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

Category: Historical

  • “We . . . pushed our luck one day too long”

    The Air Force is often ribbed about being the least military of the services, and about being the least “hardcore”.  Frankly, there’s an element of truth to that.  Life in the USAF appears to be closer to civilian life than any of the other services.  USAF facilities and working conditions are generally better than in the other services.  It’s a running joke that when building a base the USAF first builds the clubs, MWR facilities, and housing, starts building the runways – then runs out of money and asks Congress for a supplemental appropriation to finish the runways and buy the planes.  (smile)

    Still, elements of the USAF serve at risk like the other services.  At times, they serve valiantly – and tragically.

    What follows is a short version of one such incident.  The story was suppressed for years, and though now public it is still is not well known.  It is the story of the fall of Lima Site 85 – a facility that did not at the time officially exist.

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  • SFC Paul Ray Smith

    SFC Paul Ray Smith

    On this day in 2003, Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was killed and two years later, to the day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor;

    Sergeant First Class Smith was engaged in the construction of a prisoner of war holding area when his Task Force was violently attacked by a company-sized enemy force. Realizing the vulnerability of over 100 fellow soldiers, Sergeant First Class Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, one Bradley Fighting Vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Sergeant First Class Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket propelled grenade and a 60mm mortar round. Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Sergeant First Class Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force. During this action, he was mortally wounded. His courageous actions helped defeat the enemy attack, and resulted in as many as 50 enemy soldiers killed, while allowing the safe withdrawal of numerous wounded soldiers. Sergeant First Class Smith’s extraordinary heroism and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Third Infantry Division “Rock of the Marne,” and the United States Army.

  • Vietnam Veterans’ Day

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    The Vietnam War used to be the longest war in our history until the media decided to call the war against terror our longest war. The war in Vietnam lasted from November 1955 until April 30, 1975, when Saigon collapsed. 3.4 million Americans served in the theater and 2,594,000 served in Vietnam and off it’s shores between 1965 and 1973. They were 9.7% of their generation. Only 38% of draftees served in Vietnam.

    47,378 of the US military died in hostile actions. One nurse was KIA. 17,539 were married men. 17,725 were draftees. 5,977 were Reservists, 101 were National Guardsmen. 61% were aged less than 21 years.

    79% of Vietnam veterans had completed a high school education or higher. 75% came from families who were earning above the poverty level. 97% of Vietnam veterans were honorably discharged. 66% of Vietnam veterans said they would serve again if asked. 82% of those who saw combat say we failed in Vietnam because of political will, 75% of Americans agree with them.

    2,338 were listed as Missing in Action. 766 were listed as POWs, 114 died in captivity. Statistics from this link.
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  • Berlin Wall almost gone

    The West German government did like the East Germans did when they erected the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961 – they came in the pre-dawn hours with scores of police while construction crews dismantled a large portion of the Wall today in order to avoid protesters who were locked in a dispute with the developer seeking to destroy the Wall for development, according to the Associated Press;

    At least 136 people died trying to scale the wall that divided communist-run East Berlin from West Berlin. Over the years, the stretch has become a tourist attraction with colorful paintings decorating the old concrete tiles.

    “I can’t believe they came here in the dark in such a sneaky manner,” said Kani Alavi, the head of the East Side Gallery’s artists’ group. “All they see is their money, they have no understanding for the historic relevance and art of this place.”

    I guess the old government is like the new government when they set their minds to something.

  • In Memoriam: Ten Years Ago

    On 23 March 2003, the US military suffered its first wartime “fragging” incident since Vietnam.  On that date Hasan Karim Akbar – then a soldier assigned to A Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, 101st Infantry Division – conducted a grenade and firearms attack on fellows soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait. 

    To execute his attack, Akbar first disabled a generator to disrupt lighting during the early morning hours while most troops were asleep. He then threw four grenades stolen from supply into three sleeping tents. In the resulting confusion,  he fired at other US troops with his assigned weapon.

    Akbar’s attack killed two US personnel – CPT Christopher S. Seifert, 101st Airborne, and Maj. Gregory L. Stone, 124th Air Operations Squadron, who was attached to the 101st Airborne at the time.  Fourteen other US personnel were wounded.

    Akbar was apprehended after the attack.  He was tried by court-martial and found guilty of premeditated murder in April 2005.  During his court-martial, he attacked and injured an MP escorting him to the latrine with a smuggled sharp object. 

    Akbar was convicted of murder and was sentenced to death.  His case was automatically appealed to the Court of Military Appeals, which heard his appeal in 2012.  A decision on his appeal is still pending. 

    Rest in peace, Maj. Stone and CPT Seifert.  You’re not forgotten.

    And as for you, Akbar: it may take a while, but I’m guessing that your days are indeed numbered.  I’m also guessing that you won’t die of old age.

    I recommend you start making your preparations to meet Shaytan. 

  • Pueblo vet recounts his capture

    Jilly sends us a link to the story of Mike Barrett, a veteran of the capture of the USS Pueblo by the North Koreans in January, 1968;

    On Jan. 23, 1968, Barrett’s ship, the USS Pueblo, was attacked by the North Korean Navy.

    Roy Stafford was 19 and was on board the USS Enterprise when that attacked happened.

    “I said, ‘Mike, we could see you on the horizon,’” Stafford recalled.

    Stafford says he thinks the Enterprise — an aircraft carrier — could have affected a rescue. But it was ordered to stand down.

    “And that is something that bothers me to this friggin’ day,” Stafford said.

    The Pueblo was captured and 82 crew members were taken prisoner.

    A nearly forgotten chapter of our Cold War history and the heroes are still among us.

    The 82 men were constantly beaten and tortured as the North Korean government sent photos to the US that portrayed humane treatment. The crew of the Pueblo kept up their morale by giving North Koreans with the middle-finger salute. They had convinced the guards it was Hawaiian for good luck. When Time magazine published the photo, the North Koreans learned what that gesture really meant.

    “And they went through what they called Hell Week and were all severely beaten continuously,” Claudia Barrett said.

    After 11 months, the 82 men were and forced to sign a full confession. Capt. Lloyd Bucher signed the document with his fingers crossed in an act of defiance.

    On Christmas Eve 1968, Barrett returned to San Diego a changed man.

  • Losing the Last Angel

    Mildred Dalton Manning, the last surviving “Angel of Corregidor” passed this last week at the age of 98. She was the last of 66 nurses who had been imprisoned by the Japanese when they over ran the Philipines in 1942. From the New York Times;

    Mrs. Manning — Lt. Mildred Dalton during the war — and her fellow nurses subsisted on one or two bowls of rice a day in the last stages of their imprisonment. She lost all her teeth to lack of nutrition.

    “I have been asked many times if we were mistreated or tortured,” she wrote in a remembrance for her files, made available on Saturday by her son, James, who announced her death. “Physically, no. A few people might get their face slapped if they failed to bow to a Japanese guard. Humiliated, yes. We would be awakened at 2 in the morning for head count or searched for contraband.”

    “From time to time they would round up a number of men and take them out of camp and they were never heard from again,” she continued. “Our internment was nothing compared to the Bataan Death March and imprisonment our soldiers went through. They were tortured and starved.”

    Mildred Jeannette Dalton was born on July 11, 1914, near Winder, Ga. She graduated from the Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Atlanta, then was head nurse at Grady before entering military service.

    She was stationed at Clark Field, north of Manila, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and bombed the Philippines (where it was Dec. 8, across the international date line).

  • The 1999 Kosovo BSM Fiasco

    In a couple of earlier comments and a previous article, I’ve referenced something I’ve called the “1999 Kosovo BSM Fiasco”.   However, it occurs to me that many regular readers of TAH – especially those who are younger – might not know the history of that little escapade, and might have also missed the references.  So I decided to write and post a brief summary of what happened and what resulted afterwards.

    Background

    In 1999, the US found itself engaged in hostilities with Serbia as part of NATO.  The primary hostile actions were US and NATO airstrikes against targets in Serbia and Kosovo.  The NATO operation was called Allied Force; the US operation was called Noble Anvil.

    USAF and USN forces participated in this air campaign.  Since the campaign involved hostilities, the Bronze Star Medal (BSM) was an authorized award for those participating in the operation.

    Unfortunately, the USAF and, to a lesser degree, the USN decided to interpret the phrase “in connection with military operations against an armed enemy” inanely loosely.  The resulting fiasco severely cheapened the BSM.

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