To All
. Good Monday morning May 25. It is starting out cooler again today and the skies are still overcast and we will hit 73 around 1 The forecast is for a lot of overcast skies and lower temps over the next week .
Yesterday on the USS Midway went very well. I got there around 0700 and got a prime parking spot. There were a lot to choose from that early. It was overcast and cool with a few knots of wind coming right down the flight deck the entire day. . Thanks to Pence and Paulette for all their help. We got the F-8 cockpit moved up by the F-8 and I was bent over it until the yellow hats pushed me away a bit after 5.The “Worm” Paul Ringwood was at the F-8 aircraft the whole day. Royce Williams was there and I got to chat with him for a bit. Friends, Relatives, students from my school and some friends also came on board.
Have a great holiday today
Just as a heads up this was paper towel read today because Kleenex did not cover it.
Warm Regards,
skip
Thanks to Al “FATAL”
Monday Morning Honor--Memorial DayThe Nayv Hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save sung by the Naval Academy Glee Club at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD3rPWmi1VA&list=RDBD3rPWmi1VA&start_radio=1
Submitted by Mark Logan:
A Memorial Day tribute from Hillsdale College at https://lp.hillsdale.edu/memorial-day/?utm_source=housefile&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=memorial_day_22&sc=00073&utm_content=memorial_day_22
Submitted by Jamie Hapgood:
Elgin Joint Base Command located near Ft. Walton, Florida, is presently the largest Military Complex in the world and encompasses a large contingent of Air Force units, Naval Warfare units, and the 7th Army Special Forces and 6th Army Rangers.
My home is exactly 5 miles outside the main gate of Eglin AFB.
Most folks in the USA don't live in a Military Town, with lots of guys in uniform walking the streets and jets overhead daily. They go on with their lives unaware of what a Military Town is all about. And that's OK. but I want to share with you what it's like to live in a Military Town. We see guys in uniform all the time, we have state of the art, high-performance aircraft in the air nearby all day long. We hear the SOUND OF FREEDOM when an F-22 or F-35 streaks over the house. and we read in the local paper, some times daily, but at least weekly, of the loss of one of our own in combat in the Middle East.
And that is what brings me to the reason for this email.
Staff Sergeant Mark DeAlencar was 37 years old, had a family and was a Green Beret with the 7th Army Special Forces stationed here in the Fort Walton area.. He was killed on April 8, 2017, while fighting Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan. In January of this year, he was deployed for the second time to Afghanistan. He promised his adopted daughter, Octavia, that he would be home for her High School Graduation. He didn't make it. But she went to graduation anyway. And in the audience were eighty (80) US 7th Armed Special Forces soldiers from her dad's unit in full Parade Dress Uniform. Additionally, they brought THEIR FAMILIES to be with them, as well.
And as Octavia ascended the steps to the stage to receive her diploma THEY ALL SILENTLY STOOD UP. And when she was presented her diploma they ALL CHEERED, CLAPPED, WHISTLED. and YES, CRIED. Everyone in attendance then stood up and cried and cheered. Octavia had graduated and yes she had lost her Dad. but she had 80 other DADS to stand there with her and take his place. I just wanted to share this moment with you. and remind you that this is the real America we all love. and I'm proud to be part of it. May God bless our men in uniform and their families who give so much.
Submitted by Mike Bolier:
A clip from the movie Taking Chance at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo2HgOD292Y
(Should you ever get the opportunity watch the entire movie. It is a good representation of how fallen heroes are returned home.)
Submitted by Colleen Grosso:
Mansions of the Lord performed by the West Point Cadet Glee Club at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGoSWn1tHeo
Burial at Sea by Lt. Col. George Goodson, USMC (Ret)
In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial.
War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.
Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia , Laos , and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montangards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead, I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane:
The smell of Nuc Mam.
The heat, dust, and humidity.
The blue exhaust of cycles clogging the streets.
Elephants moving silently through the tall grass.
Hard eyes behind the servile smiles of the villagers.
Standing on a mountain in Laos and hearing a tiger roar.
A young girl squeezing my hand as my medic delivered her baby.
The flowing Ao Dais of the young women biking down Tran Hung Dao.
My two years as Casualty Notification Officer in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam. Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car.
A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds - 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two.
I straightened my shoulders, walked into the office, looked at the nameplate on a Staff Sergeant's desk and said, "Sergeant Jolly, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Goodson. Here are my orders and my Qualification Jacket."
Sergeant Jolly stood, looked carefully at me, took my orders, stuck out his hand; we shook and he asked, "How long were you there, Colonel?" I replied "18 months this time." Jolly breathed, "You must be a slow learner, Colonel." I smiled.
Jolly said, "Colonel, I'll show you to your office and bring in the Sergeant Major. I said, "No, let's just go straight to his office." Jolly nodded, hesitated, and lowered his voice, "Colonel, the Sergeant Major. He's been in this job two years. He's packed pretty tight. I'm worried about him." I nodded.
Jolly escorted me into the Sergeant Major's office. "Sergeant Major, this is Colonel Goodson, the new Commanding Officer." The Sergeant Major stood, extended his hand and said, "Good to see you again, Colonel." I responded, "Hello Walt, how are you?" Jolly looked at me, raised an eyebrow, walked out, and closed the door.
I sat down with the Sergeant Major. We had the obligatory cup of coffee and talked about mutual acquaintances. Walt's stress was palpable. Finally, I said, "Walt, what the hell's wrong?" He turned his chair, looked out the window and said, "George, you're going to wish you were back in Nam before you leave here. I've been in the Marine Corps since 1939. I was in the Pacific 36 months, Korea for 14 months, and Vietnam for 12 months. Now I come here to bury these kids. I'm putting my letter in. I can't take it anymore." I said, "OK Walt. If that's what you want, I'll endorse your request for retirement and do what I can to push it through Headquarters Marine Corps."
Sergeant Major Walt Xxxxx retired 12 weeks later. He had been a good Marine for 28 years, but he had seen too much death and too much suffering. He was used up.
Over the next 16 months, I made 28 death notifications, conducted 28 military funerals, and made 30 notifications to the families of Marines that were severely wounded or missing in action. Most of the details of those casualty notifications have now, thankfully, faded from memory. Four, however, remain.
MY FIRST NOTIFICATION
My third or fourth day in Norfolk, I was notified of the death of a 19 year old Marine. This notification came by telephone from Headquarters Marine Corps. The information detailed:
Name, rank, and serial number.
Name, address, and phone number of next of kin.
Date of and limited details about the Marine's death.
Approximate date the body would arrive at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.
A strong recommendation on whether the casket should be opened or closed.
The boy's family lived over the border in North Carolina, about 60 miles away. I drove there in a Marine Corps staff car. Crossing the state line into North Carolina, I stopped at a small country store/service station/Post Office. I went in to ask directions.
Three people were in the store. A man and woman approached the small Post Office window. The man held a package. The store owner walked up and addressed them by name, "Hello John. Good morning Mrs. Cooper."
I was stunned. My casualty's next-of-kin's name was John Cooper!
I hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "I beg your pardon. Are you Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper of (address)?
The father looked at me-I was in uniform-and then, shaking, bent at the waist, he vomited. His wife looked horrified at him and then at me. Understanding came into her eyes and she collapsed in slow motion. I think I caught her before she hit the floor.
The owner took a bottle of whiskey out of a drawer and handed it to Mr. Cooper who drank. I answered their questions for a few minutes. Then I drove them home in my staff car. The store owner locked the store and followed in their truck. We stayed an hour or so until the family began arriving.
I returned the store owner to his business. He thanked me and said, "Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars." I shook his hand and said; "Neither would I."
I vaguely remember the drive back to Norfolk. Violating about five Marine Corps regulations, I drove the staff car straight to my house. I sat with my family while they ate dinner, went into the den, closed the door, and sat there all night, alone.
My Marines steered clear of me for days. I had made my first death notification.
THE FUNERALS
Weeks passed with more notifications and more funerals. I borrowed Marines from the local Marine Corps Reserve and taught them to conduct a military funeral: how to carry a casket, how to fire the volleys and how to fold the flag.
When I presented the flag to the mother, wife, or father, I always said, "All Marines share in your grief." I had been instructed to say, "On behalf of a grateful nation...." I didn't think the nation was grateful, so I didn't say that.
Sometimes, my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't speak. When that happened, I just handed them the flag and touched a shoulder. They would look at me and nod. Once a mother said to me, "I'm so sorry you have this terrible job." My eyes filled with tears and I leaned over and kissed her.
ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
Six weeks after my first notification, I had another. This was a young PFC. I drove to his mother's house. As always, I was in uniform and driving a Marine Corps staff car. I parked in front of the house, took a deep breath, and walked towards the house. Suddenly the door flew open, a middle-aged woman rushed out. She looked at me and ran across the yard, screaming "NO! NO! NO! NO!"
I hesitated. Neighbors came out. I ran to her, grabbed her, and whispered stupid things to reassure her. She collapsed. I picked her up and carried her into the house. Eight or nine neighbors followed. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the father came in followed by ambulance personnel. I have no recollection of leaving.
The funeral took place about two weeks later. We went through the drill. The mother never looked at me. The father looked at me once and shook his head sadly.
ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
One morning, as I walked in the office, the phone was ringing. Sergeant Jolly held the phone up and said, "You've got another one, Colonel." I nodded, walked into my office, picked up the phone, took notes, thanked the officer making the call, I have no idea why, and hung up. Jolly, who had listened, came in with a special Telephone Directory that translates telephone numbers into the person's address and place of employment.
The father of this casualty was a Longshoreman. He lived a mile from my office. I called the Longshoreman's Union Office and asked for the Business Manager. He answered the phone, I told him who I was, and asked for the father's schedule.
The Business Manager asked, "Is it his son?" I said nothing. After a moment, he said, in a low voice, "Tom is at home today." I said, "Don't call him. I'll take care of that." The Business Manager said, "Aye, Aye Sir," and then explained, "Tom and I were Marines in WWII."
I got in my staff car and drove to the house. I was in uniform. I knocked and a woman in her early forties answered the door. I saw instantly that she was clueless. I asked, "Is Mr. Smith home?" She smiled pleasantly and responded, "Yes, but he's eating breakfast now. Can you come back later?" I said, "I'm sorry. It's important. I need to see him now."
She nodded, stepped back into the beach house and said, "Tom, it's for you."
A moment later, a ruddy man in his late forties, appeared at the door. He looked at me, turned absolutely pale, steadied himself, and said, "Jesus Christ man, he's only been there three weeks!"
BURIAL AT SEA
Months passed. More notifications and more funerals. Then one day while I was running, Sergeant Jolly stepped outside the building and gave a loud whistle, two fingers in his mouth...... I never could do that...and held an imaginary phone to his ear.
Another call from Headquarters Marine Corps. I took notes, said, "Got it." and hung up. I had stopped saying "Thank You" long ago.
Jolly, "Where?"
Me, "Eastern Shore of Maryland . The father is a retired Chief Petty Officer. His brother will accompany the body back from Vietnam..."
Jolly shook his head slowly, straightened, and then said, "This time of day, it'll take three hours to get there and back. I'll call the Naval Air Station and borrow a helicopter. And I'll have Captain Tolliver get one of his men to meet you and drive you to the Chief's home."
He did, and 40 minutes later, I was knocking on the father's door. He opened the door, looked at me, then looked at the Marine standing at parade rest beside the car, and asked, "Which one of my boys was it, Colonel?"
I stayed a couple of hours, gave him all the information, my office and home phone number and told him to call me, anytime.
He called me that evening about 2300 (11:00PM). "I've gone through my boy's papers and found his will. He asked to be buried at sea. Can you make that happen?" I said, "Yes I can, Chief. I can and I will."
My wife who had been listening said, "Can you do that?" I told her, "I have no idea. But I'm going to break my ass trying."
I called Lieutenant General Alpha Bowser, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, at home about 2330, explained the situation, and asked, "General, can you get me a quick appointment with the Admiral at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters?" General Bowser said, "George, you be there tomorrow at 0900. He will see you."
I was and the Admiral did. He said coldly, "How can the Navy help the Marine Corps, Colonel." I told him the story. He turned to his Chief of Staff and said, "Which is the sharpest destroyer in port?" The Chief of Staff responded with a name.
The Admiral called the ship, "Captain, you're going to do a burial at sea. You'll report to a Marine Lieutenant Colonel Goodson until this mission is completed..."
He hung up, looked at me, and said, "The next time you need a ship, Colonel, call me. You don't have to sic Al Bowser on my ass." I responded, "Aye Aye, Sir" and got the hell out of his office.
I went to the ship and met with the Captain, Executive Officer, and the Senior Chief. Sergeant Jolly and I trained the ship's crew for four days. Then Jolly raised a question none of us had thought of. He said, "These government caskets are air tight. How do we keep it from floating?"
All the high priced help including me sat there looking dumb. Then the Senior Chief stood and said, "Come on Jolly. I know a bar where the retired guys from World War II hang out."
They returned a couple of hours later, slightly the worse for wear, and said, "It's simple; we cut four 12" holes in the outer shell of the casket on each side and insert 300 lbs. of lead in the foot end of the casket. We can handle that, no sweat."
The day arrived. The ship and the sailors looked razor sharp. General Bowser, the Admiral, a US Senator, and a Navy Band were on board. The sealed casket was brought aboard and taken below for modification. The ship got underway to the 12-fathom depth.
The sun was hot. The ocean flat. The casket was brought aft and placed on a catafalque. The Chaplain spoke. The volleys were fired. The flag was removed, folded, and I gave it to the father. The band played "Eternal Father Strong to Save." The casket was raised slightly at the head and it slid into the sea.
The heavy casket plunged straight down about six feet. The incoming water collided with the air pockets in the outer shell. The casket stopped abruptly, rose straight out of the water about three feet, stopped, and slowly slipped back into the sea. The air bubbles rising from the sinking casket sparkled in the sunlight as the casket disappeared from sight forever...
The next morning I called a personal friend, Lieutenant General Oscar Peatross, at Headquarters Marine Corps and said, "General, get me out of here. I can't take this anymore." I was transferred two weeks later.
I was a good Marine but, after 17 years, I had seen too much death and too much suffering. I was used up.
Vacating the house, my family and I drove to the office in a two-car convoy. I said my goodbyes. Sergeant Jolly walked out with me. He waved at my family, looked at me with tears in his eyes, came to attention, saluted, and said, "Well Done, Colonel. Well Done."
I felt as if I had received the Medal of Honor!
To our fallen heroes, rest in peace in God’s arms.
Al
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Thanks to Shadow
Folks, Every year for over a decade, I send out the same message about a dear friend we lost. Like many of us he had survived two combat tours, only to lose his life to a bad airplane. It was a profound loss to me in that a simple little nugget of knowledge about a little know sign of something on the airplane could be an indication of some catastrophic failure could be about to happen. It should have been on the mandatory pre-flight inspection list, but wasn’t. Guys who’d flown the F-4 for decades didn’t even know about it. I was reading a “Flying Magazine" one day and they had a monthly piece called “I learned about flying from that”! It was a monthly feature in the magazine. For chits and grins, I thought of John and his little nugget of information he had passed on to me and wrote about it and submitted it to Flying.To my surprise, they decided to publish it. The rest of the story is in the Memorial Day Message.
All of us on “The List” can relate with the sudden loss of friends from our times on active duty… and to be honest, some bothered us more than others. John’s loss was so unexpected I had a hard time coming to grips with it. He was a superior aviator… the last guy in the world you’d expect to have something like that happen to him. His loss reminded me that those of us who served… faced challenges that the average civilian could never understand or appreciate. We knew it, but also accepted it… and dare I say it, we even laughed about it with a morbid sense of humor. “Ain’t gonna happen to me”! When in reality, we could chalk up our survival to good luck and a little devine intervention by the “BIG GUY”! And BTW… it didn’t only apply to us aviators… but to the Grunts and other military occupations as well.
Any way… read about John and think of others who proudly served and paid the ultimate price.
All the Best to all of you… Shadow
POST SCRIPT ON MCANNALLY
It’s Memorial Day… so I guess its appropriate that I get around to writing a post script to
my little article about something a dear friend, instructor and role model… passed on to
me that later may have saved my life and that of my backseater… it saved an airplane for
sure. I was delighted that Flying had selected my article for publication. But the results of
this last month have made me realize I should have written something else.
Last month, one of their artists, Barry Ross, called to ask for some pictures he could use
to go with the layout drawing he was assigned to do for the piece. I should have known
what would follow, but I didn’t. Due to a recent move and with most of my memorabilia
still packed, I sent out a request to some of my former squadron mates for pictures of
John McAnnally and the airplanes we flew. That request opened a floodgate of memories,
not just for me, but for so many who knew him. What I did not mention in the article, was
that the man who saved my life, John McAnnally, was lost in an F-4 accident a number of
years later.
For almost a solid month, not a day went by without some other little memory or
anecdote about John being emailed to me. And if I were less than honest… I wouldn’t
admit that I cried once again… for a friends memory and untimely death. I know for a
fact that others did as well.
I absolutely wept when I read Chuck “Shogun” Hoelle’s account of “Hook” Denton
calling him and saying; “I want you to do the toughest thing you will probably ever have
to do in your life. I want you to do the JAG manual investigation on John McAnnally’s
crash”.
Shogun went on to give a snapshot of the investigation in the manner of a true
professional. It pulled no punches, laid out the facts and was extremely painstaking and
thorough… Shogun then went on to say he cried almost every night for about two weeks,
doing what he had to do… and he concluded his message with this; “OK, am going to
bed now with tears in my eyes… probably won’t sleep tonight… just like 28 years ago.
Hook was right; toughest thing I’ve ever done in 64 years of life. Sorry, Shogun sends”.
And then there were the laughs… John had one of those “special” personalities…
mischievous and almost boyish… and at times irreverent… yet he was a consummate
professional in his work as an officer and aviator. John was the “Training and Schedules
Officer” at the time and it was demanding job. He had to keep the pipeline flowing with
new pilots and RIO’s… to support the war effort and at the same time juggle an ever
changing availability of instructors. This guy had a cold… this one’s wife was having a
baby… that one had to go to the pistol range… etc, etc. It could drive the best of us crazy.
In frustration one day… John in his own inimitable fashion came up with an idea to
enforce on everyone the need to make themselves available… we were supposed to be
professionals… it was our job to be available at all times. He created the “Jonathan
Livingstone Seagull Award”… it was for the aircrew instructor who flew the least… in
the previous month. And to show you what gnads he had… John’s first award went to the
Skipper himself! The message was sent and the response was appropriate… no one
wanted their name attached to that trophy.
As the ebb and flow of the emails kept coming, I couldn’t help but think about our world
and our times. In my heart of hearts… having been a civilian for so long… I knew that
the vast majority of the civilian world had no concept of what it was like or what we went
through during our times on active duty. A large segment of the population viewed us as
Neanderthals… ascribing to the notion that we were heartless and in their eyes, subhuman…
war lovers and worse. Another segment thought of us a losers in life’s lottery of
opportunity… feeling we went into the military because we had no other option…
nothing could be farther from the truth. We were there because we wanted to be… it’s
that simple. And we felt and we bled and we cried just as our civilian contemporaries do.
We served… we did not relish combat, but we did not shrink from it either… we felt in
our hearts that if it had to be done… there was no greater calling than to serve one’s
Country. It really isn’t much more complicated than that. Why civilians couldn’t
understand or accept that concept was beyond most of us? I can say in my later years
emphatically… the most honorable, professional and able men I have ever known… were
those I served with in the U.S. Marines.
Yes, we were assuredly human… we hurt, we cried and we had memories… some still
haunt us today. I can vividly remember where I was and the circumstances of finding out
about John’s death… I recently shared it with John’s sister Myrna. I got the call from
Harry Gann… the famous historian/photographer for McDonnell/Douglas… somehow he
had found out within hours of John’s accident… I was already out of the Corps and Harry
called me at my office in La Costa, California, because he knew how much I admired and
cared about John… I’ll never forget it.
“You better sit down Roy… I have some very bad news… we just lost John McAnnally a
few hours ago… I don’t know what happened…. But he is gone”. I was speechless… all I
could say was “NO”… and hung up. I started weeping at my desk… I finally went out
back behind my office and just sobbed… my poor secretary had no idea what was going
on and thought one of my parents had just died… it took me a while before I could
explain.
For those of us who served in those days…. death was not a stranger to us… between a
Grunt Tour in Vietnam and all the guys we lost in flying… I had kind of developed my
own sort of self defense mechanism… we could be a pretty stoic group. I had come to
know that with each death… a little piece of me died with them… but I also knew that
there was nothing I could do to change it… there was nothing I could do to bring them
back. When John died… it took a big hunk out of me… first because I’d always felt he
had saved my life and second because here was a guy, whom you knew… was a better
man, a better pilot and a better friend than I could ever be… and now he was gone… in
the prime of life.
And I was not alone in my feelings… at the memorial service at El Toro… I sat in one of
the back pews of the Chapel with a virtual Who’s Who of Marine Corps Aviation from
that time… and to a man, we all cried like children for our friend’s untimely death. It had
a profound affect on all of us.
I guess it’s also appropriate on this Memorial Day to mention there have been many other
John McAnnally’s in my life… good men who did not make it, who died in the service of
their country… who never had the opportunity to drink from a full cup of life like we
have. Hell, our accident rate was so high in those days; we’d lose more men and planes in
a bad week, than our entire military does these days in a year. Not to mention combat
losses. It was not uncommon to lose a friend during the day and have to go out and fly
that night. I know civilians have a hard time understanding such things as this… but it
was our life. Dear friends gone, but certainly not forgotten. As with John… on occasion,
something will click… some memory cell is triggered and we remember it all again. It is
as it should be.
Just like this… I don’t even know why I decided to write what I did or even submit it for
publication… it just sorta happened. When I appealed to some of our friends for
pictures… it opened the floodgates of memories once again… and a lot of us have shed
many more tears for a friend we lost so long ago… we have also laughed once again at
some of the joy he brought to us… and at the same time it was reassuring… he was never
forgotten; nor are so many others.
As long as I live… I will never forget that smile… that gusto for life… that twinkle in his
eye. He was so very special.
In conclusion I’ll share what another friend, John Verdi wrote me years ago… from the
Latin version of the good book… Tunc implebitur risu os nostrim et ligua nostra laude.
Ps.125.5 (Then our heart filled with laughter and our tongue with praise.)
Good-bye again John, Godspeed.
Respectfully, Roy Stafford
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From last year. The following item has been a staple in the memorial Day List for a very long time. This morning when I checked the URL before I hit Send it did not work. So I asked Cowboy to see if he could find another one and he did.
Even though I have watched it many times I still got choked up watching it.
Skip
Brig. Gen. Steve Ritchie and the Rescue of Roger Locher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvRcP4go-eg
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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 25
1911 USS Wyoming (BB 32) launches. She is commissioned in Sept. 25, 1912 and later participates in the Veracruz Intervention and World War I.
1943 Patrol bombers from (VP 84) sink German submarine U 467 south-southeast of Iceland.
1944 USS Flying Fish (SS 229) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks guard boat Daito Maru and freighter Osaka Maru north of Palau.
1952 USS Iowa (BB 61) begins shelling industrial and rail centers at Chongjin, Korea. For her Korean War service, she receives two battle stars. USS Iowa is decommissioned in 1990 and is struck from the Navys list in 2006. Iowa is currently a museum ship.
1973 Skylab 2, the first U.S. manned orbiting space station, launches with all-Navy crew: Capt. Charles Conrad, Jr., Cmdr. Paul J. Weitz and Cmdr. Joseph P. Kerwin.
1985 USS Alabama (SN 731) is commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn.
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Today in World History May 25
0585 Thales of Greece makes the first known prediction of a solar eclipse.
1085 Alfonso VI takes Toledo, Spain from the Muslims.
1787 The Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia with George Washington presiding
1810 Argentina declares independence from Napoleonic Spain.
1851 Jose Justo de Urquiza of Argentina leads a rebellion against Juan Manuel de Rosas, his former ally.
1911 Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico, resigns his office.
1914 The British House of Commons passes Irish Home Rule.
1925 John Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwinian theory in school.
1935 Jesse Owens sets six world records in less than an hour in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1946 Jordan gains independence from Britain.
1953 The first atomic cannon is fired in Nevada
1977 "Star Wars" opens in theaters
More on 1787
Four years after the United States won its independence from Great Britain, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, convene in Philadelphia to compose a new U.S. constitution on May 25, 1787.
The Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, provided for a loose confederation of U.S. states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. On paper, Congress—the central authority—had the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war, and regulate currency, but in practice these powers were sharply limited because Congress was given no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops. By 1786, it was apparent that the Union would soon break up if the Articles of Confederation were not amended or replaced. Five states met in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss the issue, and all the states were invited to send delegates to a new constitutional convention to be held in Philadelphia.
On May 25, 1787, delegates representing every state except Rhode Island convened at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania State House for the Constitutional Convention. The building, which is now known as Independence Hall, had earlier seen the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Articles of Confederation. The assembly immediately discarded the idea of amending the Articles of Confederation and set about drawing up a new scheme of government. Revolutionary War hero George Washington, a delegate from Virginia, was elected convention president.
During three months of debate, the delegates devised a brilliant federal system characterized by an intricate system of checks and balances. The convention was divided over the issue of state representation in Congress, as more populated states sought proportional legislation, and smaller states wanted equal representation. The problem was resolved by the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house (House of Representatives) and equal representation of the states in the upper house (Senate).
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states.
Beginning on December 7, five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve un-delegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789.
On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution–the Bill of Rights–and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791. In November 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Rhode Island, which opposed federal control of currency and was critical of compromise on the issue of slavery, resisted ratifying the Constitution until the U.S. government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state. On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island voted by two votes to ratify the document, and the last of the original 13 colonies joined the United States. Today the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written national constitution in operation in the world.
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May 25
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 elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
For Monday May 25..
May 24: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2234
May 25: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2236
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 the Bear
Ron… For the Coral Sea net…
A Memorial Day Message from Mustang One…
This week fifty-five years ago— May 1969– more than 400 American warriors were killed fighting in Vietnam. One week: 400 KIA. They joined 33,000 brave hearts who had given up their lives “fighting for freedom” in Southeast Asia in the years 1961-1969. More than 25,000 additional American troops would die fighting that unwinnable war pursuing a strategy for defeat before it would end in defeat for the United States in 1973. More than 58,000 brave Americans had perished — for what cause? To show for all time that wars must be avoided at all costs. That is their legacy.
Unfortunately, the Barons of the American military-industrial war machine continue to misdirect the fortunes of our country. On this Memorial Day 2024, as we remember our fallen warriors, it is incumbent on all Americans — especially our warmongering Barons and neo-conservatives — to listen to the message rising out of the hallowed ground of our nation’s 355 Veteran cemeteries on the eternal voices of our fallen fighters: Make peace, not war… Lest we forget.
Have a great day, Old Warriors home from the sea… Bear Taylor
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I had forgotten that Jerry had sent me this update
Thanks to Jerry
Hi Skip,
Here is an excerpt from a letter from Peter Mersky's with my corrections to his original and comments for his book :
------------------------------------------------------------
"VF-24 and VF-211 were also aboard CV-19, flying F-8Js, refurbished F-8Es.
These last remaining F-8 squadrons were on escort duty as well as strike, and flak and SAM site suppression details, but always, the Crusader pilots hoped for a vector to a MIG. On May 23, 1972, Lt. Jerry Tucker got his chance. Along with LCDR. Frank Bachman, the two aviators had been flying TARCAP for an Alpha strike near the "Hourglass" an area south of Nam Dinh named for the shape of two north-south rivers. The ALPHA strike had completed their mission and were "feet wet" leaving Bachman and Tucker with time before the next recovery so they checked-in with RED CROWN and offered their services. When they arrived on the frequency they heard two "Rock River" F-4s on a vector for a MIG bogie heading south from "Bullseye", the code name for Hanoi. They both perked up when they heard two VF-161 Phantoms had lost sight of each other on the vector and set up a rendezvous circle to rejoin before continuing on the vector toward the MIG.
Tucker informed Red Crown that his section was ready to go and he could see his wingman. Red Crown called off the Phantoms and sent the Crusaders toward the MIG. Heading north, Bachman and Tucker spotted the MiG-17 north of them and maneuvered for the intercept. Lt. Tucker had the lead because he had the enemy fighter in sight. It was low, heading south and really moving. As he began his turn behind the MIG Tucker's AIM-9D Sidewinder began to growl, indicating the missile's seeker head was "sniffing" its quarry. Suddenly, the MIG's canopy flew off, followed by the ejecting pilot. Tucker watched incredulously as his "kill" floated down under a white parachute. The frustrated Crusader pilot made two passes by the understandably nervous North Vietnamese pilot, whose head turned to follow the American fighter as it flashed past him.
Unfortunately, the Navy denied credit for the kill because the bogey had not been confirmed as a MIG until several weeks later, and neither pilot had fired at it. The Hancock was credited with a kill after it was identified as a MIG, leaving those concerned, as well as historians, to argue the point for posterity. One of the aspects of the "engagement" has long been whether the MIG pilot punched out when he found his opponents were F-8s instead of F-4s. Of course, Crusader drivers will say that his reaction was understandable given the potent reputation of the F-8. As Lt. Tucker points out, however, only that MIG pilot knows for sure, and he has long since faded into the security of anonymity."
I added the following in my response:
"Peter,
I changed the location and headings of the planes as well as the missile used. We had AIM-9Ds at that time. The AIM-9L didn't go into full production until 1977.
I'm sorry but I can't remember what the ALPHA strike target was that day.
We (meaning me) didn't document that. We usually flew two ALPHAs a day at this time in the war as TARCAP or MIGCAP. This day it was as TARCAP.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jerry
We lost Frank Bachman this year so any mention of him in your work might make his family feel a little better. Frank was a Great guy.
Jerry
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Thanks to Newell
Family and Friends,
The PebbleCreek Senior Adult Community in which I live has a sizeable group of retired military-service residents. Naturally, the Military Appreciation Month of May and May’s Memorial Day celebrations provide opportunities for us to honor those compatriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to our Constitutional Republic. …Graciously, a container of donated “Please Take One To Wear!” red poppies is found on our Activities Center counter each year.
In that spirit, the following article from our community newspaper is shared.
Newell
MEMORIAL DAY RED POPPIES
(lifted from our Senior Adult Community’s newspaper
the “PebbleCreek Post”)
World War I concluded with about ten million military personnel killed, and likely about the same number of civilian casualties. One particularly bloody WWI battle occurred in northern Belgium on April 22, 1915 ― the Second Battle of Ypres. During which, Germany fired 150 tons of lethal chlorine gas against two French and Algerian Divisions, and followed that gas-attack up two days later by gassing a Canadian Division. All told, the Second Battle of Ypres produced approximately 87,000 Allied troops and 37,000 German troops killed, wounded or missing. Due to the substantial carnage, bodies of the fallen were, of wartime necessity, buried in either nearby battlefield cemeteries or interred in mass graves.
On May 3, 1915 Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian physician, upon seeing the red poppies erupting from the battle-ravaged land of northern Flanders (i.e., northern Belgium), in homage to the fallen, penned the poem, In Flanders Fields. His poem was published in Punch Magazine, December 1915. In Flanders Fields gave voice to the soldiers who had been killed in the battle, and who now lay buried beneath the poppy-covered grounds. Those soldiers’ symbolic voices encouraged their living brethren to keep up the fight, so their lost lives would not have been given in vain.
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row.
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below,
We are the dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
On November 9, 1918 (two days before the WWI Armistice), Moina Michael, a volunteer at the New York YMCA, published in the Ladies Home Journal a response to Lieutenant-Colonel McCrae’s In Flanders Fields. A poetic response that she titled, We Shall Keep The Faith.
“Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet ― to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With all who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.”
Sadly, on January 28, 1918, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae died of pneumonia (a belated result of the chlorine gas), and he never saw the responsive poem Moina Michael wrote. Yes, intentionally, planted red poppies adorned his gravesite.
In September 1920, the National American Legion voted to adopt the poppy as the official U.S. national emblem of remembrance. Other nations soon followed suit, also adopting the red poppy as their national symbol of remembrance. And it is common, these days, to see the American Legion proffering red poppies to us annually around Memorial Day in recognition of our fallen brethren.
Like the innumerable patriots before you, wear the symbolic red poppies proudly!
PS: In reverent Post Script, Eilee Mahoney’s poetry honors those for whom a final-resting funeral plot with its commemorative headstone are not feasible. N.
WATERY GRAVES
By Eilee Mahoney
In ocean wastes, no poppies grow,
No crosses stand in ordered row.
There young hearts sleep … beneath the wave.
The spirited, the good, and the brave.
But stars a constant vigil keep,
For them who lie beneath the deep.
‘Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer
On certain spot and think, “He’s there.”
But you can to the ocean go,
See whitecaps marching row on row.
Know one for him will always ride,
In and out … with every tide.
And when your span of life is passed,
He’ll meet you at the “Captain’s Mast.”
And they who mourn on distant shore,
For sailors who’ll come home no more,
Can dry their tears and pray for these,
Who rest beneath the heaving seas.
For stars that shine and winds that blow,
And whitecaps marching row on row,
And they will never lonely be,
For when they lived … they chose the sea.
And when your span of life is passed,
He’ll meet you at the “Captain’s Mast.”
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
Bubble Wrap was invented as wallpaper.
Bubble Wrap is one of the 20th century’s most versatile — and dare we say most beloved — inventions. The pliable, air-pocketed sheets have been used for decades to insulate pipes, protect fragile items, and even make dresses. And that’s not to mention the fascination some people have with popping its bubbles (both competitively and for fun). But when it was first created in 1957 in New Jersey, inventors Al Fielding and Marc Chavannes had a different vision in mind for their ingenious padding: home decor. The pioneering duo hoped their creation — which trapped air between two shower curtains run through a heat-sealing machine — would serve as a textured wallpaper marketed to a younger generation with “modern” taste. The initial idea was a flop, however, and Fielding and Chavannes soon pivoted to promoting Bubble Wrap, then called Air Cap, as a greenhouse insulator (another idea whose bubble would quickly burst).
It took another invention of the time — IBM’s 1401 model computer — to seal Bubble Wrap’s fate as a packing material. Under the company name Sealed Air, Fielding and Chavannes approached IBM about using the air-filled plastic in shipping containers, replacing traditional box-fillers like newspaper, straw, and horsehair. After passing the test of transporting delicate electronics, Sealed Air became a shipping industry standard. Over time, Fielding and Chavannes were granted six patents related to Bubble Wrap manufacturing, and Sealed Air continues to create new versions of the remarkable wrap — including a cheaper, unpoppable version that’s popular with cost-minded shippers (but not so much with bubble-popping enthusiasts).
Bubble Wrap was nominated to the Toy Hall of Fame.
Some of the best toys aren’t toys at all — a phenomenon well known to people who spend painstaking hours selecting gifts for kids, only for the items to sit ignored in favor of the toy’s packaging. That allure among the younger set helped secure Bubble Wrap a nomination to the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2016 as a nontraditional toy (akin to honorees such as the stick and the cardboard box). The poppable plastic didn’t become an official inductee, but its appeal has been replicated by the Pop It!, a squishable popping toy with a feverish following. The silicone poppers provide endless snaps that some psychologists say can reduce tension and anxiety, making them especially popular during a stress-inducing pandemic. While the fidget toy seems like a modern solution to everyday jitters, Pop-Its were actually invented in 1975 by a former classmate of Anne Frank. Five decades later, reduced manufacturing costs have given the bubble-bursting toy a second chance at soothing anxious minds of all ages.
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Thanks to History Facts
Europeans feared tomatoes for centuries, believing they were poisonous.
WORLD HISTORY
There’s a reason why the humble tomato used to be known by the far more sinister moniker of “poison apple”: Europeans feared tomatoes for centuries and believed they were poisonous. As recently as the 18th century, it was thought that aristocrats were falling ill and even dying after eating tomatoes — a misconception stemming from the use of pewter plates, which contained high lead content. The fruit, which is highly acidic, would leach that lead and then poison the unlucky eater. The fear of tomatoes was just as prevalent across the pond, where some American farmers believed that the green tomato worm was “poisonous as a rattlesnake” (in the words of one New York farmer). An entomologist named Benjamin Dann Walsh eventually set the record straight, writing that the insect in question was “merely an ugly-looking worm which eats some of the leaves of the tomato,” and by the late 1800s, more people began to appreciate tomatoes for the nutritious treat they are.
That change of heart was thanks in part to the increasing popularity of pizza, of which Italy’s Queen Margherita (sound familiar?) was known to partake. It’s believed by some that Raffaele Esposito, a baker from Naples often credited with inventing the modern pizza, used the Italian flag’s three colors as inspiration: red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil. If anything explains an entire continent overcoming its irrational fear of tomatoes, it makes sense that it would be pizza.
By the Numbers
Genes in a tomato (humans have 20,000 to 25,000)
31,760
Weight (in pounds) of the world’s heaviest tomato
11.65
Varieties of tomato
10,000+
Pounds of tomatoes the average American ate in 2022
19
DID YOU KNOW?
Tomatoes have been grown in space.
A little more than 600 people have been to space. So have tomatoes. Seeds for Red Robin dwarf tomatoes were delivered to members of the International Space Station in November 2022 as part of NASA’s Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity, Nutritional Value, and Acceptability to Supplement the ISS Food System (try saying that five times fast) initiative, essentially a program meant to give astronauts more food options while in orbit. The seeds, which were delivered in specialized grow bags called “plant pillows,” require a controlled-release fertilizer to grow in zero gravity and take longer to sprout than they would on Earth. Good things are worth waiting for, especially in orbit.
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This Day In American Military History May 25
1864 – Boat crew from U.S.S. Mattabesett, Captain M. Smith, made an unsuccessful attempt to destroy C.S.S. Albemarle in the Roanoke River near Plymouth, North Carolina. After ascending the Middle River with two 100-pound torpedoes, Charles Baldwin, coal heaver, and John W. Lloyd, coxswain, swam across the Roanoke carrying a towline with which they hauled the torpedoes to the Plymouth shore. Baldwin planned to swim down to the ram and position a torpedo on either side of her bow. Across the river, Alexander Crawford, fireman, would then explode the weapons. However, Baldwin was discovered by a sentry when within a few yards of Albemarle and the daring mission had to be abandoned. John Lloyd cut the guidelines and swam back across the river to join John Laverty, fireman, who was guarding the far shore. They made their way to the dinghy in which they had rowed upriver and, with Benjamin Lloyd, coal heaver, who had acted as boatkeeper, made their way back to the Mattabesett. On 29 May Baldwin and Crawford, exhausted, returned to the ship.
1945 – On Okinawa, the US 4th Marine Regiment eliminates the Japanese casemates and underground positions on Machishi Hill. The US 29th Regiment secures Naha. And they are still not done…..
1961 – President Kennedy asked the nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
1973 – Launch of Skylab 2 mission, which was first U.S. manned orbiting space station. It had an all Navy crew of CAPT Charles Conrad, Jr., USN. (commanding), CDR Joseph P. Kerwin, USN and CDR Paul J. Weitz, USN. During the 28 day mission of 404 orbits, the craft rendezvoused with Skylab to make repairs and conduct science experiments. Recovery by USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14)
1999 – The US government released a bipartisan congressional report that said China stole design secrets for nuclear warheads that included every weapon in the current US nuclear arsenal. The systematic espionage campaign was dated back to the 1970s. Stolen technology included data on an Army antitank weapon, fighter airplanes and all the elements needed to launch a major nuclear attack. President Clinton responded that his administration was already “moving aggressively to tighten security.”
2005 – Voyager 1, the most distant man-made object, has entered the heliosheath and is on the cusp of leaving the Solar System and entering the interstellar medium.
2012 – The Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
Every day when I read all these I am continually amazed at what these men did for their/our country and many at the cost of their own lives. We honor them by remembering them and what they did so it will not be forgotten…..skip
BALDWIN, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Born: 30 June 1839, Delaware. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participating in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albermarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, C.H. Baldwin participated in the transfer of 2 torpedoes across an island swamp. Weighted by a line which was used to transfer the torpedoes, he swam the river and, when challenged by a sentry, was forced to abandon the plan after erasing its detection and before it could be carried to completion. Escaping the fire of the muskets, C.H. Baldwin spent 2 days and nights of hazardous travel without food, and finally arrived, fatigued, at the mother ship.
CRAWFORD, ALEXANDER
Rank and organization: Fireman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1842, Pennsylvania. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864 Citation: On board the U.S.S. Wyalusing, Crawford volunteered 25 May 1864, in a night attempt to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in the Roanoke River. Taking part in a plan to explode the rebel ram Albemarle, Crawford executed his part in the plan with perfection, but upon being discovered, was forced to abandon the plan and retire leaving no trace of the evidence. After spending two hazardous days and nights without food, he gained the safety of a friendly ship and was then transferred back to the Wyalusing. Though the plan failed his skill and courage in preventing detection were an example of unfailing devotion to duty.
LAFFERTY, JOHN
Rank and organization: Fireman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1842, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participated in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, Lafferty participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp and then served as sentry to keep guard of clothes and arms left by other members of the party. After being rejoined by others of the party who had been discovered before the plan could be completed, Lafferty succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp.
LLOYD, BENJAMIN
Rank and organization: Coal Heaver, U.S. Navy. Born: 1839. England. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing and participating in a plan to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864. Volunteering for the hazardous mission, Lloyd participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp. Serving as boatkeeper, he aided in rescuing others of the party who had been detected before the plan could be completed, but who escaped, leaving detection of the plan impossible. By his skill and courage, Lloyd succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp.
LLOYD, JOHN W.
Rank and organization: Coxswain, U.S. Navy. Born. 1831, New York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Wyalusing during an attempt to destroy the rebel ram Albemarle in Roanoke River, 25 May 1864, Lloyd participated in this daring plan by swimming the Roanoke River heavily weighted with a line which was used for hauling torpedoes across. Thwarted by discovery just before the completion of the plan, Lloyd cut the torpedo guiding line to prevent detection of the plan by the enemy and again swam the river, narrowly escaping enemy musket fire and regaining the ship in safety.
*ADAMS, WILLIAM E.
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army, A/227th Assault Helicopter Company, 52d Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade. Place and Date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 25 May 1971. Entered Service at: Kansas City, Mo. Born: 16 June 1939, Casper, Wyo. Citation: Maj. Adams distinguished himself on 25 May 1971 while serving as a helicopter pilot in Kontum Province in the Republic of Vietnam. On that date, Maj. Adams volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter in an attempt to evacuate 3 seriously wounded soldiers from a small fire base which was under attack by a large enemy force. He made the decision with full knowledge that numerous antiaircraft weapons were positioned around the base and that the clear weather would afford the enemy gunners unobstructed view of all routes into the base. As he approached the base, the enemy gunners opened fire with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Undaunted by the fusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplish the mission. Displaying tremendous courage under fire, he calmly directed the attacks of supporting gunships while maintaining absolute control of the helicopter he was flying. He landed the aircraft at the fire base despite the ever-increasing enemy fire and calmly waited until the wounded soldiers were placed on board. As his aircraft departed from the fire base, it was struck and seriously damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and began descending. Flying with exceptional skill, he immediately regained control of the crippled aircraft and attempted a controlled landing. Despite his valiant efforts, the helicopter exploded, overturned, and plummeted to earth amid the hail of enemy fire. Maj. Adams’ conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity, and humanitarian regard for his fellow man were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of the military service and reflected utmost credit on him and the U S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 25, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
25 May
1910: Orville and Wilbur Wright flew together for the first time at Dayton. (24)
1927: Lt James H. Doolittle performed the first known successful outside loop. Flying a Curtiss P-1B Hawk pursuit, he began the maneuver in level flight at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), then pushed the nose down into a dive. When he reached 280 miles per hour (450 kilometers per hour), Doolittle continued to pitch the nose “down” and the airplane flew through a complete vertical circle, with the pilot’s head to the outside of the loop.
1931: COLLIER TROPHY. Walter E. Lees and Frederick A. Brossy started a flight that set a non-refueled world endurance record of 85 hours 32 minutes 28 seconds. They used a Packardowned Bellanca “Pacemaker,” with a 225 HP diesel engine, at Jacksonville, Fla. For this event, Lees and Brossy earned the 1931 Collier Trophy. (24)
1938: Frank W. Fuller, Jr., in a Seversky, flew from San Francisco to Seattle in a record time of 2 hours 31 minutes 41 seconds. (24)
1948: Using a modified B-29 as the tanker aircraft, the Air Force completed its first in-flight refueling. Prior to this event, Boeing conducted the refueling demonstration program. (See 5 May 1948) (12)
1953: North American test pilot, George “Wheaties” Welsh, flies the YF-100 Super Sabre for the first time and easily breaks Mach 1 during the one-hour sortie. The flight occurs at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. Nearly 2,300 F-100s will be built during its service life.
1954: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS/HARMON INTERNATIONAL TROPHY. Cmdr M.H. Eppes landed his ZPG-2 airship at NAS Key West after staying aloft for 200.1 hours. Eppes received the DFC and the 1955 Harmon International Trophy for Aeronauts. (24)
1959: The ADC received its first F-106 Delta Dart. It was designed to replace the F-102 Delta Dagger. (21)
1960: Through 21 June, after a series of earthquakes and a tidal wave hit Chile, the MATS sent C-118 and C-124 aircraft to transport 851 tons of cargo and 1,020 passengers for relief operations there. (2) (18)
1962: SAC turned over the last Jupiter IRBM squadron to Turkey. (6)
1964: First conventional flight of the Army’s XV-5A, a Ryan-built STOL research aircraft, (formerly the VZ-11) occurred at Edwards AFB. (3)
1973: Skylab 2 (also SL-2 and SLM-1[4]) launched this date. It was the first crewed mission to Skylab, the first American orbital space station. The mission was launched on an Apollo command and service module by a Saturn IB rocket with Astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Weitz, and Dr. Joseph Kerwin aboard. On 26 May, the astronauts met with Skylab 1 during the fifth orbit, where they worked in space to repair the space station through 21 June. On 18 June, the astronauts surpassed the endurance record in space set by the Soyuz 11 crew. They returned on 22 June, after 404 orbits of the Earth.
1984: A MAC C-141 flew the body of the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War from Travis AFB to Andrews AFB prior to its interment at Arlington National Cemetery. (18)
1993: Through 3 August, NASA demonstrated aerobraking, which used atmospheric drag to slow a spacecraft, to place the Magellan Venus probe into a lower orbit. (20)
1995: Through 26 May, USAF aircraft joined in on NATO attacks against Serbian military bunkers to halt Serb artillery attacks on Sarajevo. (16) (26)
1996: Through 26 May, during Air Fete ’96, an annual air show at RAF Station Mildenhall, the first joint MiG-29, F-15C and F-15E formation flyby in aviation history occurred as a featured display. The F-15s came from nearby RAF Lakenheath, while the MiG-29 came from the Slovak Republic for the airshow. (AFNEWS Article 960522, May 96)
1999: The F-117 test force at Edwards AFB completed the Single Configuration Fleet program, which provided a uniform radar absorbing material (RAM) coating for the entire F-117 fleet to significantly reduce costs and maintenance hours. (3)
2007: C-17 Globemaster III crews of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron delivered bullets to Beirut as part of a short notice ammunition re-supply tasking in support of the Lebanese military. (AFNEWS, “Airmen Deliver Strategic Aid to Lebanese Military, 28 May 2007.)
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