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Weekend Open Thread

by Hondo••179

The U-2 is reputedly a notoriously difficult aircraft to fly.

One reason: the U-2 uses a “bicycle” landing gear layout – e.g., inline, both sets of wheels on the fuselage with no landing gear under the wings. During takeoff, auxiliary wheels called “pogos” are used to support the wings and keep the aircraft level during takeoff; these fall off during takeoff. They’re not present during landings; the U-2’s wingtips have skids (to prevent damage), and the pogos are reinstalled after landing but before taxiing.

Both takeoffs and landings in the U-2 are thus rather difficult and dangerous. A relatively large number of fatal U-2 crashes have happened during either takeoff or landing.

At least some versions of the aircraft also reportedly have a very small speed window between stall speed and Mach buffet at operational altitude, and the aircraft also is easy to stall during certain other flight maneuvers. So even routine flight in the U-2 isn’t all that easy.

So, the chances of a U-2 ever “landing itself” like the USAF’s famous Cornfield Bomber did are nil, right?

Think again. Exactly that happened once.

. . .

On 31 January 1980, a U-2 took off on a routine training mission. The mission ended up being anything but routine.

During the flight, ground controllers lost contact with the pilot. The radio channel seemed to work fine – controllers received audio from the aircraft. But all they could hear was the sound of the pilot’s breathing.

A T-37 trainer was aloft and in the area; it was sent to check out the unresponsive aircraft. When it arrived close enough to see into the U-2’s cockpit, what the crew of the T-37 saw was chilling.

The U-2 was flying relatively level, though descending slowly and turning slightly. But the U-2’s pilot was slumped over the controls and unresponsive. It was later determined he’d suffered some type of catatonic seizure after takeoff.

The U-2 continued to descend. Remarkably, it made an uncontrolled landing in a cow pasture near Oroville, CA. It did this in spite of clipping power lines just before touching down.

The plane – though damaged during the uncontrolled landing – did not catch fire and burn. The pilot also had recovered enough from his seizure to shut down the aircraft’s engines after the plane had landed. However, on attempting to climb out of the aircraft the U-2’s pilot managed to activate his ejection seat. The ejection seat fired, throwing him into a somersault – but other than a chipped tooth, he was afterwards otherwise uninjured. (He was, however, medically removed from the U-2 program.)

The aircraft – tail number 56-6714 – was badly enough damaged that it was written off. But it was intact enough that it could be repaired enough to be placed on static display at 9th Strategic Wing HQ at Beale AFB, CA.

The incident is described in bare-bones fashion at this Wikipedia web page (it’s the entry for 31 January 1980). It’s described in somewhat more detail in Chris Pocock’s book 50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the ‘Dragon Lady’ on pages 350-351 and 408.

Someone’s Guardian Angel certainly earned their keep that day.

. . .

Enough aviation oddity for today. Enjoy the WOT, everyone – and the weekend.

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179 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

    1. Another second-place finish.

      Oh well – all you dickweeds (except Commissioner Wretched) can bask in the glory of my TAHWOT Silver Medal, resulting in a great weekend for all of you!

    1. It looks like we have three simultaneous posts, made the same time, all claiming first. What are the rules on this? Do we have three winners this week, or does the order of appearance determine the winner?

      1. Only Claw will know. A careful recount thus far shows VoV to be actually 5th to call a number, moving me to 6th. HMC Ret has already conceded so he is out of the running. May have been a mistake on his part since TAH WW HQ has a tendency to favor the swabbies. DO NOT ask for a ruling from the staff. Those meetings are brutal and AW1Ed may have to go out and piss someone off. He deserves a break today.

        1. I think it’s only fair that Commissioner Wretched be crowned as the Official Weekend Open Thread First. I believe that has been the ruling in previous cases where there appeared to be a tie. I withdraw any consideration for First Place (always capitalized). I believe that is only fair. This is an exalted position and serious consideration should be given in awarding it.

          BWHAAAA

        2. This is why I backed off until now.
          I saw it coming.

          Actually I was fixing my dozer after using it to haul my plow truck out of the ditch down the road.
          Two feet of snow followed by two inches of rain is making life difficult. Happy Friday everyone.

        1. I’m late to the dance, but here it is. As the former holder of the Book of Firsts and as the titular chairman of the rules committee, in the absence of Mr Claw, herewith the ruling. As established by rule and pronounced from time to time when circumstances identical to the instance circumstance have arisen, there can be but one WOT First and, this week, that person is Commissioner Wretched. The reason is that first in appearance separates individuals who, during the same initial minute, claim first. All others are merely near or distant losers but all others are that: losers. There can be but one.

  4. Congratulations Commissioner Wretched. May you reign supremely for your week in the spotlight.

    1. I thank you, Chief! I’ll be assuming the throne presently, and this week’s trivia will also be appearing in a TAH WOT near you very soon.

  6. Dennis Howard Chevalier aka Denny H. Chevalier

    As of January 25, 2019, Dennis Howard Chevalier, a.k.a. Denny H Chevalier, phony Gulf War veteran, phony veteran, phony C-130 compass call pilot, phony SWAT veteran, phony retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel… That Dennis Howard Chevalier… Still was arrested on February 27, 2018, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

    He pointed a gun at his ex-wife and son, waved a loaded weapon around and pretended to shoot things, threatened an ex-fiancé with putting a round into her head, and then his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

    One of these days, he’s going to point his gun at someone, like he has done before… And BHANG! They need to take this guy’s weapons away before he shoots someone.

    Here is one link to one of the details:

    http://writer-cubed.blogspot.com/2018/05/dennis-h-chevalier-arrested-for.html

    Just google “Dennis Chevalier arrested” to get additional details.

    In other news, today is Venus Day. Happy Venus Day everybody! :mrgreen:

  7. Looks like 7th for me, congrats to the winners and I hope the TAH family has a safe and enjoyable weekend!!

  8. As promised, here’s the weekly trivia column. Hope you enjoy it, whilst I survey my domain from the WOT Throne for the week.

    DID YOU KNOW…?

    Was the Portuguese Empire once ruled from somewhere other than Portugal?

    By Commissioner Wretched

    Do you hate robocalls as much as I do?

    (Of course you do. You’re not a silly person.)

    Nothing in the world annoys me as much as getting a call on my cell phone while I’m at work, and it’s from a number I don’t recognize.

    The Caller ID even identifies the call as “Potential Spam.”

    (As an aside, I like Spam, but not in my e-mail or voice mail box. I prefer it fried, and served on a bun. But again, I digress.)

    Like many of you, I have a personal rule – if I don’t recognize the number or know the name of the caller, I do not answer the phone. If the message is important, the caller will leave voice mail, and I’ll decide whether to call them back. In any event, my telephone exists for my convenience, not anyone else’s. I don’t appreciate people trying to call me and sell me anything over the phone – I never buy anything that way, and I don’t know anybody else who does.

    So much for this week’s rant. Now, let’s get on to the trivia that you really came here for!

    Did you know …

    … an ancient Greek philosopher actually believed he was a god? Empedocles (490 BC-430 BC) is known for having originated the theory of the four classic elements, which are air, water, fire, and earth. But late in his life, he began to actually believe he was one of the Greek gods. Naturally, this was met with some degree of skepticism, even among the more “enlightened” Greeks. So, to prove it, legend has it that Empedocles vowed to jump into a volcano and return unharmed. In 430 BC, in front of his followers, Empedocles fulfilled the first half of his plan, jumping into the steaming caldera of Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily. As you’ve already guessed, he didn’t come back. (He may have been having too hot of a time in the volcano, I don’t know.)

    … tears are useful to humans? Not only do they allow us to release emotions and clean out our eyes, tears release toxins that reduce stress. (All I can tell you is, tears never did much good when my father needed to teach me a valuable lesson or two The tears came a lot more flowingly after the lesson, I can assure you.)

    … the Eiffel Tower in Paris shrinks every winter? The cold air in that part of France causes the steel to shrink. (Lest you worry that it will eventually shrink to nothing, the Tower expands to a bit beyond full size every summer.)

    … there was a time when the capital of the Portuguese Empire was not Portugal? During the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in France, he installed some of his cronies on the various conquered thrones of Europe. One of those thrones was in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Since Portugal already had an emperor, this was not looked upon kindly by the Portuguese people. The prince regent, Dom Joao (1767-1826), moved the entire Portuguese government to their colony of Brazil in South America, and from 1807 to 1815, the entire Portuguese empire was ruled from somewhere other than Portugal. (I can see one of those old Bing Crosby-Bob Hope pictures, Road to Rio, or something in there.)

    … it takes food 32 seconds to move from your mouth to your stomach? (And if you’re me, it takes years to get it to move off your hips.)

    … Monday is the day of the week when your risk of heart attack is the greatest? (See? I knew there was something about Mondays that meant they should be avoided!)

    … actress Jane Seymour (born 1951) has heterochromia? Ah, you’re asking, what exactly is heterochromia? You’ve come to the right place. The term simply means that Ms. Seymour has eyes of two different colors – in her case, one brown and one green. Other well-known people with heterochromia are actor Dan Aykroyd (born 1952) and actresses Mila Kunis (born 1983) and Kate Bosworth (born 1983). (I once had two different colored eyes. After my brother and I got into a fight, one of my eyes was purple from the swelling.)

    … horror movie actor Vincent Price (1911-1983) was also a gourmet cook? Price and his wife wrote the book, A Treasury of Great Recipes.

    … the Guinness Book of World Records has itself set a record? It is the book most reported stolen from public libraries. (After a while, I guess those overdue fines add up, so people just decide to keep the book. They never do that with the books I write, though.)

    … all of the craters on the planet Venus are named after women? (What else did you expect?)

    … the average porcupine has about 30,000 quills? (And it has no problem letting you have some of them, either, especially if you make the porcupine angry.)

    … the famous “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” did not take place at the O.K. Corral? The fight between the Earp brothers – Wyatt (1848-1929), Morgan (1851-1882), and Virgil (1843-1905), along with John “Doc” Holliday (1851-1887) – and the members of the Clanton gang, on October 26, 1881, actually took place in an empty lot near the famous corral. The lot belonged to Camillus Fly (1849-1901), who owned a photography studio next to it. (That hasn’t stopped Hollywood from retelling the story wrong, you know.)

    … camels have three eyelids? The usual top and bottom eyelids are used to filter sand and bright desert sunlight, but the third eyelid – inside the lower outer one – is used to wipe sand off the eye.

    Now … you know!

    2. I love SPAM too. Special Processed Army Meat.

      Designed for the Department if War and under contract with Hornel … this gooey meat and byproduct substance kept troops healthy and saved lives all over the globe. Today, across the world SPAM is considered a staple and a delicacy.

      In the Hawaiian Isalnd it is found in virtually every old school restaurant.

      My dad loved SPAM … it helped keep him alive in Korea 51 – 53.

      1. I like it thinly sliced and fried. I make egg, SPAM and cheese sandwich. Nom nom nom

        Picked up a can yesterday at the commissary. It comes in at least half a dozen varieties. I prefer the regular or the one with less salt.

        1. Strangely, I don’t miss too much about Hawaii, but that’s one I do, along with a good plate lunch, breakfast fried rice, and Zippy’s chili.

      4. Spousal Unit was attending a briefing on the new Corps Intel structure in Northern West Germany in the early 1980s. Actually, he was the briefer. At one point, a senior British officer made a comment about the Frogs and Spams. When Spousal Unit leaned over and asked, “Spams?”, the officer immediately replied, “Oh, sorry, Yank.”

        Spousal Unit thought it was funny, and far more acceptable than being called a Yank, he being from the South and all…

      5. Spam was introduced by Hormel in 1937. No one but a few people inside Hormel knew what it actually stood for, but the best theory was “Spiced ham”.
        It was a way to market Pork Shoulder. Its mixed with Ham, potato starch (as a binder) sugar and nitrates (for preservation).
        It was an inexpensive item that kept well and helped with people’s grocery budget as the depression was ongoing.
        These qualities made it perfect for military use. Tons of spam was sent overseas and it became a staple of GIs.
        It was sent to allies as well. The Russians called it ” Second Front Meat” as a dig at the Western Allies who had not yet invaded Mainland Europe.
        GIs had a love hate relationship with it. It was always there when they were hungry but grew monotonous.
        After the War Dwight D Eisenhower wrote a letter to Hormel saying that spam was one of the mainstays and kept GIs fed, He also added ” I just wish you hadn’t sent SO MUCH of it”
        It was this reputation that led to unwanted Emails being refered to as Spam.

    3. A pal of mine, another good old North Carolina boy, changed a lot of minds about spam when he would have a division BBQ. Along with the Boston Butt, he’d smoke up slices of spam for snacks. This rendered out most of the fat, and gave it a great smokey flavor. Try it. A dab of BBQ sauce doesn’t hurt, either.

      1. Aaaah, yes, North Carolina. Carolina On My Mind by James Taylor. Love his music but not his politics.

      2. Tanks for the trivia CW. Guess we’ll see more SPAM recipes on next Thursday are for cooking. I have done the smokey thingie on SPAM myself for snacky purposes. If they don’t see the can or the smoking process, they’ll never know. And yeah baby, thin sliced fried with egg and cheese on toast!

        CW, your musings are excellent but your lording over sucks. Work on it.

        1. I try to be a benevolent and lovable overlord. Not that I succeed, or anything, but I am trying.

          Some say I’m very trying.

        2. SPAM I grew up eating waay too much of it. That may be why I hate it now.

          Stuff
          Posing
          As
          Meat

          Once upon a time the Navy stationed the young and dumb me on Guam. The first tv commercial I saw there was from a car dealership (Chick’s for those of you who have been there) “Buy a new Toyota pick up truck and we’ll throw in a free case of SPAM.”

          *gag*hack*urk*

          1. OAE CPO USN Ret: I bought a 1984 Camry from the Toyota dealership on Guam but can’t recall the name of the dealership. Do you recall the name?

              1. Yes, that’s it. They had a bad reputation for ripping off junior enlisted. I got a good deal. Bought a new 84 Camry, maxed out, for about $8K IIRC. Thanks for the info. The video brings back memories.

          2. Was that the same dealership that gave away a free truck to whoever brought in the most LIVE brown tree snakes?

            IIRC, the winning number was just over 25,000.

    4. Mr. Price is an all time favorite. We graduated from the same high school (different years, damnit! He beat me by a couple of generations.)

  9. The lack of a true F5 key on this machine has foiled me again. No true refresh on a cloud based chromie. Just another example of stainless or blued steel over chrome plating anytime. Congrats CW, may you reign supreme and show GDC, again, how the proper lording over is done.

    VoV you were 6th. I’m top ten or maybe lucky 7, hell who knows. Only the Coveted FIRST counts for anything.

    Drinks and dinner are still on me.

    1. drinks and dinner are still on me

      Careful now, I’ve been known to travel for less…

      Anytime you’re headed to New England especially in the warm months you let me know…sailing is fun around here.

      1. May be a serious operator short between the ears. This one doesn’t have an F5 per se, it’s a semi circular arrow that is supposed to refresh the page. Plus I’m only running at about 13 meg on a twisted copper pair out here in booneydocksville,BFE GA.

        I started refreshing at 12:57 pm EST (1:57 TAH HQT), the WOT page didn’t load until TAH HQT 2:13 showing 9 comments already. My other machine that died a while back had a true F5 and it refreshed instantly. I only missed FIRST by nano seconds.

        It’s all good. I am entered into the Coveted Book of FIRSTS once, AnotherPat is back and doing better, you are still sharing recipes, so I can die happy.

        godawgs/rtr/goarmybeatnavyagain

        1. What time zone is HHC 2/13 TAH in ???
          I’m in CST now in Texas, but I was wondering so I can join the free for all since I am now officially retired.
          What a year 2018 was…
          All good too…

      1. 6.022 x 10 to the 23rd power.

        Bunch’a 9s and a 23=

        99999999996e+23

        Pretty much last place, or Avogadro constant

      1. Amedeo can also mean “for the love of God”, so maybe Hondo was actually asking, “for the love of God what does 6.22×10^23rd mean”?

      2. Yes it’s indeed a mole of dickweeds although some of us are more likely equated to a pile of poo instead of carbon 12

    4. DNA test results are in. We’ve consulted experts. It has been confirmed you are 1/1024th first. Congratulations.

    6. And Billy Avogadro singing Rebel Yell:

      “In the midnight hour, she cried, ‘Mole! Mole! Mole!'”

      1. And then I scroll down and see thebesig already thought of that joke. Damn you guys and our common senses of humor!

  12. I’m here bitches.
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Sending one of my own off to the Wild Blue Yonder this weekend from her Legion Post as she packs her many years of stuff to Head to Sunnier Climates South in SC.
    She was a good wingman and I’ll miss her even though we haven’t been face to face in a few years.
    Cheers TAH DICKWEEDS!
    Have a lovely weekend. Talk to you shortly.

  13. 443st! and I don’t care who knows it.

    Snow totals in my kingdom come to deep, deeper, and deeper still. The birds are not coming to the feeding station in their usual numbers – probably too cold for the little feather flockers, but they’ll show up soon enough.

    Time to find a good book to read and settle in for the winter.

    1. I had over a foot of snow last weekend here in the western part of the PRoM near the Berkshires….

      But a couple of days of +40 weather and rain have reduced much of it to brownish white mush that will now freeze over the weekend…

      I’ll be stocking in some roasting chicken and enjoying a relatively boring weekend.

    2. “The birds are not coming to the feeding station in their usual numbers – probably too cold for the little feather flockers, but they’ll show up soon enough”

      I’ve been watching where they go after feeding.
      Lots of dead trees with cavities around here and they all live in a hole of their own. Chickadees, Finches etc. They disappear for a day or so then come back en mass. Amazing how they can survive.
      And get along unlike humans lately.

      1. This past Wednesday we had all four seasons in one day.

        Woke up to 26 degrees F. winter

        10 am was a warm gentle rain at 68 F. spring

        1 pm was 76F. summer

        5 pm a crisp sun shinny 59 F. fall

      2. Well, they finally showed up around 3PM. I put out food, put out the word by whistling, yelled ‘C’mon, birds!’ and finally, they came.

        Only one mourning dove showed up. Maybe that one will find another neighborhood.

        The rest were sparrows and a few juncos. More to come, though. So far, total accumulation is 12 inches in my yard (not counting drifts) and 10 feet shoveled off the sidewalk.

        1. “Only one mourning dove showed up”

          I see two this morning. Been a few weeks. I thought they all perished.
          They turn almost black in Winter.
          I try not to spook them while they feed on the spillage from the feeders above.

  14. A TR-4 (U-2 variant) shared hanger space with my squadron in Sigonella during Gulf War, Part 1. Those things are LOUD on take-off, and looks like it goes pretty vertical as it climbs out.
    About eight hours later it would come back, and ground crew in pick-up trucks would chase it down the runway to attach the pogos before it came to a complete stop. Kind of a clumsy way to do business, but it seemed to work.

    1. Ed, as I have related here before, on a brief refueling/meal-break stopover at Lajes AFB in the Azores on the way to Turkey in 1961, my buddies and I from the 327th Airborne Infantry, watched the blue suits roll out this weird-looking aircraft with a tarp over it, yank the tarp away and suddenly it was in a short take-off roll then an almost vertical climb. Within seconds it was gone. We were all looking at each other and asking, “WHAT the FUCK was THAT???”

      In 1961 knowledge of U-2’s was almost non-existent.

  15. Ah, my Jeep is fine.

    It was the linkage.

    So releaved.

    It is 1981, CJ7, brand new everything, only original parts are frame, trans, and other durable parts.

    For 60k you can buy it.

    1. “only original parts are frame, trans, and other durable parts”

      Check the “knee” in the frame, passenger side just in front of the rear wheel. That is where they all rust. A decent frame is worth many dollars.

      Cooper Discoverer ST/MAXX 235/85 16inch tires on narrow rims is the ideal setup.
      Tall and skinny and the only way to raise the axles. Lift kits do not do that.
      Big fat gumbo jumbos will ruin your Jeep.
      Too much unsprung weight.

      Nice ride if you can keep it rolling.

  17. 3687414.05436210208963teenth!

    This just in from the Department of Journalistically Redundant News Department

    Bernath is still deceased.

    2. I know what the last thing was to go through his mind!

      “I’m going to sue the maker of this GPS app for not telling me that speed over ground of Omph while my airspeed indicator reads 362mph means that I’m in a dive and about to crash.”

      1. The last thing that went through his mind was the rear stabilizer and the controls that NTSB said were in good working order.

        My sources tell me the same, as if today, he is still dead.

    3. Sung to “The Song of the Marines” (“Over the sea, let’s go men….”)

      Under the ground, let’s go Dan!
      He’s plowin’ the ground, he’s plowin’ the ground again
      Nobody cares where or when
      He’s plowin’ the ground, he’s plowin’ the ground again
      He came in too fast,
      now he’ll kiss my ass,
      All those he knew, don’t be blue.
      He’ll just be dead for years and years and then
      He’s diggin’ a hole to hell,
      diggin’ a hole to hell,
      diggin’ a hole to hell, again.

  18. Apparently POTUS is going to talk any moment now, and word is there’s possibly a deal to reopen the government in the works, at least until February 15th. But it’s a Democrat proposal so who the hell knows.

    Fingers crossed for something – it’d make the weekend a whole lot better for lots of people who aren’t getting paid right now.

    1. Dammit. I gotta fly on the 15th. I better not get stranded. I have obligations on the 16th!

    2. News is it is over, for now.

      I sent Admin a link to video about it.

      McConnell is in charge of fixing things.

      It must curdle Nancy’s powdered creamer in her coffee cup.

      More to come, I’m sure. Get some cotton for your ears.

  20. Someone in the Letters to the Editor column this morning says we should withdraw from NATO because it’s useless now.

    I disagree. We should kick the UN’s sorry ass out of NYC, charge the fees for all those unpaid tickets “diplomats” have received, and send them to Portugal, mostly because the Portuguese won’t like them, either.

    2. It seems to me Peter Bhatia at the Detroit Free Press is trying to weasel out of explaining how the paper badly screwed up. While it’s true local news orgs routinely look for a local “hook” to national stories, it’s also a matter of Journalism 101 that you’re supposed to make an effort to explain both sides of an issue. Bhatia said, “Niraj Warikoo, an excellent reporter who covers immigration and related issues, reached Phillips in D.C. on Saturday night and spoke with him at length.”

      What Bhatia left out of his gushy praise for Warikoo is that his “excellent” reporter apparently made no attempt to contact anybody at Covington Catholic to get perspective and context for the story. Nobody refused to answer his questions about what might have been flaws in Phillips’ story, because he simply never bothered to ask any.

      A few years ago on Poynter, I remember a comment that news stories should contain the following elements: This is what we know, this is how we know it, and this is what we don’t know. My guess is that Warikoo freaked out and forgot the basics because he was too caught up in the fact some kid in Kentucky was wearing a MAGA hat.

      1. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire combined didn’t make that many dance steps. Talk about a wiggle in your walk.

        Orange man bad. White boy bad. Private school bad.

        “Read our paper/follow our news; if we don’t know the whole story, we’ll make one up”…Film at 11

  22. I was approved for retirement on 29 NOV.

    Since the shut down, no retirement.

    Oops, GOV open again.

    I will be soon retiring after 39 + years of service to my country.

    I have served under every President since Jimmy Carter.

    Can’t wait.

    7. “I have served under every President since Jimmy Carter”

      Congrats! Hopefully you can continue to say that for at least another six years.

    10. I’ll add my congratulations as well, thank you for decades of service to this great Republic!!

      1. Let us know when it’s official. Until then, wear a helmet. Those apples hurt when they drop.

    12. You told folks you retired? Every hanger on and club gadfly will now be saying to you:

      “We need someone to run/manage/organize/unfark the XYZ club You are retired now, right?”

      Lots luck with that …

      Seriously though, congratulations and much thanks.

    14. Congrats.

      Hope things truly slow down to a pleasant pace for you.

      For me, everything went into overdrive.

  24. Can somebody ‘splain to those of us on the short bus what’s up with TAH’s new “CURRENT HEADLINES” RSS feed in the upper left corner? Personally, I’ve got no problem with the idea of having an RSS feed, but wonder whose good-idea fairy decided to pick the UK Guardian as a news source. The Guardian seems to spend most of its time having a world socialist group hug when it’s not complaining about those pesky colonials acting up again…

    1. It’s good to know what the enemy regards as important news. Plus, there’s no need to read Commissar’s comments if you go there first.

    2. Maybe you will have better luck getting an answer than I did when I asked. Yeah, I object to that as an only news source also.

  25. On this date in history … 25JAN:

    1943 –In Tunisia, American forces advance to Maknassy, threatening Sfax and Gabes.
    1944 – Forces of the US 5th Army continue attacks on the German-held Gustav Line. The Free French Corps makes some gains on Colle Belvedere. At Anzio, Allied efforts to expand the beachhead make slow progress.
    1945 – The US 37th Division, US 14th Corps (Griswold), occupies a large part of the Clark Field air base in the Philippines.
    1945 – Iwo Jima is bombarded by the battleship Indiana and a force of cruisers and destroyers. There are also air attacks by B-24 and B-29 bombers. This is the first step in the preparation for the US landings in February.

  26. Okay! You federal employees git up off your asses and get back to work! Also, being the MP in the herd, I am confiscating all y’alls firsts, seconds and thurds as evidence and claiming “FIRST”. You may outrank me but, your rank doesn’t over-ride my authority. Heh

  27. Trumps presidency is over.. so much for being a deal maker
    The Republican Party is Finished if they don’t change quickly
    They had a opportunity to unload a ton of dead weight federal
    Employees but nope they don’t have the back bone to do shit
    I voted for trump because I was finish with 8 years of watching
    My beloved country going to hell because of a bunch
    Of wack job Dems… he’s turning out the be a complete idiot
    Will there ever be accountability to Obama or Billary for breaking the Law
    Hell No.. so much for this moron draining the swamp
    Instead he’s Polosi little bitch
    I had a bad feeling was going to be the way it was going to go

  28. “—————————————————-ppppppphhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuqqqqqqqqqqquuuuuuuuueeeee
    PPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUQQQQQQQQQQQUUUUUUUUUEEEE!!

    THUMP!!

    (Gets up, brushes self while he looks around)

    “I made it! What, am I 82nd or something?”

    Good to be finally back her the home of the Dickweeds and Weedettes. 🙂

    1. (looks at what he just wrote)

      “I see my masterage of English & proper spelling hasn’t changed.”

        1. Welcome Home Sky. Glad you used a low key unobtrusive entrance.

          We’ve had a lot of snowflakes and sock puppets visiting lately.

            1. Thanks 2/17 Air Cav, but mostly these days it feels like I’m more of a Dumbass….but I will try to live up to the expectations of being a smart ass.

              I know I will be in good company here the day that I do. 😉

              Wheres there is life…..there is hope. (grin)

          2. Thanks 5th/77th FA, good to be back again.

            Lurked for an hour or so before “dropping”in …..appears you had a bountiful bevy of bloativators while I was MIA.

            AND……..EXPh2’s ‘puter took a dump?? :O

            Also noticed the “one whom shall not be named” is allowed to post again.

  29. LITTLE KNOWN AMERICAN HISTORY!
    DID YOU KNOW…that Ted Williams and John Glenn flew combat missions together during the Korean War?!
    Ted Williams was John Glenn’s wingman in F-9Fs in Korea. 

    The Boston Red Sox slugger who wore No. 9 as a major leaguer, would now be assigned to an F-9 Panther jet as a pilot.
    Ted flew a total of 39 combat missions in Korea. He was selected by his commander John Glenn, later the astronaut and senator to fly as Glenn’s wingman. 

    While flying an air strike on a troop encampment near Kyomipo, Korea, William’s F-9 was hit by hostile ground fire.
    Ted commented later… “the funny thing was I didn’t feel anything… I knew I was hit when the stick started shaking like mad in my hands. Then everything went out, my radio, my landing gear, everything. The red warning lights were on all over the plane.”
    The F-9 Panther had a centrifugal flow engine and normally caught fire when hit. The tail would literally blow off most stricken aircraft. The standard orders were to eject from any Panther with a fire in the rear of the plane.
    Ted’s aircraft was indeed on fire, and was trailing smoke and flames.
    Glen and the other pilots on the mission were yelling over their radios for William’s to get out. However, with his radio out Williams could not hear their warnings, and he could not see the condition of the rear of his aircraft.
    Glenn and another Panther flown by Larry Hawkins came up alongside Williams and lead him to the nearest friendly airfield.
    Fighting to hold the plane together, Ted brought his Panther in at more than 200-MPH for a crash landing on the Marsden-matted strip. With no landing gear, dive brakes, or functioning flaps the flaming Panther jet skidded down the runway for more than 3000 feet.
    Williams got out of the aircraft only moments before it was totally engulfed in flames. Ted Williams survived his tour of duty in Korea and returned to major league baseball.
    Ted missed out flying combat missions during WW II, because his flying and gunnery skills were so good that he was kept as an instructor for much of the War.
    During advanced training at Pensacola, Florida Ted would accurately shoot the sleeve targets to shreds while shooting out of wing-overs, zooms, and barrel rolls.
    He broke the all time record for “hits” at the school.
    Following Pensacola, Ted was sent to Jacksonville for advanced gunnery training. This is the payoff test for potential combat pilots. Ted set all the records for reflexes, coordination, and visual reaction time.
    As a result of his stunning success he was made an instructor at Bronson field to put Marine aviation cadets through their final paces.
    By 1945 Ted got his wish and was finally transferred to a combat wing, but weeks later the War was over. He was discharged from the military in December of 1945.
    Seven years later, in December of 1952, Ted was recalled to active duty as a Marine Corps fighter pilot.

          1. “And they wonder why we let him hang around.” I’m genuinely surprised with that. I’m also surprised that I keep coming back. I usually don’t want to belong to any group that would have me as a member.

  30. Late to the party, again.

    But…
    Replaced the cylinder head temperature sensor on an Escape, finally stopped the engine light from coming on…
    Repaired the shower where it had limed up…
    Took youngest grandson on a walk in the woods to his aunt’s house…
    and..
    let 3 grandkids pretend they were fishing off the dock – only hooked my thumb 3 times as well.

    Y’all have a good weekend now, y’hear?

  32. Cori LeCinda Pierce – the turd who defrauds with a dog!

    “They will eventually get it out of their systems”
    She doesn’t know us very well.

    1. Tanks ‘Beans! That right there was funny as hell, I don’t care who you are! (HT to LTCG)

  34. “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”

    The same person who posted that tweet in 2012 also went to bat for a group of men in Minnesota who were facing sentencing in 2015 for planning to join ISIS as fighters. She asked the sentencing judge to be lenient. The effort failed.

    In 2018 the same person was appointed by Nancy Pelosi to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The person is Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. I know what is wrong with Pelosi. My question is what dahell is wrong with Minnesota voters?

    1. The beauty of free speech is that it provides a zone of comfort and protection that allows sick, twisted assholes to reveal themselves.

    2. A lot of liberal guilt. She also was married to her brother in an immigration scheme. I wish she would have been outed before the election. Local media here hardly paid any attention to her.

      1. The bloggers over at “PowerLine” have been on this for a while (at least two years) – they even tried to get the local press to look into it and they were “not interested”.

    2. I hate those quart jugs that are designed to dump it all over the housing and ground.
      Don’t forget to drop the plug in the dirt before you screw it back in.
      Make sure you wear your best shirt and pants. And forget to piss before you crawl under the vehicle. If your neck gets tired just rest your head in the spilled fluid for a while. Good times.

    3. Wear clothes you don’t mind losing. My dad has an old field jacket that still smells like gear lube from a change gone wrong 40 years ago.

  36. One of those potential headscratchers:

    If there is no difference between men and women, why is so much attention directed at those who wish they were the other one? In this new world, is “transgender” needed at all? Ya know, since there is no difference anyway…

    1. It is a wide open spectrum. Design-a-Gender will be next. You can choose which sex characteristics you want and discard those you don’t. Josef Mengalah would be proud of todays medical miracles coupled with the wonderful new Psychiatric thinking.

  37. Just got the FEB issue of American Rifleman.
    Great feature article on the CAR-15 and the SOG teams that used them.
    The author is Major John L Plaster (ret)

    Brings back fond memories of the Viet of the Nam where I was not affilated with nor had anything to do with MACVSOG.

    1. Yeah, I was going to comment on this, but you beat me to it. For some unknown reason, he Company C.O. of Co. C, 3rd Bn, 12th Inf had a CAR-15. I inherited it when I assumed command. It was the original model with the 10 inch barrel. I couldn’t hit a bull in the ass at 25 yards with it. Now 48 years later I find out why; the 10 inch barrel is terribly inaccurate cuz the bullets start flying sideways at some point after they leave the barrel. So that is why they went to the 11.5 inch barrel.
      Luckily, I never had to fire my weapon in combat. Besides if you are an officer and firing your personal weapon, you are likely not doing your job. That is why in the French Foreign Legion officers were not allowed to carry anything but a swagger stick. Although many officers who have earned the MOH were running around shooting everything they could get their hands one when their SF compound was about to be over-run.

  38. “Viet of the Nam”.

    Never fails to get a laugh.

    NO DISRESPECT intended to those who served there. It’s just the wording of an idiot brings me laughter.
    If this goes over wrong, I am awaiting incoming…

    and on TAH, incoming will be severe and unforgiving…

    1. “Never fails to get a laugh”

      That’s why it gets used so much.
      Hell, it makes me laugh everytime I type it.

    2. “Viet Nam” means “People of the South” in the Vietnamese language.

      Personally, I always preferred the more descriptive “Land of Tall Grasses and Live Rounds” as an alternative.

  39. On this date in history, 26JAN. Toward the end of the story about Audie Murphy are some admissions of which I was not aware. His was an unpleasant life toward the end. Great sadness for those with PTSD and who are addicted to drugs of any kind. Great sadness …

    1944 – On New Britain, there is a heavy bombing raid on the Japanese base at Rabaul, by US aircraft. Many Japanese planes are claimed to be shot down.
    1945 – Units of US 3rd Army in the Ardennes have now crossed the Clerf River in several areas and are attacking all along the front of US 3rd and 12th Corps.
    1945 – American Lt. Audie Murphy, is wounded in France. Born the son of Texas sharecroppers on June 20, 1924, Murphy served three years of active duty, beginning as a private, rising to the rank of staff sergeant, and finally winning a battlefield commission to 2nd lieutenant. He was wounded three times, fought in nine major campaigns across Europe, and was credited with killing 241 Germans. He won 37 medals and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, and the Croix de Guerre (with palm). The battle that won Murphy the Medal of Honor, and which ended his active duty, occurred during the last stages of the Allied victory over the Germans in France. Murphy acted as cover for infantrymen during a last desperate German tank attack. Climbing atop an abandoned U.S. tank destroyer, he took control of its .50-caliber machine gun and killed 50 Germans, stopping the advance but suffering a leg wound in the process. Upon returning to the States, Murphy was invited to Hollywood by Jimmy Cagney, who saw the war hero’s picture on the cover of Life magazine. By 1950, Murphy won an acting contract with Universal Pictures. In his most famous role, he played himself in the monumentally successful To Hell and Back. Perhaps as interesting as his film career was his public admission that he suffered severe depression from post traumatic stress syndrome, also called battle fatigue, and became addicted to sleeping pills as a result. This had long been a taboo subject for veterans. Murphy died in a plane crash while on a business trip in 1971. He was 46.

    1. Thanks, again, HMC Ret. I always enjoy your posts on this date in history. I see the short blurbs in the newspaper, but your in depth postings brings it home for us. You da man!

      My Papa was part of Patton’s 3rd Army for awhile during this action. He was Btry C 741st FA, part of the 36th FA Group. They fired mainly 8″ guns. He never talked about it at all; older brother (AF Vet) did the research and met with one of Papa’s Battle Buddies that wrote up a History of the unit. Makes for an interesting read.

      Audie Murphy was not only a projected role model for me, but also my hero. As a youngun, when I asked Papa about the war he would talk about Audie and his exploits. I identified with him, too, because I was a little wiry small framed fellow that was picked on and had to constantly defend myself growing up. His passing at such an early age was tragic and brought home my Papa’s passing 7 years earlier. He and Audie were the same age.

      You keep up the good work bringing these stories in to us. I think that I can speak for a number of us when I say we appreciate it. Drinks and supper are on my tab.

  40. On this date in history, 27JAN, we have great sadness with the fiery deaths of three astronauts in 1967.

    A launch pad fire during Apollo program tests at Cape Canaveral, Florida, kills astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee. An investigation indicated that a faulty electrical wire inside the Apollo 1 command module was the probable cause of the fire. The astronauts, the first Americans to die in a spacecraft, had been participating in a simulation of the Apollo 1 launch scheduled for the next month.

    The Apollo program was initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) following President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 declaration of the goal of landing men on the moon and bringing them safely back to Earth by the end of the decade. The so-called “moon shot” was the largest scientific and technological undertaking in history. In December 1968, Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to travel to the moon, and on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. walked on the lunar surface. In all, there were 17 Apollo missions and six lunar landings.

    I’ve mentioned my ideal ‘job’ would be any position on a spacecraft sent into space in conjunction with hundreds/thousands of additional craft, the intent being to explore space for eternity. Rest In Peace, Warriors.

  41. Here is a bit of espionage by the Ruskies that flew under my radar. Is it SOP to give one’s enemy a head’s up prior to the boarding and inspection of their ship? Is this common knowledge to others in this group of reprobates?

    SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T SEE OR HEAR ON THE EVENING NEWS!
    Question: Ever hear of the Strait of Juan de Fuca Laser Incident?

    The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about 95 miles long. It forms the outlet for the Salish Sea to the Pacific Ocean and provides part of the international boundary between the United States and Canada.
    On 4 April 1997, a Russian merchant ship named the Kapitan Man was discovered to be anchored in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, approximately 5 miles due north of Port Angeles, Washington.
    Responding to a request, the Canadian Forces dispatched a CH-124 helicopter to fly by the ship and take photographs of the vessel and its abnormal aerial antenna structure.
    The structure was indicative of a ship that may conduct ELINT or SIGINT intelligent gathering activities.
    On board the helicopter was US Navy Lt. Jack Daly and Canadian Air Force pilot Capt. Patrick Barnes.
    Lt. Daly was the Navy’s foreign-intelligence officer in charge of a surveillance operation against Russian, Chinese and other spy ships operating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.
    This section of the United States is known for a large collection of major nuclear ballistic missile submarine and aircraft carrier bases.
    While taking photographs of the ship, Lt. Daly suddenly experienced an intense pain in his right eye and temporary blindness.
    After examination, it was concluded that Lt. Daly suffered direct laser burns to his eye, as well as other vision problems and severe headaches.
    Captain Barnes was also injured in a similar manner and was permanently grounded as a result of the incident.
    Shortly after the attack, Coast Guard teams were given two hours to search the Russian vessel but did not locate a laser.
    Teams were not given full access to the ship and the Clinton administration had warned the Russian government in advance that it would be searched.
    The ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber is suspected of being the weapon that was used against the US and Canadian military.
    After the incident, Lt. Daly became adamant that the State Department had orchestrated a media cover-up of the espionage activity to avoid hindering international negotiations.
    Lt. Daly went so far as to say “According to the US Constitution, Article III, Section 3, this cover-up was treason.”

  42. Here is a bit of information about the nurses of WW2 and their heroism in the face of the brutality of the Japanese.

    This is for all my friends and shipmates in the medical field especially all my shipmates that served with me on the USS Repose (AH-16).

    JAPANESE TROOPS CAPTURE 11 NAVY NURSES IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES!

    At the outset of WWII, US Army and US Navy nurses were stationed at Sternberg General Hospital in Manila, Philippines and other military hospitals around Manila.
    During the Battle of the Philippines in 1941–42, eighty-eight US Army nurses escaped, in the last week of December 1941, to Corregidor and Bataan.
    Two Army nurses, Lt. Floramund A. Fellmeth and Lt. Florence MacDonald, accompanied severely wounded patients from Sternberg aboard the hospital ship USS Mactan that departed Manila shortly after midnight of the New Year of 1942 for Australia.
    The Navy nurses, under the command of Lt. Laura M. Cobb, stayed behind in Manila during the initial invasion to support the patients there.
    One of them, Lt. Ann A. Bernatitus, escaped from Manila to Bataan just before Manila fell and was the only Navy nurse there to evade capture.
    The remaining 11 Navy nurses were captured upon the fall of Manila on 6 January 1942 and interned by the Japanese at Santo Tomas.
    The Army nurses, under the command of Capt. Maude Davison, together with Navy nurse Lt. Bernatitus, escaped from Manila and went on to serve in the Battle of Bataan and the Battle of Corregidor.

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