwards AFB. The bomber completed several performance tests and three air refuelings in the test. (8: Jul 90) A MAC C-141 airlifted a Soviet SS-20 intermediate range nuclear missile to Andrews AFB for display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. In exchange, a 438 MAW crew and aircraft from McGuire AFB transported a Pershing II missile to the Shermetyevo Airport near Moscow. (18)
1993: Through 29 May, 9 C-5 Galaxies and 15 C-141 Starlifter missions moved 254 UN troops and 326 tons of equipment to Cambodia to supervise that country’s first free elections in 40 years. Three tankers from PACAF provided refuelings to the C-5s flying from Namibia to Cambodia. (16) (18)
1997: The McDonnell-Douglas X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft made its first flight from Edwards AFB, but an overheated engine forced the 28-percent scale concept demonstrator to land six minutes later. It was a remotely piloted jet vehicle designed by NASA to study the maneuverability of aircraft with no vertical tail surfaces. (3)
1998: An AFFTC pilot, Lt Col Steven M. Rainey, became the first USAF pilot to fly the F-22 Raptor. It was the aircraft’s third flight and its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3)
1999: The ANG mobilized 18 A-10s and nearly 510 personnel from the 104th Fighter Wing (FW), 110th FW, and 124th FW. The forces formed the 104th Expeditionary Operations Group and left Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts heading for Italy to participate in Operation Allied Force. The 104th Expeditionary Operations Group arrived on 19 May at Trapani AB in Sicily and began flying operations two days later. (32) 1
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