This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • One Hundred Fifty Years Ago Today: Gettysburg, Day 2

    The Battle of Gettysburg continued today in 1863.  Union and Confederate forces continued to arrive overnight and during the morning of 2 July.  Forces were positioned for and prepared for battle during that time.  For many reasons, Lee’s second day attacks did not begin until relatively late in the afternoon.

    Many of the engagements today and their locations are well-known:  the Devil’s Den, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Little Round Top, Culp’s Hill, and Cemetery Hill (significant fighting at the latter two would continue into day 3).  Other sources describe these actions well.  Suffice it to say that the valor displayed during all engagements was extraordinary.

    One point of comparison is worth noting.  Antietam is often referred to as the bloodiest single day in US military history.  In terms of casualties, that is correct; close to 23,000 Americans were killed or wounded in one day at Antietam.  But Gettysburg’s second day appears to have seen more intense combat, albeit for a shorter duration.

    Action at Antietam lasted roughly 12 hours.  In contrast, the Gettysburg battlefield was largely quiet until approximately 4 PM – and fighting had ended by 10 PM.  In that six-hour period, it is estimated that roughly 16,800 Americans were killed or wounded.

    Take a moment today to remember the heroism, the sacrifice – and those lost – one hundred fifty years ago today at Gettysburg.  That’s worth remembering.

  • 150 Years Ago Today: Gettysburg

    Today is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg.

    The battle would rage for three days.  It is generally regarded as one of the turning points in the US Civil War.  Indeed, many historians regard it as the turning point after which Confederate independence was no longer possible.

    Gettysburg was a classic meeting engagement; it was never intended to be fought at all.  It was enabled by the absence of much of the Confederate cavalry from Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, whose commander – “Jeb” Stuart – had gone on his famous but foolish “ride around the Union army”.   This act deprived Lee of reconnaissance assets that would have alerted him to the close presence of the enemy.

    The battle began when Confederate troops of Harry Heth’s division approached Gettysburg (according to Heth’s memoirs, looking for supplies – particularly shoes).  They were discovered by Union cavalry under John Buford screening the Chambersburg Pike northwest of Gettysburg.  Buford recognized the critical value of the high ground south Gettysburg (Cemetery Ridge), and – with no support and no guidance – on his own initiative decisively deployed his troops to delay the Confederate advance.

    This act, which could easily have destroyed his command, was in retrospect likely the event that both ensured the battle and the Union’s victory.  Union troops under John Reynolds, Abner Doubleday, and Oliver Howard arrived in time to relieve Buford and prevent the destruction of his command (a very near thing) – and to fight a delaying action keeping Cemetery Ridge in Union hands.

    Reynolds was killed by a Confederate sharpshooter shortly after arriving. He would be among the first of many to die during the battle.

    Units from both sides arrived piecemeal during the day, and went into battle as they did.  Confederate forces seized Gettysburg and the high ground east of town – Seminary Ridge.  But the Union held possession of the critical ground at Cemetery Ridge at the end of the day.

    Confederate forces would never possess Cemetery Ridge.  Lee would nearly break his army attempting to seize it from them.

    Lee failed.  With that failure, in the opinion of many historians the Confederacy’s chances of independence also failed.

    Wickipedia’s article on the Battle of Gettysburg is actually a rather good overview of the battle’s events.  If you have some time today and need or want a refresher, it’s worthwhile – as are the articles describing Day 1, Day 2, and other specific actions occurring as part of the battle (Little Round Top, Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill, Pickett’s Charge, Third Day Cavalry Battles ) in more detail.

    And while you’re reading it – or otherwise going about your daily business – also take a moment to remember the heroism and sacrifice that occurred 150 years ago today over the three day period beginning at about 7:30 AM.

  • Digging for Gold – in Berlin

    Military operations – overt and covert – come with risks.  But even covert military operations sometimes include too many ties to governments to be politically acceptable.  Hence, most intelligence services have “special” branches.

    The US is no different.  And during the Cold War, these “special branches” of our intelligence community did some truly interesting and high APF work.  Many such operations succeeded; some didn’t.

    The failures are the ones that we often hear about.  This is because they are often the ones exposed.  In contrast, the successful operations tend to stay secret for a rather long time.

    This article is about one such clandestine operation.  A few years ago, it was publicly acknowledged and information about it declassified.

    It occurred in Berlin during 1954-1956.  It was referred to as Operation Gold, and despite its early exposure is regarded as one of the most successful Cold War US covert operations.  It involved tunneling 450 meters into East Berlin – under one of the most heavily-guarded borders in the world – to tap telephone cables used by the Soviet military that were less than 2 meters (approx 6’ 6”) underground.

     

    Yes, the APF on this operation – particularly during the tunneling and tap placement – was indeed high.  Cojones muy grandes required.

    (more…)

  • Another Four Return

    DPMO has announced the identification of three US MIAs from Korea and one US MIA from Southeast Asia.

    • CPL Glydon E. Moyer, Battery D, 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, US Army, was lost on 2 December 1950 near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.  He was accounted for on 13 June 2013. He will be buried with full military honors on 25 July 2013 in Luray, VA.
    • SFC William Robinson, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Regimental Combat Team, US Army, was lost on 12 December 1950 near Hagaru-ri, North Korea. He was accounted for on 17 June 2013. He will be buried with full military honors on 7 August 2013 in Indiantown Gap, PA.
    • SGT Clement Thibodeaux Jr., U.S. Army, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 28 November 1950 near the Ch’ongch’on River, North Korea. He was accounted for 13 June 2013. He will be buried with full military honors in Church Point, LA.  The date and place of SGT Thibodeaux’s interment has not been announced.
    • Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 609th Air Commando Squadron, USAF, was lost on 30 Apr 1968 near Savannakhet Province, Laos.  He was lost in the same incident that claimed Maj. Louis F. Guillerman.  Lt. Col. Pietsch was accounted for on 31 May 2013. He and Maj. Guillerman will be buried in a group ceremony with full military honors on 16 October 2013 at Arlington National Cemetery.

    Welcome home, my elder brothers-in-arms.  Rest in well-earned peace.

    . . .

    In a previous article, I noted the identification of the remains of 3 US servicemen.  Here is a bit more information on one of them:  CPL Marvin E. Omans.   His story, though brief, is worth a look.  It appears that four generations of his family – including his elder sister, Dorothy Martin – were there for his funeral.

    . . .

    Over 73,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,900 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,640 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.  If you are a relative of one of the individuals listed here (World War II – critical need), listed here (Korea), or listed here (Southeast Asia) – please consider reading this link to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.

    If you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please submit one.   By submitting a mtDNA sample, you may be able to help identify US remains that have been recovered and repatriated but not yet positively identified.

    Everybody deserves a proper burial.  That’s especially true for those who gave their all in the service of this nation.

  • Sixty-Three Years Ago Today

    On 25 June 1950 – at dawn – forces of the Korean People’s Army attacked South Korea. There had been skirmishes along the 38th parallel previously. However, this time the North Korean forces pushed south in an attempt to conquer South Korea and forcibly unify the peninsula under communist rule.

    Hostilities were to last 3 years, 1 month, and 3 days. The war would claim between 500,000 and 950,000 total KIA (both sides); in excess of 1,200,000 individuals would be WIA.

    The war technically has never ended. The agreement to stop fighting in July 1953 was an armistice, not a permanent settlement. A peace treaty formally ending the war has never been signed.

    Korea was the first “hot flare” of the Cold War – though not the last – and was also arguably the most intense. (Vietnam claimed more lives, but US combat operations there were spread over roughly 14 years vice 3.) It was the only Cold War conflict that saw large-scale direct combat between US and Soviet or Chinese forces. That experience was sobering for both sides, and was not repeated again during the Cold War.

    Korea is often called “the forgotten war”, though recently it has received more recognition. However, those who fought there – or who have served there – know vividly the war’s impact. It’s still felt today with each inane act of ND:tBF and the rest of North Korea’s leadership.

    The US was woefully unprepared when the Korean War began; we struggled mightily the first few weeks. It was very nearly a defeat for the US and the free world.

    If nothing else, that’s a lesson from the Korean War we should remember.

  • Hostess Twinkies Reborn!

    According to this article, Hostess Twinkies – and other snack cakes such as Cupcakes and Donettes – will soon rise from the dead. The target date for reintroduction is 15 July 2013.

    Hostess went belly-up last year after years of financial difficulties and failed attempts at restructuring. Portions of their operations (Wonder Bread, Drake’s Cakes) were sold off to other bakery firms. Hostess’ snack cakes were acquired by Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo.

    All I can say is: sweet. (smile)

  • Three More Return

    DPMO has announced the identification of one US MIA from World War II and two US MIAs from Korea.

    • Pfc Manlet F. Winkley, Company B, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, USMC, was lost on 23 November 1943 on Tarawa Atoll in the Central Pacific (now part of the Republic of Kiribati).  He was accounted for on 1 June 2013. He will be buried with full military honors on 24 August 2013 in Marion, Indiana.
    • PFC Armando Alvarez, Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, US Army, was lost on 2 December 1950 near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.  He was accounted for on 6 June 2013.  He will be buried with full military honors in the summer of 2013.
    • SFC Joseph D. Steinberg, Battery C, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, US Army, was lost on 13 February 1951 near Hoengsong, South Korea.  He was accounted for on 30 May 2013.  He will be buried with full military honors in the summer of 2013, in San Bruno, Calif.

    Welcome home, my elder brothers-in-arms.  Rest in now peace – at home.

    . . .

    Over 73,600 US personnel remain unaccounted for from World War II; over 7,900 US personnel remain unaccounted for from the Korean War; and over 1,640 remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.  If you are a relative of one of the individuals listed here (World War II – critical need), listed here (Korea), or listed here (Southeast Asia) – please consider reading this link to see if you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample.

    If you qualify to submit a mtDNA sample, please submit one.   By submitting a mtDNA sample, you may be able to help identify US remains that have been recovered and repatriated but not yet positively identified.

    Everybody deserves a proper burial.  That’s especially true for those who gave their all in the service of this nation.

  • Microsoft Proves They’re Not Complete Idiots

    Earlier this week, I took Microsoft to task for screwing over military gamers through policies planned for their new Xbox One.  Well, it appears that Microsoft has had a change of heart.

    The fact that they’ve changed their mind isn’t exactly shocking.   But the speed with which that happened – about a week after announcing their original plans – is quite the surprise.  Large corporations like Microsoft usually don’t move anywhere near that fast to change a bad policy, if they ever change it at all.  And the announcement today represents a nearly-complete turn-around in policy.

    Microsoft’s executive in charge of Xbox One – Don Mattick – has announced that Microsoft will

    • not require full-time Internet access for using a new Xbox One after initial setup (initial setup will presumably require network access)
    • will allow owners of Xbox One games to sell/loan/trade them like they can today, or lock them to a single console

    Microsoft also implied – but didn’t state outright – that they will not enforce region-locking of games.  This is significant for US troops serving a PCS tour in overseas areas such as Kuwait and Japan where MicroSoft did not previously plan to allow Xbox One gaming.  However, since this is only implied vice being stated outright, this merits watching closely.  Problems could conceivably surface for those stationed in such areas who choose to connect their new Xbox One to the Internet.

    The “always on” microphone issue also wasn’t addressed in Microsoft’s announcement.  While this is less of a privacy problem for those not connecting their Xbox One to the Internet, it does mean that the device might be considered a “recording device”.  This could pose security problems in some environments.

    Still:  all things considered, this is a “good thing” – even if not necessarily perfect.  Kudos to Microsoft for changing a bad policy quickly vice trying to “ride it out” and save face.

    As I remarked elsewhere:  I guess one of Microsoft’s “old hands” managed to get word to their senior executives of how pissing of their user base and refusing to compromise regarding the “new model” of a successful product worked out for IBM with the PS/2 and OS/2.  (smile)