On July 27, 1922, in Benton, Illinois, Stanton Jones and his wife were blessed with the birth of their first son, named Howard Jones. Stanton's oldest sister was Malinda Gertrude Jones (Swain), mother to Timothy W. Swain. Howard grew up on the family farm of approximately 170 acres in Franklin County, Illinois. That part of Illinois is known as God's Country and Little Egypt, for its scenic beauty and steadfastness of its citizens. Howard loved horses and riding; had a steady eye with a rifle, never missing the squirrel he was aiming at; was a hard worker on the farm and possessed a magnetic personality; everybody liked him; he won dance contests with his steady girl, Miss Frailey.Howard was the oldest son. He had a older sister, Mildred Jones (Kieler),a younger sister, Norma Lee Jones ("Seek good, and not evil, that you may live, and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said." Amos 5:14), and a younger brother, Lawrence Melvin Jones. Howard never knew his beautiful, talented and vivacious sister,Karen Kay Jones embsg.com/Ukajo.html, who was born after his death. He was just 19 when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
Howard graduated from Benton High School in June, 1941. His yearbook quote his Senior year was: "I am a woman's man." During his Senior year he was in Hi-Y. In his Junior year, Howard was elected President of the Junior Class, having served as Vice-President of his Sophomore Class. Howard was a Cheer-Leader during all four years of high school. In his Freshman year, he was in the Hi-Y play. Additionally, he was voted Best Dancer and the school editors (Sara Beth Thomas and Robert Hill [a retired Circuit Judge in Franklin County and the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Illinois] noted that in the future 20 years, the following description would probably apply to Howard: "Howard Jones is (will be) a typical hen-pecked husband."
It was not long thereafter that he volunteered as an Infantryman with the United States Army.
Howard [in the above photo, Howard is first on the left, third row] was in the 28th Infantry Division, 112th Regiment. The Division's nickname was the "Keystone Division", named for its state of origin, Pennsylvania. The 28th Infantry Divsion is the Oldest Divsion in the in the Armed Forces of the United States, elements tracing back to 1747, when Benjamin Franklin organized his battalion of "Associators" in Philadelphia. During the War of 1812, The Mexican War and the Civil War, units fought victoriously at Vera Cruz and Cero Gordo. Units of the Pennsylvania Miltia won 29 battle streamers during these wars. The Division mustered into Federal service in 1898 for the Spanish American War. Elements saw action in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.The Germans called it the "Bloody Bucket" Division. http://www.indianamilitary.org/
Not long after D-Day, and his 22nd birthday, Howard was in combat near St. Lo and Falaise, France fighting the Nazis as they tried to break-out and escape from the hedgerow fighting in the Normandy and Brittany portions of Western France which borders the English Channel. The action was known as the "Falaise Pocket" and involved hard vicious very personal in-close combat, that only an Infantryman really knows. And, on August 12, 1944, while leading his men in combat, 22 year old Howard Jones was killed in action by small arms fire from the Nazis.
In the Registry for the World War II Memorial http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ the following description is given of Howard's heroic activity during World War II:
"He was a Staff Sergeant with Company H, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, United States Army. He was killed August 12, 1944 while successfully leading his machine gun platoon against heavy German resistance on Hill 338, Normandy, France. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star for Valor and Combat Infantryman Badge. He was also honored by his Company Commander, Captain Charles L. Crain."
Today, the youthful 22 year old Howard Jones, possessing a Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart, is buried in a grave (Plot D Row 14 Grave 9), together with 4,907 American youths at the The Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial (marking the point where the American forces made their famous breakthrough from the hedgerow country of Normandy into the plains of Brittany during their offensive around Avranches) one-mile southeast of the village of St. James, Manche, France, 15 miles southeast of Mont St. Michel, in a grave with a majestic 4' tall white marble cross standing in eternal vigilance and respect for the supreme sacrifice given so that the citizens of America, and its Allies, could remain free from Axis domination. Nearby, the American Cemetery at Normandy is home to another 10,944 Americans who paid the ultimate price for the rest of us. www.abmc.gov
The parents of Howard Jones, following his tragic death at such a young age, received from his commanding officer, Captain Charles L. Crain, Company Commander of Company H, the following letter:
"I am writing you in reply to your letter dated September 9, 1944, concerning your son, S/Sgt. Howard Jones.
I regret the fact that I am unable to give you the information that you wish at this time due to government regulations and censorships. I am fully aware of the incidents of this case and I hope in the very near future I can write you the full details.
I have had the pleasure of serving with S/Sgt. Jones since October, 1942, therefore I am capable of telling you that we have never had a better soldier. He has served well as a Non-Commissioned Officer and at the time of his departure was serving in the capacity of a First Lieutenant. Sgt. Jones received a citation in August. You will receive this in the near future I am sure.
I feel that the loss of this brave lad to us is second only to you and the family. We will never be able to replace him in our hearts or our ranks. He died leading and encouraging the men to whom he was responsible. A truly brave boy.
Time for writing is indeed limited for me, but I assure you if and when I am able I will try and give you the full details. My wish is to see the families of all my boys after the war but of course that would be unlikely. They are all a fine lot. They are getting good clothes and plenty to eat and the best medical care that is possible under the circumstances. I hope we are giving them the leadership they deserve.
If at any time you would like to write me I would appreciate it. I will do my best to answer your questions. In behalf of the Company I send our deepest sympathies. I hope this will help you a bit. Please give my sympathy to Miss Frailey of whom Sgt. Jones spoke so often.
Sincerely,
CHARLES L. CRAIN."
[Note: Captain Crain remained in the U.S. Army, acquiring a distinguished and honorable record of service to America, and retired as a Colonel, having served in combat commands in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He currently resides in North Carolina.On March 1, 2005, Colonel Crain published his book: "Stories from Three Wars: One Soldier's Memories" by Charles L. Crain, Colonel Infantry, United States Army. For more information go to: http://www.soldiermemories.com/.]
"A Tour of Vietnam, Compliments of the famous 1ST BRIGADE(SEPARATE), 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY - Tim Swain, an Airborne Ranger Infantry officer, from July, 1965 until November, 1965":
Through Army ROTC at the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL), I was commissioned in June, 1961 as a proud 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry branch (one of the 3 combat arms branches:Infantry, Armor, Artillery - I was a Distinguished Military Graduate, which qualified me to receive a Regular Army Commission, but since an additional 1 year committment would be required, I chose to stick with a Reserve Commission). I still remember Lt.Col.Hooper instructing us that the two important rules in the Army are: No excuses, and, don't assume anything. And, Capt. Burns told us how in Korea they sighted a .50 caliber machine gun, with one round, on a spot where a pesky enemy would regularly appear. Receiving a delay to complete law school at the University of Illinois, College of Law (Champaign, IL), I was permitted to take the bar examination and was sworn in as a lawyer in Illinois on October 15, 1963(Note: Initially I applied for and was accepted in Naval ROTC at the U of I, since my plan was to be a Marine fighter pilot,a Marine Raider [my hero was Sgt John Stryker in "Sands of Iwo Jima", my favorite movie] or Navy UDT, but backed out when I learned that NROTC would only give me a 1 year delay in going on active duty following commissioning, and I needed more time to complete law school. The Army was willing to give the extra time so I signed up with the Army, with a plan to join an elite unit such as the Paratroopers or Rangers). My initial orders assigned me to Civil Affairs at Fort McPherson, Georgia, which was quite natural and wise from the Army's standpoint for a lawyer, but which sounded sort of boring to gung ho me. Sometime during the Fall, 1963, I drove out to the Pentagon to ask to be assigned to an Airborne Division. The Infantry Captain (a "career advisor" who normally dealt with West Pointers and other careerist officers) chuckled, noting that only Fort Bragg (82nd) or Fort Campell (101st) had airborne divisions; but that since I was not even jump-qualified (I had made 8 skydiving jumps at Jacque Istell's Orange, Massachusetts facility in August, 1961, and later, 25 military jumps & qualified "jumpmaster", exiting from a total number of 10 types of aircraft and helicopters, namely Otter/Norseman(2), Cessna 172(6), C-119(3), C-123(2), C-124(2),C-130(6),HU-1B(4),HU-1D(1), H-34(1),CV-2(2)) he could not help me; but being a great Infantry officer said in parting that he would see what he could do to at least get me assigned to one of the forts (as a "leg" -not jump qualified), for which I was very grateful. On 2 December 1963 I reported to Fort Benning, Georgia for the Infantry Officers Basic Course. It was great fun and I enjoyed the camaraderie, the physical challenges,including the escape and evasion night course, etc. When they asked if anyone wanted to volunteer for Airborne and/or Ranger schools, I quickly signed up for both. What a great deal. It did not cost a penny and it sounded like fun; and of course, I had to become a paratrooper if I wanted to enjoy my ultimate assignment (somewhere along the line, I received orders to the [and,was privileged to meet 1st Lt. William Dubbs, later an Airborne Ranger with the 101st Airborne Division and in combat with the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam; and the heroic and highly decorated 1st Lt. Ted Jagosz, later to command a Company in combat in Vietnam in which he achieved phenomenal wins for his Infantry Division] Security Platoon at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Of course, both of those schools would probably not have been available to me (being filled) with my 2 year commitment, had it been in the summer when the West Pointers, and other career officers, had just graduated (as they would receive preferences for the slots, as they should have, since they were military careerists), and so, again, I lucked out. Ranger #8 (20 Feb to 23 April, 1964 - 44th Ranger Company) followed by Airborne School (class #37 - 45th Company - on 11 May 1964 - one of the old C-119s had some sort of mishap on the ground in which a flash of fire went into the plane killing two friends, Ranger classmate,1st Lt. Tom Sands, and 2nd Lt. Bill Vogel). Then to Ft. Campbell, where I reported to the Security Platoon. Its duty was to escort secret truck cargoes to and from Tennessee/Kentucky locations. While my top secret clearance was being processed, they would not even permit me to look in the back of the semi-trucks where the "cargo" was being carried!! By the way, I wrote the Pentagon Infantry Captain (his name now escapes me) a heart-felt thank you. Soon, I headed over to the Judge Advocates General's [and met some top-notch present and future lawyers: Col. Reid Kennedy; Maj. Hugh Overholt(later a Major General and Judge Advocate of the Army), Maj. Ross Goddard, Capt. Lew Conner (Nashville), Capt. George Gardner (Delaware),Capt. Frank Stone, and other fine officers and lawyers] building at Campbell; did some Special Court Martial defense work (having a ball representing enlisted men they were trying to drum out of the Army as misfits and so forth, and learning to cross-exam psychiatrists, investigate vehicle accidents, and so forth) etc. More importantly, I got to know a 101st lawyer-Major Goddard and told him I sure would like to get across "the tracks" and be with the 101st. Within 7 days, I had received orders to 3d Platoon, B Company, 2/502 Airborne Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (MOS: 71542). http://www.101stabndiv1stbrigade.com/ and http://www.screamingeagle.org/. It was just great. That was in July, 1964, when the 1st Brigade was just returning from maneuvers in Iran under the command of Colonel Wolfe. I was honored to be a commander of troops (Captain Roe was our Company Commander for B Company), in the form of being an Infantry platoon leader, even though it was only for about 30 days!! I still remember the Mess Hall mural of Custer's Last Stand, with the C-119s disgorging paratroopers in the background coming to his defense![Note:Highly decorated Col.Tom Taylor (a West Point graduate and now a DC lawyer and best-selling author and son of Gen. Maxwell Taylor), a company commander of Company B in Vietnam, has observed with Company B's three (1 in WWII and 2 in Vietnam)Congressional Medal of Honor winners, that no other Company in either the US Army or USMC has that many MOH winners.] From there, I became S-1 at Battalion (Lt.Col.Wilfred K.G. Smith, commanding,and Major Joseph E. Hicks, Executive Officer, Sergeant Major Melvin Strawser - about as tough as they come, the 2/502 Sergeant Major) and in November, 1964, went to Brigade (Colonel James S. Timothy, commanding,West Point Class of 1942, DSC,Lieutenant Colonel Joseph B. Rogers, Executive Officer, West Point Class of 1946,Silver Star, and Sergeant Major Trinidad Prieto, Brigade Sergeant Major) as S-2 (Intelligence Officer)(S-1 - Captain David Pinson; S-3 - Major David H. Hackworth; S-4 - Major Herbert Dexter).After living on post at the BOQ, I moved off-post in a house with fellow lieutenants (they were West Point graduates, Class of 1964, and career U.S.Army)Phil Mock and Jerry Nakashima [both to later see considerable combat in VN; Phil [Colonel and possibly General later - Phil father was a 4 star - commanding the 5th Army] to teach at the Army War College, Carlisle, PA and Jerry to teach at the Univerity of Illinois]. My future wife, Avalyn Berry of Franklin, Tennessee, I met through my younger sister Cisty, who had traveled to Europe in the summer of 1964 with 12 girls from around the USA; and who (Avalyn) had extended an invitation to her (Cisty's) brother to call her if he (me) would like a good Southern home-cooked meal!! And, I did. Our first date was in mid-August, 1964. In the Spring, 1965 (LBJ sent Marines into Vietnam in March, 1965) the 1st Brigade was on maneuvers in Western Tennessee, which were abruptly terminated and the Brigade was called back to Ft. Campbell and told to get ready to go to Vietnam!! Wow, this is great. That is what I like about these guys in the Airborne, all were action packed and always raring to go tangle it up type people.Everyone wanted to go and see combat (a VMI grad (Bob Miller), fellow Lt. wanted to win a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his resume; but once in VN was not so anxious, although he performed heroically in doing his job calling in air strikes, etc; he might have even gotten those decorations, but I do not know).We had to qualify at the range and I qualified Expert with my ivory-handled Model 1911 .45 caliber (Remington Rand) automatic, which I had purchased through the mail when I was a teenager for $35 [Note: in Vietnam, I wrapped the grips in green tape so that I would not be a "trophy target"; but in the field carried an M-16, leaving the .45 back at headquarters at An Khe]. The 2nd and 3rd Brigades were disappointed that they were not going. Anyway, our June 25th marriage was moved up to May 9th (I made a jump on Saturday, the 8th); with the short honeymoon in beautiful Gatlingburg, TN.
The 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Separate) was commanded by Colonel [later Brigadier General] James Simmons Timothy, a laid-back West Pointer and WWII hero, having won the second highest medal for heroism in battle, the Distinguished Service Cross, a Master Parachustist [i.e. "master-blaster", at least 65 jumps]and a charismatic and able troop leader in Vietnam; whose 1st Brigade which was constantly moving from one hot spot to another was sometimes knows as "Timothy's Traveling Trouble." I became assistant S-2 (to the legendary WWII Marine, Korean War hero [see below], Special Forces/SOG Laos/Vietnam vet Major (later, Lt.Col.) Joe Hicks, formerly XO, 2/502). The very capable friendly giant E-8 (later, Sgt. Major) L.C. Pennycuff and sharp E-7 (later, Ranger-OCS-Captain-Ranger Instructor at Fort Benning, GA) Ike Ikner kept everything on track and shipshape. L.C. was a combat infantryman veteran of the Korean War and both L.C. and Ike were combat infantryman veterans of the Vietnam War. Two very fine and extremely capable Americans.
[Note: With the 50th Anniversary of the commencement of the Korean War (June 1950-June 2000) and some interesting articles in my VFW magazine about the "early days" of that war and Task Force Smith, I emailed Joe's son, Colonel Steve Hicks, to see if he could tell me where Joe was and the unit he was with. Steve graciously replied, in part stating: "Joe was a Lieutenant in I Company, 34th Regiment, 24th Infantry Division (based at Sasebo, Japan, I think). Basically the entire 24th Infantry Division was alerted and moved. Task Force Smith was the lead in the 24th Infantry Division. Joe was an infantry lieutenant who was both a platoon leader and the Training officer (as an additional duty) for the company. They did that because he had WWII experience. Said that his company rarely went to training and really did not have all the weapons and equipment that they needed. He knew the S3 and XO for TF Smith, who were from the other regiment (21st Regiment/24th Infantry Division). Joe actually followed TF Smith from Japan to Pusan, but not by long. They debarked at Pusan and then went forward by train. He told me that they picked up some heavy weapons when they reached Pusan. His platoon/company was positioned behind TF Smith on the right side of the road and that when they were hit he saw some of them that he recognized brought back along the road. He said that it was heavy fighting all the way as they fought back. Told me about his Regimental Commander was eventually relieved and court martialed, but he did not know the reason. .At some point later in the fight when Major General Dean was cut off in Taegon(?), Joe was part of an element that tried to fight back into the town to see if he was alive. They thought he had been killed...but when the war was over discovered Dean had been captured. You probably know that later he was defending forward of a riverline with his platoon. His company commander was "called to Battalion level" and handed him the radio and told him that he was in charge of the company. Companies that were on his right and left pulled back without orders, leaving the company hanging out and unaware that the others had pulled back. Many in his platoons died. Joe spent 69days cut-off behind enemy lines before making it back. That's enough of that. More than you wanted to know..."].
The video (a copy of the 8mm film spliced together) starts at 1st Brigade, Fort Campbell, KY (in the parking lot to the rear of Hqs); to Oakland, CA; Travis AFB; (via C-124's) Hawaii; Guam; Wake; Philippines (the splicing sequence is a little out of order, sorry) then Nha Thrang; 5th Special Forces HQ; Dong Ba Thin; Camh Rahn Bay; Nha Thrang ; South China Sea; Qui Nhon; Route 19; AnKhe; Route 19 (Task Force Hansen); Hill George W. Burkheart; Qui Nhon; Phan Rang; back to the World in mid November, 1965.
There was a Vietnamese saying about Vietnam concerning military strategy: "Whoever contols Highway 19 controls the Highlands, and whoever controls the Highlands controls Vietnam." It was no wonder that the 'Eastertide Offensive' in 1973, and the final offensive in 1975, struck at the heart of the Central Highlands.http://www.landscaper.net/.
I have told many people the true stories of how older men helped me throughout my Army experience. The reason I do this is to let the young people know that older people would often be more than willing to help a young person reach a worthwhile goal. Just ask. I was fortunate in my Army experience to meet some truly unique and fine people.
I remember the legendary Major (later, Col.)David Hackworth http://www.hackworth.com/ could hardly wait to close with the VC. Hack was pure guts and action; he feared nothing and thirsted to close with the enemy so that he could kill them; he would do anything or perform any mission that he asked or ordered another person to do or accomplish; what an honor to serve with this living legend; I remember an operation being considered of a combat jump on an island in the South China Sea to release POWs where EVERYONE wanted to participate (never occurred); I remember being detailed to Saigon to pick up a slug of maps for an operation and when I returned it had been cancelled (I was in Saigon 5 hours; had my loaded .45 in my waistband under by jungle fatigues, remembering that my instructions were that should a bicycle-taxi driver cross "any river" to make him turn back); getting a hop back to Nha Thrang with Lt.Gen.Throckmorton (Deptuy CG to General William Westmorland) and his captain aide in a Beachcraft (I don't think the General said a thing to me, other than a polite initial hello, the whole way; actually not much conversation by anyone). I remember going on a med evac mission in one of the two escort Hueys and taking a few photos, one of which is on my office wall with the following: "The photograph was taken from one of two Huey "Frog" helicopter gunships which was escorting a medivac helicopter on a resuce mission which occurred in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam, generally in the vicinity of Route 19, in September, 1965. As the medivac was preparing to land near the smoke signal, the escorts flew opposite one another in a large circle, at varying altitudes, and provided suppressing fire with their machine guns and rockets as needed. The American pilots were able to maneuver the unwieldy-looking helicopters with grace, professionalism, and a skill beyond one's imagination." Amen. Incidently, a "Hog" carried only rockets, while a "Frog" carried machines guns, plus a few rockets.
I remember on a Route 19 operation on Burkheart Hill, under the command of the very capable and fearless Captain [later Colonel] Henrik O. Lunde, in which his unit closed with the VC and captured their staging area on the jungle hilltop, but only after the VC had killed 1st Lt. George W. Burkheart (a courageous ex-football player, who was well respected by his men)of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and the very deep feeling wanting to exact revenge and payback for what the enemy had done to our comrade in arms; Captain Lunde being one of Hack's operation and planning specialists who devised the ways in which to beat the enemy and accomplish the mission at hand.
I remember buying for $35 a very worn Thompson submachine gun from the Special Forces sergeant at 5th SF Hqs, because the new M-16's were an unknown item (I never fired the "tommy gun" and left it with L.C. when I left Vietnam. I knew that back in "The World", being fully automatic, it would be illegal, etc.Later, L.C. told me that he traded the tommy gun for a German P-38 9mm pistol, but someone then stole it!).I remember how the 5th Special Forces in Nha Trang served as the initial host for the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne before we moved on to Cam Ranh Bay (maybe a week or so) and seeing and being impressed with the professionalism of the Special Forces troopers [WSJ:12.19.2003:"Two years ago this month, fewer than 100 men of the Army's 5th Special Forces Group, based out of Fort Campbell, Ky. -- almost all of them non-commissioned officers -- essentially took down the Taliban on their own. Along with a handful of Air Force Special Ops embeds, they succeeded where the British and the Soviets before them in Afganhanistan had failed, because they had been given no specific instructions. The bureaucratic layers between the U.S. forces and the secretary of defense were severed. They were told memerly to link up with the "indigs" (indigenous Northern Alliance and friendly Pushtun elements) and make it happen].
I remember, along with some Vietnamese Rangers, loading some M-16 magazines on the hood of a jeep by airstrip in Nha Thrang, when 3 Special Forces types come walking down the street [yes, well staggered and about 5 yards apart] heading for the hills, the famous Major (later,Col.) Charlie Beckwith [later to found Delta Force (the U.S.Counter-Terrorist Unit) and lead the Iran failed hostage rescue mission] stopping by with a friendly hello to me.
I will never forget meeting [in 1967, I believe, at a 1st Brigade reunion at Ft. Benning, where Brig. Gen. Timothy was Assistant Commandant of The Infantry School]Lt.General Henry "Gunfighter" Emerson, who had commanded the 2/502 as a Lt. Col. after I had rotated back to The World, who had made the mark in VN as a tenacious and daring combat leader, worshiped and admired by his men, who would have followed him into hell and beyond, inventor of the extremely successful and imitated "checkerboard" method of guerilla warfare (whose cousin is Dennis McLaughlin of Peoria, IL).
I remember the tough little Vietnamese intelligence/interrogator type who carried a .38 in his shoulder holster, who had never jumped; so he jumped with us from a Caribou at Ahe Khe, enjoying the experience.
I remember wanting to participate in Operation Gibraltar (one of the early helicopter assault operations) while on Route 19 with Task Force Hansen, but concerned that to do so (it was not part of my job as S-1/S-2 at TFH) might get me into trouble (i.e. court-martialed, I imagined) , since I did not know the CO [Major Mark Hansen, later Colonel, and a decorated combat veteran in VN] as well as those superiors I had been with since Campell.
I remember being detailed to go to Quinhon to get beer and Shasta for TFH troops, and finding a plentiful supply at the PX and a friendly and generous American lad from Whippany,NJ (Jim Auld, is an honorary member of the 101st Airborne Division and with whom I have remained in touch) who filled up our deuce and a halfs so that the thirsty and hard-working troops would have something cold to drink; and as we returned from the 30 to 40 mile trip I happened to "catch" our escort squad, led by a mean-looking buck sergeant with a bandana around his forehead, trying to take some cases for themselves; which I told them to stop, leaving he and I staring daggers at each other.
I remember Silver Star winner and Airborne Ranger Artillery officer, 1st Lt. Don Korman (OCS, Cleveland, OH), who was both fearless and smart (physics major), an artillery officer who had both a nose and a thirst for action. In early 1966, Gen. Westmoreland stated that "The 1st Brigade (101st Airborne) had the highest operational rate of any U.S. unit in Vietnam."
I remember those helicopter rides and those magnificent pilots who were so proficient and brave.
And, I remember my friends and acquaintances, and whose names/etchings from The Wall, I have on my law office wall which I look at every day,who gave their lives in Vietnam so that future Americans, as well as the rest of the world, could experience increased freedoms and avoid domination by Communist and Socialist governments:
1st Lt. George W. Burkheart, age 24,Murfreesboro, TN, 9.3.1965;
S/Sgt. George E. Burchett, age 36, Bloomington,IL, 9.18.1965;
S/Sgt. Johnnie W. Faircloth, age 26, Cordele,GA, 9.18.1965, an Airborne Ranger Infantry Non Commissioned Officer, Silver Star, with whom I was in Ranger School with and served with in B Company, 2/502 Airborne Infantry at Ft. Campbell; one of the finest and most capable soldiers ever sent into battle by America. His Silver Star Citation reads as follows:
FAIRCLOTH, JOHNNIE W. RA14608232 STAFF SERGEANT E-6 United States Army
Awarded: Silver Star (Posthumously)
Date action: 18 September 1965
Theater: Republic of Vietnam
Reason: For gallantry in action: Staff Sergeant Faircloth distinguished himself by heroic action on 18 September 1965 while serving as a rifle squad leader in an airborne infantry battalion on 2 heliborne search and destroy operations in the Republic of Vietnam. Almost immediately after landing, Sergeant Faircloth's element was pinned down by enemy small arms fire. The unit received instructions to move forth to link up with the main force approximately 800 meters away. With enemy sniper fire coming from the west, and knowing the small unit was completely surrounded by enemy forces, Sergeant Faircloth, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, led the first element of the unit north. After moving approximately 20 meters, the element came under a heavy volume of small arms and machine gun fire. Sergeant Faircloth was wounded and fell to the ground, signaling the other members of the element to return to the unit's positions. He refused to accept medical aid for himself knowing that it might result in another casualty. Sergeant Faircloth was wounded several more times by enemy machine gun fire and died on the battle field. His fearlessness and genuine concern for his subordinates in the face of his own peril was an inspiration to the entire unit. Staff Sergeant Faircloth's unimpeachable valor in close combat against numerically superior forces was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Authority: By direction of the President under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1918, and USARPAC Message 16300, dated 17 August 1965.
GENERAL ORDERS NUMBER 1537, Dated 9 November 1965, HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATE ARMY VIETNAM, APO San Francisco 96307
FOR THE COMMANDER:
OFFICIAL: JOHN D. MCLAUGHLIN
Colonel, GS
Chief of Staff
Captain Robert E. Rawls, age 30, Royal Oak, MI, 9.18.1965 (a West Pointer, big football player type, well respected by his men and whom he was leading in battle when he was killed on Operation Gibralter);
Major Herbert J. Dexter, age 33, Decatur, IL, 9.18.1965, a Distinguished Service Cross (next to Medal of Honor) recipient who was killed leading his men and attacking the enemy on Gibralter (Avalyn and I had the privilege of eating breakfast at the Offices' Club at Ft. Campbell on the morning we left for VN with Major Dexter; a fine officer who undoubtedly would have become a General)[Note: I happened to be in Decatur, IL on a legal deposition on 6.2.2003 and happened to drive by the "Maj. Herbert J. Dexter Army Reserve Center." I stopped and went inside and introduced myself as a friend and in the 101st with Major Dexter at both Ft. Campbell and in Vietnam. The sergeant was very polite and showed me the dedication plaque of 1974, noting that Major Dexter received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism. In addition, there is Dexter elementary school at Ft. Benning, Georgia named in his honor] ;
Captain Kirk I. Riley, age 26, Peoria, IL, 12.3.1965, United States Marine Corps, when his H-34 helicopter that he was piloting was shot down in VN, (Kirk and I were both in the Class of 57 at Peoria Central High School and we were both on the swimming team (freestyle - Kirk was faster!); and I almost hitched a ride up to visit him at Chu Li when I was in the Quinhon area, but regretfully did not get the job done; one of the finest Marines and friend a person could have; there is a Kirk Riley Swimming Award given annually in his honor to the top swimmer at Peoria Central High School);
1st Lt. Frankie Lee Wallace, age 25, Cherokee, AL, 2.4.1966, with whom I served with at Ft.Campbell; an able Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer in the tradition of fellow Southerner Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.His Silver Star citation reads:
*FRANKIE LEE WALLACE
(Award of the Silver Star, posthumous, General Orders 3694, dated 12 June 1966 - Wallace, Frankie L. OF10237, Second Lieutenant Infantry, USA, Co. @ 2d Bn (Abn). 502d Inf. 1st Bde, 101st Abn Div, APO 96347 - Date Action: 4 February 1966 - Theater: Republic of Vietnam - Reason: For gallantry in action: Second Lieutenant Wallace distinguished himself on 4 February 1966 while leading a squad size patrol on a routine search of several villages in the Republic of Vietnam. At approximately 1430 hours as Second Lieutenant Wallace's squad approached a village, they were suddenly engaged by small arms and automatic weapons fire by an estimated Viet Cong squad. Exposing himself to the deadly insurgent fire, Second Lieutenant Wallace led an assault on the hostile positions. The assault was so aggressive that the Viet Cong were forced to withdraw. Second Lieutenant Wallace then led his patrol across an open rice paddy, skillfully executing fire and movement in pursuit of the insurgent force. The Viet Cong squad joined an estimated platoon size force who were well entrenched. Second Lieutenant Wallace directed effective artillery fire and air strikes on the hostile positions. When the supporting fires lifted, Second Lieutenant Wallace led his squad in an assault and was met by intense automatic weapons and mortar fire which forced him to withdraw. In the withdrawal, one fire team leader fell wounded.....Without hesitation, Second Lieutenant Wallace ran in to the open rice paddy to aid his wounded comrade and was wounded in the leg before he could reach him.Unmindful of his wound, Second Lieutenant Wallace got up and continued toward the wounded man. As he approached the stricken soldier, he killed two Viet Cong who were also attempting to reach the wounded man. Fully exposed to the intense Viet Cong fire concentrated on him, he aided the wounded soldier. Second Lieutenant Wallace was mortally wounded by hostile automatic weapons fire while assisting his wounded comrade to safety. Due to his courage, inspiring example, and his leadership, he was instrumental in saving the life of a fellow soldier and accounted for twenty-seven Viet Cong killed. Second Lieutenant Wallace's unimpeachable valor in close combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United State Army. Authority: By direction of the President under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1918. FOR THE COMMANDER: C.M. Mount, Jr., Brigadier General, US Army, Acting Chief of Staff.);
Congressional Medal of Honor winner 1st Lt. James A. Gardner, age 22, Dyersburg, TN, 2.7.1966, an Airborne Ranger Infantry officer, a fearless football player highly respected by his men and not afraid of anything, killed only after killing numerous VC and destroying the multiple objectives confronting his unit (at Task Force Hansen, Jim was the S-4 (logistics) while I was the S-1 (personnel), an Airborne Infantry Officer that his home state of Tennessee would have been proud of, and after whom a structure in his hometown has been dedicated;his citation reads:
*GARDNER, JAMES A.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: My Canh, Vietnam, 7 February 1966. Entered service at: Memphis, Tenn. Born: 7 February 1943, Dyersburg, Tenn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was advancing to relieve a company of the 1st Battalion that had been pinned down for several hours by a numerically superior enemy force in the village of My Canh, Vietnam. The enemy occupied a series of strongly fortified bunker positions which were mutually supporting and expertly concealed. Approaches to the position were well covered by an integrated pattern of fire including automatic weapons, machine guns and mortars. Air strikes and artillery placed on the fortifications had little effect. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was to relieve the friendly company by encircling and destroying the enemy force. Even as it moved to begin the attack, the platoon was under heavy enemy fire. During the attack, the enemy fire intensified. Leading the assault and disregarding his own safety, 1st Lt. Gardner charged through a withering hail of fire across an open rice paddy. On reaching the first bunker he destroyed it with a grenade and without hesitation dashed to the second bunker and eliminated it by tossing a grenade inside. Then, crawling swiftly along the dike of a rice paddy, he reached the third bunker. Before he could arm a grenade, the enemy gunner leaped forth, firing at him. 1st Lt. Gardner instantly returned the fire and killed the enemy gunner at a distance of 6 feet. Following the seizure of the main enemy position, he reorganized the platoon to continue the attack. Advancing to the new assault position, the platoon was pinned down by an enemy machine gun emplaced in a fortified bunker. 1st Lt. Gardner immediately collected several grenades and charged the enemy position, firing his rifle as he advanced to neutralize the defenders. He dropped a grenade into the bunker and vaulted beyond. As the bunker blew up, he came under fire again. Rolling into a ditch to gain cover, he moved toward the new source of fire. Nearing the position, he leaped from the ditch and advanced with a grenade in one hand and firing his rifle with the other. He was gravely wounded just before he reached the bunker, but with a last valiant effort he staggered forward and destroyed the bunker, and its defenders with a grenade. Although he fell dead on the rim of the bunker, his extraordinary actions so inspired the men of his platoon that they resumed the attack and completely routed the enemy. 1st Lt. Gardner's conspicuous gallantry were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
S/Sgt. Carlos Betancourt-Mojica, age 36, Jacksonville, NJ, 2.7.1966, one of the Cuban veterans from the Bay of Pigs operation that had volunteered for the American Airborne troops (I served at both Benning and Campell with Lt. Eduardo Fernandez, a heroic Cuban who also was a Bay of Pigs vet);
1st Lt. William D. Settlemire, age 23, Mt. Vernon, IL, 2.6.1966, a Vanderbilt grad, ROTC, winner of the Silver Star, and one of America's Best and Brightest, an example of a country's best young men being killed in wars (Avalyn and I attended his funeral in Mt. Vernon, watched the Army color guard, listened to the Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka "Blood On the Risers")and have since visited his grave at the cemetary in Southern Illinois)[Note: I received this email in late May, 2003 with respect to Bill: Mr. Swain:
I grew up in Mt. Vernon Illinois and a friend of Bill Settlemire from the age of about 4 on. We were running buddies all through high school and I often visited him at Vanderbilt University and we made side trips to Nashville to visit the Grand Ol Oprey. We frequently visited a friend of ours (Larry Trowbridge) at Ft. Campbell Kentucky, because we all wanted to be paratroopers and of course the 101st was the only unit to belong to. I went into the army in early 1963 and after "Jump School" went to Ft. Bragg for Special Forces Training. I was TDY for some training at Ft. Campbell in 1964 and busted Bill's balls for not really being Airborne just a wanna-be. I had a party at my parents house in Mt. Vernon prior to going to VN with the 5th SFG and remember telling Bill that he was going to miss all of the action.
Well unfortunately he did not miss the action. He was killed just before we were to meet in Nha Trang. Of all the people whom I knew that were KIA in the ten years that I spent in VN, his death is the one that haunts me still. A sidebar: his mother Jeanetta died in February in the town of Loveland Colorado, at the age of 86 or so. His sister Susan lives there with her husband who is a physician.
I just thought I would drop you a line after reading some things you had put on the web. You were right about the young men who served in Viet Nam being the "Best And The Brightest" William David Settlemire was one of the best and the brightest of those. Airborne!!! All The Way Sir!!!!!Sincerely:Dr. Douglas August Sapper III,Tulsa Oklahoma];
Captain George E. Perry, III, age 25, Falls Church, VA, a West Pointer, well respected by his comrades, and tragically killed just prior to the completion of his 1 year tour of duty;
Captain William T. Deuel, age 27, Springfield, IL, 9.30.1966,an Airborne Ranger Infantry officer, another sharp West Pointer who could have been a CEO of any company in America and who I remember giving me diving pointers at the Officers' Club pool at Campbell long long ago; I am told Captain Deuel's death occurred when they were returning from an operation and in their Hueys at altitude and some VC shot into it and hit him;
Captain Gerald J. Winch, age 26, Lakewood, OH, 3.15.1968, an Airborne Ranger Infantry officer, with whom I was in Ranger School with at Benning; and was on his second tour in VN.
My, what an honor and privilege it was for me to serve with the America's best and brightess and most able men in our country's most famous fighting unit, the 101st Airborne Division. God Bless every one of those men who served on behalf of and in the service of America in Vietnam. They were, and are, America's Best.
U.S. ARMY RANGER LINEAGE & TIMELINE
Primary Source: www.ranger.org
16 Aug.2005ts
King Philip's War in New England
1670-1675
1670-1675 - Rangers, under the command of Captain Benjamin Church, first fought on the American frontier in King Philip's War, the bloodiest war in America's history on a per capita basis, which they won
The French and Indian War
July, 1754 to 10 Feb 1763
1754-1763 - Roger's Rangers fought in the French and Indian War
1756 - Major Robert Rogers recruited nine companies of Rangers to fight the British during the French and Indian War. He published a list of 28 common sense rules, and a set of standing orders stressing operational readiness, security, and tactics
- The complete verbatim Rules can be found at www.ranger.org/history . However, the Book "Northwest Passage" popularized and paraphrased Roger's Standing Orders as this:
1. Don't forget nothing.
2. Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.
3. When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first.
4. Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer.
5. Don't never take a chance you don't have to.
6. When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't go through two men.
7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us.
8. When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us.
9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
10. If we take prisoners, we keep'em separate till we have had time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between'em.
11. Don't ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won't be ambushed.
12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank, and 20 yards in the rear so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.
13. Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.
14. Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.
15. Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians attack.
16. Don't cross a river by a regular ford.
17. If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.
18. Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, lie down, hide behind a tree.
19. Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch, then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.
- Rogers established a training program in which he personally supervised the application of his rules. In June 1758, Robert Rogers was conducting live-fire training exercises. His operations were characterized by solid preparation and bold movements. When other units were bivouacked in winter quarters, Rangers moved against the French and Indians by the use of snowshoes, sleds, and even ice skates. In a time when the English colonists were struggling, Roger's Rangers carried the war to the enemy by scouting parties and raids.
His most famous expedition was a daring raid against the fierce Abenaki Indians. With a force of 200 Rangers, travelling by boat and over land, Rogers covered 400 miles in about 60 days. Penetrating deep into enemy territory, and despite losses en route, the Rangers attacked and destroyed the Indian settlement and killed several hundred Indians; the Abenaki were no longer a threat.
- Rangers continued to patrol the border and defend the colonists against sporadic Indian attacks for the next decade. When the time came for the colonies to fight for their independence, the American Rangers were ready.
Revolutionary War
19 Apr 1775 to 19 Oct 1781
14 Jun 1775 - U.S. Army established with creation of Infantry.
10 Nov 1775 - U.S. Marine Corps established, although Congress did not authorize formation until July 11, 1778.
1777 - A force was raised by the Continental Congress, led by Daniel Morgan, which George Washington called "The Corps of Rangers"
- Another force was Thomas Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers;
- Anther famous Revolutionary War Ranger element was organized by Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox."
1778 - John Paul Jones, a Founding Father of the U.S. Navy, captained the 'War Ranger' the first vessel to fly the Stars and Stripes and defeated HMS Drake in the waters of Belfast Lough
War of 1812
18 Jun 1812 to 8 Jan 1815
1812 - Congress called for Rangers to serve on the frontier
1813 - The Army Register lists officers for 12 Ranger companies;
Civil War
12 Apr 1861 to 9 Apr 1865
1862-1865 - Mosby's Rangers grew from a 3 man scout unit to an operation of 8 Ranger companies; Rangers were also commanded by Colonel Turner Ashby and Colonel Means.
World War II
7 Dec 1941 to 15 Aug 1945
1942-1945
1942-1945 - U.S.Army Rangers - World War II Battalions - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th
1942
26 May1942 - Maj.Gen. Lucian Truscott submitted to Gen. George Marshall that US create an American unit "along the lines of the British Commandos." U.S. War Department authorized activation of First U.S. Army Ranger Battalion. The name RANGER was selected by Maj.Gen. Truscott as a name more typically American and was "therefore fit that the organization that was destined to be the first of the American Ground Forces to battle Germans on the European continent should be called Rangers in compliment to those in American history who exemplified the high standards of courage, initiative, determination and ruggedness, fighting ability and achievement."
19 Jun 1942 - Activation of 1st Ranger Battalion, Major William O. Darby, Commanding;
19 Aug 1942 - Dieppe Raid - 50 Rangers participated with British and Canadian Commandos. 3 Rangers were killed.
1942 - North African Invasion - 1st Ranger Battalion, Lt.Col. Darby, Commanding, spearheaded with a night landing at the Port of Arzew, Algeria, silencing two gun batteries and opening way for 1st Infantry Division to capture Oran.
1942 - Tunisia - 1st executed first Ranger behind-the-lines night raid at Sened
30 Dec 1942 - 29th Infantry Division Ranger Battalion activated in England. Volunteers from the 29th Infantry Division for the Ranger Battalion were trained by the British Commandos at Achnacarry, Scotland, with the intent of operating independently on Commando type missions.
1943
31 Mar 1943 - 1st, being awarded first Presidential Citation, led Maj.Gen. George Patton's capture of the El Guettar heights, via 12 mile night march across mountainous terrain, surprising enemy with attack from their rear.
1 Apr 1943 - 2nd Ranger Battalion activated
Apr 1943 - Invasion of Sicily - 3rd and 4th Ranger Battalions created and together with 1st Ranger Battalion were collectively referred to as Darby's Rangers; which spearheaded the 7th Army landing at Gela and Licata, playing a key role in the Sicilian campaign, culminating in the capture of Messina; and first 5th Army troops to land during the Italian Invasion near Salerno; quickly seizing the strategic heights on both sides of Chinuzi Pass, and repelling 8 German counterattacks, winning two Distinguished Unit Citations; later designated as the 6615 Ranger Force, Colonel Darby, commanding, that spearheaded the surprise night landings at Anzio, capturing two gun batteries, seizing the city, and striking out to enlarge the beachhead - all before dawn.
1943 - Several Rangers from the 29th Ranger Battalion accompanied Commandos on a successful raid on an island off the coast of France in which three (3) Nazis were killed.
Aug 1943 -Formation of 5307 Composite Unit (Provisional), code name "GALAHAD" during the Quebec Conference, later known as MERRILL'S MARAUDERS, after its leader, Brigadier General Frank Merrill. The unit's goal would be the destruction of Japanese communications and supply lines and to generally disrupt enemy forces during which the Allies would attempt to reopen the Burma Road. From the 2,900 volunteers for "a dangerous and hazardous mission", two combat teams were organized for each battalion. The volunteers, including pack troops with mules, came from a variety of theaters of operation, including, stateside cadres, jungles of Panama and Trinidad, battle-hardened veterans of Guadalcanal, New Georgia and New Guinea.
1 Sep 1943 - 5th Ranger Battalion activated.
Fall 1943 - Merrill's Marauders, following secret preliminary training operations in the jungles of India, detached approximately 600 men as a rear echelon headquarters to remain in India to handle the soon-to-be vital air-drop link between the six (6) Marauder combat teams (400 men per team) and the Air Transport Command. The remaining 240 Marauders (color-coded Red, White, Blue, Green, Orange, and Khaki) commenced their march up the Ledo Road and across the outlying ranges of the Himalayan Mountains into Burma. The Marauders, with neither tanks nor supporting heavy artillery, trekked over 1,000 miles through dense and almost-impenetrable jungles to accomplish their mission. In five (5) major and thirty (30) minor engagements, Merrill's Marauders defeated he battle-hardened and vastly superior in number veterans of the Japanese 18th Division, the unit that had conquered both Singapore and Malaya. The primary tactic of Merrill's Marauders was to always move to and attack the rear of the enemy. By doing this, Merrill's Marauders totally disrupted Japanese supply and communication lines, climaxing their behind-the-lines operations with the capture of the only all-weather airfield in Burma, Myitkina Airfield
20 Sep 1943 - A company of the 29th Ranger Battalion moved to Dover, England for the purpose of taking part in a raid on the Continent, but it was cancelled.
18 Oct 1943 - 29th Infantry Division issued orders disbanding the 29th Ranger Battalion, most of the Rangers returning to their former 29th Infantry Division companies, from which they continued to demonstrate Ranger leadership and heroism in the battles of the 29th Infantry Division from D-Day to the day that the Germans surrender.
1944
30 Jan 1944 - 1st and 3rd Battalions infiltrated 5 miles behind German lines while the 4th Battalion fought to clear the road toward Cisterna, a key 5th Army objective; but supporting troops were unable to break through the German defenses, resulting in the tragic loss (through death and capture) of the 1st and 3rd Battalions and heavy causalities of the 4th Battalion; but the aggressiveness of the Rangers at Cisterna helped to spike a planned German counterattack and thwarted Hitler's order to "Push the Allies into the sea."
- From the book "SIX SILENT MEN" by Reynel Martinez, Ballantine Books, New York, pages 85-86: "Darby's Rangers were assigned some of the most dangerous missions of World War II. They spearheaded all the major amphibious landings in the invasions of North Africa, at Arzew, Algeria, Gela and Licata in Sicily, Salerno and Anzio in Italy. When they landed, the Rangers' missions were to seize and destroy the enemy coastal defenses and set up the initial beachhead defensive perimeters.
- The raid at Sened Station in Tunisia was one of the most successful missions that the Rangers performed. Making a hazardous traverse across terrain the enemy thought impassable at night, they attacked and overran an enemy position situated on high ground. The Rangers killed seventy-five of the enemy with knives and bayonets, capturing eleven men and the position's weapons. They suffered twenty casualties, with one dead. all that took place in less than thirty minutes.
- The 1st Ranger Battalion executed another night attack of strategic importance one month later at Djebel el Ank Pass with the same results.
- The Rangers spearheaded the land attacks in the major battles of DerniaPass, El Guettar in Tunisia - for which they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for distinguished action - and Gela, Licata, Porto Empedocle, Butera, Messina in Sicily, and onto the mainland of Italy in Chiunzi Pass at Salerno, Venafaro, San Pietro, and ending in Cisterna. The 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions also won the Presidential Unit Citation for their action at Salerno. They always led the way against incredible odds, and Senon Chavez had been with them all the way.
- At Anzio, at 0100 hours on 30 January, the 767 men of the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions entered the Pantano Ditch, in single file, and disappeared into the darkness. The Rangers with Senon in B Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion were spearheading the attack off the beachhead and were ordered to take Cisterna. There was a deathly silence on the battlefield as the Rangers passed the point of no return. Of the 767 Rangers that attacked Cisterna, six came back; according to the official history, the rest were either killed or captured.
- Senon S. Chavez was among the captured and he spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps. It was a brutal and harrowing experience. With the annihilation of the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions at Cisterna, and the 4th Ranger Battalion's taking over fifty percent casualties at Feminimorta, trying to come to the aid of their brother Rangers. Darby's Rangers ceased to exit. What remained of the 4th Battalion was shipped to the United States and disbanded...."
6 Jun 1944 - 2nd Ranger Battalion carried out the "most desperate and dangerous mission of the entire Omaha Beach landings"; Three companies (D, E, F) assaulted the perpendicular cliffs of Point Du Hoc under intense machine-gun, mortar and artillery fire and destroyed a large gun battery that positioned to wreak havoc on the Allied fleets offshore; fighting for two days and night without relief
6 Jun 1944 - 5th Ranger Battalion landed on Omaha Beach with 3 companies (A,B,C) of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, where elements of the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division were pinned down by murderous cross fire and mortars from the cliffs; Assistant Division Commander of the 29th Infantry Division gave the order "RANGERS, LEAD THE WAY!" and the 5th Battalion Rangers broke across the sea wall, the barbed wire defenses and up the pillbox rimmed heights, all the while under intense machine-gun and mortar fire, advancing, together 2nd Ranger Battalions companies A and B, and elements of the 116th Infantry Regiment, four miles to the key town of Vierville, thus opening the breach for supporting troops to follow-up and expand the beachhead.
6 Jun 1944 - 2nd Battalion, Company C, due to rough seas, landed west of the Vierville draw and suffered 50% casualties during the landing, but still used ropes to scale a 90 foot cliff and used their bayonets to knock out a formidable enemy position that had been sweeping the entire beach with deadly fire.
6 Jun 1944 - Speech Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Delivered by President Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984 Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France:
"We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here, in Normandy, the rescue began. Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny, in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.
We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.
The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs, shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only ninety could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them here. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life and left the vivid air singed with your honor."
8 Jun1944 - 5th Ranger Battalion fought to and linked up with the 2nd Ranger Battalion; and later both the 2nd and 5th played key roles in the attacks against the Germans fortifications around Brest in the Le Conquet Peninsular; later fighting through the bitter Central Europe campaign, winning commendations for its heroic actions in the battle for Hill 400.
Jul 1944 - Merrill's Marauders awarded Distinguished Unit Citation for their accomplishments in Burma (later redesignated as the Presidential Unit Citation in November, 1966).
10 Aug 1944 - Merrill's Marauders was consolidated with 475th Infantry.
1944 - 5th Ranger Battalion took part in the Huertgen Forest battle, Battle of the Bulge and other tough battles throughout central Europe, winning two (2) Distinguished Unit Citations and the French Croix de Guerre.
Sep 1944 - 6th Ranger Battalion activated at Port Moresby, New Guinea.
17-18 Oct 1944 - 6th Ranger Battalion was the first American force to return to the Philippines with the mission of destroying coastal defense guns, radio and radar stations on the islands of Dinegat, Suluan offshore Leyte. The first mission of the new 6th Ranger Battalion was landing three (3) days in advance of the main Sixth Army Invasion Force. The 6th Ranger Battalion swiftly killed and captured many of the Japanese defenders and destroyed all enemy communications prior to the main invasion.
14 Dec 1944 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Robert B. Nett, near Cognon, Leyte, Philippine Islands
1944 -6th Ranger Battalion took part in the landings of U.S. Forces in Luzon, behind the lines patrols, penetrations and small unit raids, all of which served as a dress rehearsal for the Rangers to successfully execute what many have called the "greatest and most daring raid in American military history", the Cabanatuan Raid in early 1945.
1945
30 Jan 1945 - 6th Ranger Battalion's Company F and C, in coordination with effective reconnaissance by the Alamo Scouts, struck thirty (30) miles behind enemy lines and rescued five hundred (500) prisoners of war and survivors of the Bataan Death March. Carrying many of the liberated Allied prisoners on their backs, the Rangers, assisted by Filipino guerrillas, killed over two hundred of the garrison soldiers and evaded two Japanese regiments. American lines were reached January 31st. Intelligence reports indicated that the Japanese planned to kill all of the prisoners as the Japanese forces withdrew toward Manila
1945 - 6th Ranger Battalion played an important role in the capture of Manila and Appari. It was preparing to spearhead the invasion of Japan when the Japanese surrendered following the dropping of the two atomic bombs.
1944 - 1945 - The following is found at www.rangerfamily.org under the history of The 6th Ranger Battalion, activated 26 September 44 inactivated 30 December 45, contributed by Ranger Leo V. Strausbaugh, Colonel AUS Retired:
Strausbaugh Remembers
The 98th Field Artillery Battalion was a regular army mule pack artillery unit stationed in Camp Carson, Colorado in 1942. The unit consisted of three firing batteries plus headquarters and service battery. The unit had the 75 millimeter howitzer for fire power and nearly 1000 men and 800 mules. On 13 December, 1942 the unit was sent to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia via rail to a staging area for overseas debarkation. Soon thereafter, the mules were sent to a port in San Francisco to be loaded on an animal ship for overseas destination. The 98th arrived at Camp Patrick Henry on 31 Jan 1943 after a two day stop going through the Panama Canal. A tent camp was set up at the edge of Brisbane awaiting the arrival of the mules. However, the Australian government refused to allow the mules to enter the country due to a law forbidding the importation of foreign animals. So, on the 9 February 1943, the unit was sent to New Guinea via Liberty ship. They arrived on the 17th of February and set up a tent camp about 20 miles from Port Moresby. The mules arrived a few days later. For the next year it was training, but no action and 6th Army decided the unit was obsolete and sent the mules to the CBI theater. The battalion commander LTC Callicut was transferred to the 1st Cavalry. A new battalion commander arrived by the name of LTC Henry "Hank" Mucci. Mucci was a short but well built 33 year old West Point graduate who had come from Hawaii where he operated a Ranger type training camp.
Army Rangers
Mucci informed the battalion that it was being converted to Rangers and a large turn over of personnel began. He was brilliant as a leader, but demanded the best from all his men "or out you went". The Rangers only needed 500 men, so half were sent out very soon after training began. The new officers arriving were primarily infantry and two were engineers.
Finchhaven, New Guinea
By 1 July 1944, the battalion had pretty well completed the necessary training, so they were sent to Finchhaven where the unit was reorganized into the T O and E of a Ranger Battalion which consisted of six rifle companies, headquarters and service company combined.
Off to the Philippines
D-day invasion of the Philippines was designated as 20 October 1944 with a large invasion on the beaches of Leyte Gulf. However, the Rangers were given an assignment to land on D minus three to take control of three islands at the entrance of Leyte Gulf, so as to eliminate any interference with the main invasion. The companies of A, C, E, F, and HQ personnel to land on Dinagat, B company along with reinforcements from some HQ personnel to land on Homonhon and D company to land on Suluan and destroy a light house the Japanese were using for communications for ships and aircraft. The battalion left Finchhaven on 10 October 1944 on three APD's for a seven day trip. Four days out a large typhoon hit the convoy. It was so bad that the navy felt the ships would not survive so they held back two of the three APD's, but company D attempted to land on Suluan. It did not work out and they were forced to withdraw. PFC Zufall was killed by the Japanese and became the first 6th Battalion Ranger KIA. The next day, the 18th, the weather was great and the units landed and accomplished their mission. The Rangers on Dinagat erected the first American Flag in the return to the Philippines. B company met no resistance on Homohon so they were ordered to go to this small island of Suluan and destroy the lighthouse. Navy transportation was not available, so they had the Filipinos take them across the water some four miles in sail boats. The Rangers were able to destroy the lighthouse and many of the Japanese troops in what turned out to be a twelve-hour mission. It nearly became a disaster when Cpt Bull Simons and DR Jim Fisher and several other Rangers had to be rescued by Lt Leo Strausbaugh's platoon. Soon, all the Ranger companies joined together near Tacloban on the island of Leyte. They did primarily patrolling until the order came through for their participation of the Lingayen Gulf invasion of Luzon.
Luzon
On New Years Day, 1 January 1945, the 6th Rangers loaded on a ship in the harbor of Tacloban and joined a convoy heading north. The Rangers landed on Lingayen Gulf beach on 10 January 1945. B company was soon sent to Santiago Island to defend the entrance to the Gulf and deny the enemy any foothold behind the American forces.
Cabanatuan Raid
Army Intelligence had now determined that the Japanese were holding a large number of POW's in a prison camp 30 miles northeast of Manila in Cabanatuan near Cariboua, Neuva Ecija, Province. Most of the prisoners had survived the Bataan Death March. The 6th Rangers were given the assignment to "bring the prisoners out alive." LTC Mucci selected Captain Robert Prince who commanded C company as assault commander and also a platoon of F company commanded by Lt. Murphy. Alamo Scouts were assigned the mission of forward scouting and Filipino guerillas for flank protection. The rescuers departed on their mission at dusk to walk 30 miles to the prison camp, crawling the last mile on their stomachs. They arrived at the camp about daylight 30 January. They hit the camp and brought out 512 prisoners of war, killed about 200 enemy troops, but lost only two Rangers, one being the Fisher, Battalion surgeon, who was killed by a mortar shell. He is the same Fisher who was rescued on Suluan. Some prisoners were able to walk, others rode carabao carts provided by Filipinos, while Rangers carried some like babies who were too emaciated to walk or ride. They were eventually picked up by ambulances and taken to 92nd Evacuation Hospital in Guimba. Much credit goes to the P-61 Black Widow pilots who flew over the camp and created a threat to the guards so they failed to spot the approaching Rangers. General MacArthur said after the raid, "No incident in this war has given me greater pleasure". Sixth Army commander General Walter Krueger later decorated all the Rangers with LTC Mucci and Captain Prince receiving the DSC, the other officers were awarded the Silver Star and the enlisted men the Bronze Star. A few of the Rangers and scouts were sent back to the US to meet President Roosevelt, Chief of Staff Gen George Marshall, and made numerous speeches throughout the United States.
After the Raid
The battalion moved to the town of San Fernando, 40 miles north of Manila, and occupied seven houses, as their base of operation. Soon after the raid, LTC Mucci was transferred to the Sixth Division and became a Regimental Commander and was promoted to Colonel. Major Robert "Woody" Garrett became the new battalion commander and promoted to Lt. Colonel, Captain Bill Simons then became battalion exec and made Major and Lt. Leo Strausbaugh replaced him as B Company commander and promoted to Captain. The battalion did not operate as a unit, but as individual companies. Missions included Ipo Dam, Cararuan Hills, Dingalen Bay, running patrols for the 6th Division, destroying a pillbox west of San Fernando, Baugio area, and so many more.....
Aparri Operation
In late May 1945, Sixth Army formed a task force that would join together on the northern tip of Luzon which would have a mission of taking the town of Aparri which was on the east side of the Cagayan River, then control the airfield to the south of Aparri and continue south to meet up with the 37th Division which was moving north up the valley. This would result in dividing the Japanese forces, if the Americans controlled the road running north and south. The Army requested a company of Rangers to join the task force and spearhead the assault on Aparri. LTC Garrett selected Captain Strausbaugh's B company for the mission. On 1 June, B company dug in on the west side of the river waiting to attack after the artillery and PT boats blasted the town of Aparri. They crossed the river on 21 June 1945, secured the town of Aparri, moved south, and took the airfield just prior to a paratroops jump by a battalion from the 11th Airborne Division. The Rangers then drove south till they made contact with elements of the 37th Division. B company was then relieved and flew back to San Fernando. The mission lasted 30 days.
Atomic Bomb
The Aparri operation ended the combat days in the Philippines for the 6th Rangers and they began to prepare for the invasion of Japan. When the Atom bomb was dropped on Japan on 6 August 1945, which led to the surrender, the Rangers were sent to Japan as occupation forces. On 30 December 1945, the unit was deactivated in Japan. The Rangers were either sent home or assigned to other units.
3 Oct 1945 - 5th Ranger Battalion deactivated at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts
23 Oct 1945 - 2nd Ranger Battalion deactivated at Camp Patrick Henry
30 Dec 1945 - 6th Ranger Battalion deactivated at Camp Fisher in Kyoto, Japan, formerly Fushimi Military Barracks, but renamed for Captain Jimmy Fisher, the Ranger battalion surgeon, who died from wounds received in the Cabanatuan Raid.
Korean War
27 Jun 1950 to 27 Jul 1953
1950
27 Jun 1950 - Korean War starts.
Sep 1950 - Ranger training commenced at Fort Benning, Georgia and the formation and training of 17 Airborne Ranger Companies during the Korean War by the Ranger Training Command.
15 Sep 1950 - U.S. Army orders commencement of training of Ranger-type units to begin at Fort Benning at the earliest possible date, with the target being October 1, 1950 with a tentative training period of six (6) weeks. Implementing orders called for formation of headquarters detachment and four (4) Ranger infantry companies (airborne). Requests went out for volunteers who were willing to accept "extremely hazardous duty in the combat zone in the Far East."
20 Sep 1950 - First Ranger volunteers arrived at Fort Benning.
9 Oct 1950 - Training commenced with three (3) companies of airborne qualified volunteers. Included were former members of the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 80th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, which was initially designated as the 4th Ranger Company, but soon redesignated the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), the only Department of The Army authorized all-black Ranger Unit in the history of the United States of America.
- All Ranger volunteers were professional soldiers, possessing many skills that they taught to their fellow Rangers. Some of the Rangers, and many of the Ranger instructors, had fought in World War II with the original Ranger Battalions, the First Special Service Force, or the OSS. Training was both rigorous and dangerous. Included was amphibious and airborne operations, low-level night parachute jumps with full equipment, demolitions, sabotage, hand to hand combat, study and practice in the use of all types of small arms (both of the Allied forces as well as the enemy), communications, calling in the support and control of both artillery, aerial and naval guns to support Ranger operations, extensive nighttime training, use and familiarization with foreign map reading, as well as sundry other training for the purpose of keeping Rangers alive and skilled in the arts of patrolling and combat so that they could accomplish their missions once committed.
15 Nov1950 - 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) departed Fort Benning, Georgia.
17 Dec1950 - 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) arrived in Korea, where it was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.
29 Dec1950 - 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) arrived in Korea, where it was attached to the 7th Infantry Division.
29 Dec1950 - 4th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) arrived in Korea, where it served Headquarters, Eight U.S. Army, and the 1st Cavalry Division.
1951
7 Feb 1951 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Lewis L. Millett, vicinity of Soam-Ni, Korea.
Spring 1951 - Rangers were in combat. Rangers were nomadic warriors attached first to one regiment and then to another. The Rangers performed "out-front" work, including, scouting, patrolling, raids, ambushes, spearheading assaults, and as counterattack forces to regain lost positions.
- One Ranger Company (112 men) was attached to an Infantry Division (18,000 men). The Rangers compiled an incredible record. Nowhere in American military history is the volunteer spirit better expressed than in the Rangers: volunteers for the Army, for airborne training, for the Rangers, and for combat.
- Rangers entered battle by air, land and water.
- 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) initiated combat with an extraordinary example of land navigation, followed by a daring night raid nine (9) miles behind enemy lines and destroying the 12th North Korean Division Headquarters. Surprised by the lighting raid of the Rangers, two (2) North Korean Regiments hastily fled the area. Two (2) Distinguished Unit Citations were awarded to the 1st Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne).
- 2nd and 4th Ranger Infantry Companies (Airborne) made a combat jump at Munsan-Ni;
- 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) plugged a critical gap left by a retreating allied force;
- 4th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) executed a daring over-water raid at the Hwachon Dam;
- 3rd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, acquired the motto "Die Bastard, Die!";
- 5th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), attached to the 25th Infantry Division, performed aggressively and heroically during the Red Chinese "5th Phase Offensive" when the Ranger Company Commander gathered every soldier he could find and Ranger Sergeants commanded line infantry units;
- Rangers were the first unit to cross the 38th Parallel on the second drive North;
- 8th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), attached to the 24th Infantry Division, was known as the "Devils." In one engagement, a thirty-three (33) man platoon of the 8th Ranger Company fought a between-the-lines battle with two (2) Red Chinese reconnaissance companies, leaving seventy (70) dead Red Chinese. The Rangers suffered two (2) dead and three (3) wounded, all of whom were brought back to friendly territory.
Oct 1951 - Ranger Department established by U.S. Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. Ranger training was extended to all combat units in the U.S. Army.
1952
1 Mar 1952 - First Ranger Class for individual candidates graduation.
2 Sep 1952 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Donn F. Porter near Mundung-ni, Korea
11 Jun 1953 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Ola L. Mize near Surang-ni, Korea
1953
27 Jul 1953 - Korean War Armistice - Cease-Fire Agreement between United Nations and Communists
1954
1954 - 75th Infantry Regiment activated in Okinawa, traced its lineage to the 475th Infantry Regiment, which in turn possessed a lineage from the 5307th Composite Provisional Unit, better known as Merrill's Marauders;
21 Jun 1954 - 475th Infantry redesignated as the 75th Infantry.
Vietnam War
2 Aug 1964 to 30 Apr 1975
Early 1960's to 1 Feb 1969
Early 1960's to 1 Feb 1969 - Rangers were found throughout the U.S. Army combat arms, and especially in Infantry, Airborne and Special Forces units. The concept was to train sufficient officers and non-commissioned officers to become Rangers so that they in turn could use their Ranger training to train non-Ranger troops in the skills and aggressiveness possessed by Rangers. This concept was further developed with many of the early LURPS and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Provisional) units being led and taught by Rangers, despite the fact that separate Ranger units still had not been reintroduced by the U.S. Army;
- And because of this visionary leadership and planning with respect to the diffusion of Rangers throughout the combat arms by the United States Army, it can be stated that Rangers fought in every major Army battle in the Vietnam War!
23 Oct 1963 to 29 Sep 1965
23 Oct 1963 to 29 Sep 1965 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Humbert Roque Versace, in An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam.
1965
May 1965 to Dec 1967 - Period during which LRRP (Provisional) units operated as part of each Infantry Division and each Separate Infantry Brigade, although not authorized by the Department of the Army. Following this period, the Department of the Army authorized the formation of the Long Range Patrol (LRP) companies and detachments, which absorbed the LRRP personnel.
14 Nov 1965 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Walter Joseph Marm, Jr. in vicinity of Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam.
1966
2 Feb 1966 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger James A. Gardner in My Canh, Republic of Vietnam.
21 May 1966 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger David Charles Dolby, in Republic of Vietnam.
19 Jun 1966 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Ronald Eric Ray in Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam.
5 Nov 1966 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Robert F. Foley, near Quan Dau Tieng, Republic of Vietnam.
1967
7 Feb 1967 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger George K. S Sisler in Republic of Vietnam.
Dec 1967 - The Department of the Army authorized the formation of the Long Range Patrol (LRP) companies and detachments, which absorbed the LRRP personnel. The LRP units continued to operate throughout the four (4) Military Regions of the Republic of Vietnam, providing major commands with the intelligence needed to find and fix the enemy and disrupt his line of communications and supply. The mission designator of "Reconnaissance" was deleted due to the fact that the LRP units performed not only reconnaissance type missions, but also performed combat missions, including, ambush, prisoner snatch and raids.
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1968
19 Feb 1968 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Fred William Zabitosky in Republic of Vietnam.
16-19 Mar 1968 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Paul William Bucha, near Phuoc Vin, Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam.
13 Nov 1968 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Laszlo Rabel, vicinity of Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam.
30 Dec 1968 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Robert L. Howard in Republic of Vietnam.
1969
1 Feb 1969 to
15 Aug 1972 - 13 Infantry Companies of the 75th were active in combat in Vietnam the longest sustained combat history of an American Ranger unit in more than three hundred years of United States Army Ranger history.
1 Feb 1969 - Conversion commenced of the Long Range Patrol Companies of the 20th, 50th, 51st, 58th, 71st, 78th, and 79th Infantry Detachment and Company D, 151st Infantry Long Range Patrol, Indiana National Guard, to 75th Infantry Ranger Companies. Only Company D of the 151st retained its unit identity and did not become a 75th Ranger Company, but did become a Ranger Company and continued its mission in Vietnam;
1 Feb 1969 - Throughout history the need for a small, highly trained, far ranging unit to perform reconnaissance surveillance, target acquisition, and special type combat missions has been readily apparent. In Vietnam this need was met by instituting a Long Range Patrol Program to provide each major combat unit with this special capability. Rather than create an entirely new unit designation for such an elite force, the Department of the Army looked to its rich and varied heritage and designated the 75th Infantry Regiment, the present successor to the famous 5307th Composite Unit (Merrill's Marauders), as the parent organization for a Department of the Army designated Long Range Patrol (LRP) units and the parenthetical designation (RANGER) in lieu of (LRP) for these units. Thus, the Long Range Patrol Companies and Detachments (LRP), that were previously the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP)(Provisional) and assigned to major Army commands in the Republic of Vietnam, became the 75th Infantry (Ranger) Regiment.
- The Department of the Army had authorized a Company size reconnaissance element at Corps level throughout the US Army. However, no personnel or equipment had ever been assigned to the Corps level command. The only Corps level reconnaissance elements in existence were V Corps and VII Corps Long Range Reconnaissance companies stationed in Germany. Their primary mission was that of a stay behind force to provide intelligence following allied forces withdrawal from West Germany.
- With the advent of the Vietnam war escalation, each Infantry Division and Separate Infantry Brigade in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) formed a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Provisional) unit known as the LRRP. Many variations of organizational composition characterized this ad hoc form of a provisional unit. Each Brigade commander organized his unit's LRRP to suit the needs of his command and the Tactical Area of Operational Responsibility (TAOR). Command and Control was decentralized and given to the Brigade commanders who recruited volunteers from the Infantry units assigned to the Brigade.
1 Feb1969 to
15 Oct 1974 - 75th Infantry (Ranger) Regiment companies
22 Feb1969 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Robert D. Law in Tinh Phuoc Thanh Province, Republic of Vietnam.
14 Mar 1969 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Joseph R. Kerrey near Nha Trang Bay, Republic of Vietnam.
25 Mar 1969 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Stephen Holden Doane in Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam.
29 Nov 1969 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Robert J. Pruden in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam.
1970
1 Apr 1970 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Peter C. Lemon in Tay Ninh Province, Republic of Vietnam.
4-8 Apr 1970 - Medal of Honor awarded to Ranger Gary Lee Littrell in Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam.
1971
Early 1970's - Organization of the US Army Ranger Association, Inc., (USARA), a Georgia Corporation organized, for tax purposes, as a Tax Exempt Organization pursuant to the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (19). On the www.ranger.org masthead: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8"
Purposes of the United States Army Ranger Association:
Promote and preserve the heritage, spirit, image and service of U.S. Army Rangers.
Support and promote the events, programs and activities of Ranger units and recognized Ranger associations.
Provide activities, social events, services, programs and other fellowship opportunities for USARA members, their families and the entire Ranger Community.
Provide financial support for Ranger programs, memorial activities and special events and encourage individual financial assistance by USARA members.
Recognize the unselfish contributions by Ranger families, relatives and supporters and encourage their continued support.
Honor the service, courage and sacrifices made by active duty U.S. Army Rangers.
Cherish and preserve the spirit of what it means to be a U.S. Army Ranger.
Engage in lawful business as a not-for-profit corporation in the State of Georgia.
The US Army Ranger Association works closely with the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Ranger Training Brigade in order to give meaningful support to the active duty Rangers. USARA cooperates with the Ranger Veteran associations of the Ranger Battalions of WWII, Merrill's Marauders, the Ranger Infantry Companies (Airborne) of the Korean War, the LRRP, LRP, Rangers, and Ranger Advisors of the Vietnam War, and other recognized Special Operations associations. USARA conducts national and regional events, with the Annual Ranger Muster being the highlight of the year.
The US Army Ranger Association publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Ranger Register, and operates a website at www.ranger.org.
Who is eligible for membership? We welcome all WWII Rangers, Korean War Rangers, Vietnam War Rangers, all Rangers that participated in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring Freedom, all Rangers that have served honorably for at least one year in a recognized Ranger unit, and all Rangers that have earned the US Army Ranger Tab.
1972
1973
Late 1973 - The frustrating pattern of activating and then deactivating Ranger units after the current crisis had passed came to a halt. Army Chief of Staff General Creighton W. Abrams called for the establishment of a permanent Ranger presence in the U.S. Army.
17 Dec 1973 - Terrorist attack - Grenading of Pan Am plane, Rome, Italy, killing 14 Americans.
1974
8 Feb 1974 - 1st Ranger Battalion was activated at Fort Stewart, Georgia, after originally forming at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its Headquarters was established at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.
22 Aug 1974 - Per letter from Secretary of the Army Howard H. Callaway to General Creighton W. Abrams, Chief of Staff: "I just want to tell you that, in my judgment, the Rangers are everything that you had hoped they would be. I've never seen a unit that looked better or one which had a higher sense of mission, professionalism, and pride than this battalion of Rangers. I had an opportunity to talk individually to a great many of the soldiers. Every one of them believes that the Ranger battalion is the greatest thing that ever happened in the Army."
1974 - Per undated Memorandum for Record (MFR) (provided by General Wayne A. Downing, former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command and the 75th Ranger Regiment) of General Walter T. Kerwin, Jr. on General William E. DePuy's report of " a long informal talk with CSA (the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Creighton W. Abrams): "The Ranger Battalion(s) should be so good it is apparent to everybody -- friend and foe. General Abrams envisions a Ranger battalion doing Son Tay, Dieppe, or San Nazaire, i.e. go in fast without all the trappings….CSA sees this as an example of his 'philosophy of excellence.' It would show others how to get excellence in combat units."
8 Sep 1974 - Terrorist attack - Bombing of TWA plane, Ionian Sea, Greece, killing 17 Americans.
1 Oct 1974 - 2nd Ranger Battalion was formed with its Headquarters at Fort Lewis, Washington.
THE RANGER CREED
Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger,
fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession,
I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier
who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air,
I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me
to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades.
I will always keep myself mentally alert,
physically strong and morally straight
and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be.
One-hundred-percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world
that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier.
My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress
and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country.
I shall defeat them on the field of battle
for I am better trained and will fight with all my might.
Surrender is not a Ranger word.
I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy
and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude
required to fight on to the Ranger objective
and complete the mission
though I be the lone survivor.
1975
30 Apr 1975 - Saigon captured by North Vietnamese.
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
Iran - Operation Eagle Claw/Desert One: The Iranian Crisis
21- 24 Apr 1980
21 Apr 1980 - The ill-fated attempt to rescue the American Embassy personnel held hostage in Teheran, Iran, code-named Desert One, was primarily a Special Forces Operation. It is not generally know that Rangers were also to take part. While 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta was to perform the actual rescue, Company C, 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), was to provide security for the men and equipment. The Rangers knew the mission as "Operation EagleClaw." The rescue force assembled in Egypt on 21 April 1980.
24 Apr 1980 - A fleet of C-141s carried the 120 man rescue force to Masirah Island, off the coast of Oman. There, they transferred to three (3) MC-130s accompanied by three (3) fuel bearing EC-130s. The force landed 200 miles southeast of Teheran at 2200 hours and waited for the arrival of eight (8) RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters from the aircraft carrier Nimitz. A twelve man road watch team, composed primarily of Rangers, was along to secure the site while the helicopters refueled, the team would return to Egypt on one of the MC-130's.
- Delta was to be flown to a hide site before dawn on 25 April by the RH-43Ds, which would remain at their own hide site until the assault on the compound where the hostages were held. The plans was to use the helicopters to ferry the hostages to waiting transport planes.
- The task of C 1/75, was to secure a landing area for the transports. The Rangers were to fly from Egypt to Manazariyeh, Iran, and take the airfield there. They would land, if possible, or jump if resistance was offered. Once the airfield, which was thirty-five (35) miles south of Teheran, was secure, the Rangers would then "dry up," or remove all signs of their presence, render the field useless, and be airlifted out themselves.
- Taking and securing a hostile airfield within enemy territory is one of the primary components of the Ranger mission. They were prepared to hold the field as long as necessary if there were not enough transports to take everyone out in one trip. During training, the Rangers worked out all probable scenarios on a mock-up of the type of airfield in Iran.
- Desert One was aborted at the first stage when the mission suffered excessive mechanical problems and lost too many helicopters to continue the mission. After the abort order, one of the RH-53D helicopters crashed into a C-130, creating a huge fireball. Five (5) U.S. Air Force crewmen and three (3) U.S. Marines perished. A second mission was never attempted.
1981
1982
1983
18 Apr 1983 - Terrorist attack - Truck bombing of U.S. Embassy, Beirut, Lebanon, killing 17 Americans.
23 Oct 1983 - Terrorist attack - Truck bombing of U.S. Marine Barracks, Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Americans.
Operation Urgent Fury - Invasion of Grenada
25 Oct 1983 to Dec 1983
25 Oct 1983 - The Rangers has little time to prepare for their role in Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada. Within hours of receiving orders to move, Ranger units were marshaling at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, prepared to board C-130s and MC-130s for the ride to Grenada. Their first objective was Point Salines airfield, located on the island's most southwestern point. While securing the airfield, Rangers were to secure the True Blue Campus at Salines, where American medical students were in residence. As quickly as possible, Ranger units were then to take the army camp at Calivigny.
- Things started to go wrong as the operation began. A Navy SEAL team was unable to get ashore; they were to have provided intelligence on the airfield at Salines. H-hour, originally scheduled during darkness, was moved several times until morning twilight. In the lead MC-130s there were problems with the inertial navigation equipment. Since there were no hatch mount antennas on the cargo doors of the aircraft, communications to Ranger units were delayed while passing through Air Force communications.
- While in the air, the Rangers were notified of photographic intelligence indicating obstructions on the field. Instead of landing, the majority of transport would have to drop all the Rangers at Salines so the runway could be cleared.In some aircraft the men were told to remove their harness, rucksack, and main and reserve parachutes. These items were placed in kit bags and moved forward to facilitate off-loading troops and cargo. Before long, the loadmasters were yelling, "Only thirty minutes fuel left. Rangers are fighting. Jump in Twenty minutes."
- These Rangers now had to re-rig for the drop, unpacking nonessential equipment and pulling on parachutes. Rucksacks had to be hooked under the reserve pack and weapons strapped to the left side. Under these conditions it was not possible for the jumpmaster to check each man, so buddy rigging was employed.
- Aboard the lead MC-130, navigation equipment failed and the pilot reported he could not guarantee finding the landing zone. Rain squalls made it impossible to employ a lead change, so both lead aircraft pulled away to the south. As the Rangers approached the target, the aircraft were out of assigned order and the planned order of arrival was no longer possible. This meant that the runway clearing team would not be the first on the field. The Rangers then requested a mass parachute assault, a contingency previously planned, so that only the order of exit from the aircraft would be affected, but the Air Force would not conduct a mass drop.
- On October 25, 1983, at 0534 the first Rangers began dropping at Salines: a platoon of B 1/75 and the Battalion Tactical Operations Center (TOC), followed almost 25 minutes later by part of A 1/75. Over a half hour later the rest of A 1/75, minus seven men were over Salines. It was now 0634, but the remaining men of 1/75 would not be on the ground until 07:05.
- Men of 1/75 assembled on the east end of the runway. They were short C 1/75, which had been sent with sixty Special Operations Forces troops to take the Richmond Hill prison. The Ranger battalions were already operating below strength. One reason for this seems to have been the fact that a limited number of aircraft and aircrews were trained for night operations.
- Over one and a half hours elapsed from the first drop of 1/75 until the last unit was on the ground shortly after seven in the morning. These men jumped from 500 feet so they would be in the air between 12 and 15 seconds. Their drop zone was very narrow because there was water on the north and south sides only a few meters from the runway.
- At 07:07 the 2nd Battalion began to drop. For several hours their aircraft had orbited, waiting to unload and refuel. They dropped in a much shorter period, and all but one man was safely on the ground. One Ranger broke his leg, and one Ranger's static line became tangled as he exited the aircraft, dragging him against the tail of the plane before he was hauled back aboard. 2/75 assembled on the western end of the runway.Once on the ground, 1/75 was not under effective fire, and thus could begin to clear the runway of blocking trucks and bulldozers. Some of the vehicles had keys in them; others were hot-wired and removed. A Cuban bulldozer was used to flatten the stakes that had been driven into the ground with wires between them, and to push aside the drums placed on the runway. For fifteen minutes there was no enemy fire, and the Rangers worked without interruption.
- By 10:00, 1/75 had its second platoon at the True Blue Campus and its first and third platoons had moved north of the runway. In the center, B1/75, had moved north and was holding the high ground not far from the Cuban headquarters. Units of 2/75 had cleared the area west of the airfield as well as the area north of their drop zone to Canoe Bay. The airfield was secure, and the C-130s, which had gone to Barbados to refuel, returned to unload equipment not dropped - which included jeeps, motorcycles, and Hughes 500 Defender helicopters.
- Eight hours after landing, the commander of B 2/75, was notified that two Rangers were missing near their positions. The company commander decide the missing men must be near a building which lay between B Company and the Cuban positions. A Cuban construction worker was sent forward with an eleven-man Ranger squad under a flag of truce. While the Rangers remained outside, the Cuban entered and spoke with those inside, who agreed to a truce if the Rangers would treat the Cuban wounded. Two Rangers and seventeen wounded Cubans were evacuated. Afterward, the Ranger commander called for the Cubans to surrender, and 80 to 100 did so. The remainder surrendered later, after a brief fight, to the 82nd Airborne.
- At 15:30 that afternoon, a counterattack was launched toward A 1/75, consisting of three BTR-60s, which moved through 2nd platoon's firing positions, firing toward the runway. The Rangers countered with rifles, M-60s, LAWs, and a recoilless rifle. Two of the BTRs hit each other when the first one halted. Both were disabled. The third began a hasty retreat and was hit in the rear. It was finally destroyed by an AC-130 Spectre gunship.
- According to an eyewitness to the events: "The fight at the end of the runway on D-Day against the BTRs involved elements from both Bns. There was a cock-eyed plan to do some kind of two bn movement to contact east from the airfield that we were assembling for when the BTRs tried to break on to the runway (they couldn't have picked a worse time to attack us as 2/3s or more of our available Inf troops were within 500 meters of the action). It was a big gaggle; 1/75 elements already in blocking positions, parts of 2nd Bn assembling, and troops from the 82nd arriving and assembling to our rear (west). A/2/75 was the closest 2nd Bn unit to the action when it kicked off. The company commander, Frank Kearney, merely hustled a part of his company east through the True Blue Campus and went into a hasty blocking position on the right side of the road leading into the runway from the East. There were already several elements of 1/75 dug in on the left side of the road and to our front. 1/75 units already in blocking positions initiated engagement of the BTR force as it came into view. I ended up about 10 feet behind one of our 90 RR rifles and had a "50 yard line" seat for the show. One of the 90 shots from that weapon shredded the camo cover on my helmet. Both 1/75 and 2/75 RR gunners were deadly accurate. We paced off the distance from our gun, and it was about 380 meters, almost at max eff range (400 meters for the old 90 RR). Each of the BTRs sustained multiple 90 hits. The M 60 MG crews absolutely chewed up the accompanying Grenadian Inf. who were inside the BTRs. As they tried to pile out of the vehicles, the M-60s tattooed them. I recall one poor long legged guy get a leg hung up climbing out, and that was all she wrote."
- The last action of the first day took place east of True Blue Campus, where Rangers came under fire from a house on top of a prominent hill, 1,000 meters east of the runway. No Spectre gunship was available, so an A-7 attack plane finally destroyed the house, but only after several duds landed alarmingly near the Rangers.
- At the end of the first day in Grenada, the Rangers had secured the airfield and True Blue Campus at a cost of five dead and six wounded. Unfortunately, C 1/75, had run into a more difficult situation. When their Black Hawk helicopters arrived at the prison, the local defenses were active. Perched on a high ridge whose sides were almost vertical and covered by dense foliage, the prison was surrounded by walls twenty feet high and topped with barbed wire and watchtowers covering the area. Intelligence had failed to report the presence of two antiaircraft guns on a ridge some 150 feet higher then the prison, which brought the Black Hawks under fire. It was impossible to use ropes to lower the Rangers. The helicopters had to remain steady during this operation, making the Rangers and crews easy targets. No air support was possible at this time, since all small aircraft were engaged at Salines.
At least two attempts were made to bring the Black Hawks in to unload troops, but antiaircraft fire hit pilots, crew, and the attacking troops. Suppressive fire from the Black Hawks was ineffective because of their violent maneuvers Although some Rangers walked away from the crashed Black Hawks, others were badly hurt and were not immediately evacuated. Part of the evacuation problem seems to have been that Army pilots could not land aboard Navy ships because they were not qualified to do so, although this was eventually waived.
- Intelligence failed at the prison and also when the Rangers were not informed until 1030 on the morning of the 25 October that there were still students at the second campus at Grand Anse. Students reported guards in the area, but the Rangers thought that they could bring the students out. A heliborne operation with Marine airlift from the Guam was planned. Marine helicopter squadron 261 was to provide the helicopters, with supporting fire from C-130 gunships, ships off the coast, and the Marines two remaining Cobra attack helicopters. American suppressive fire would continue until 20 seconds before the Rangers were committed.
- The Rangers would fly to the objective in three waves, each composed of three CH-46s. Each wave of three would carry a company of Rangers, about 50 men. A 2/75 would go in first, followed by B 2/75, which was to cordon off the campus to prevent outside intervention. C 2/75 would then arrive, its mission to locate the students and pack them into four CH-53s waiting offshore.
- During lift-off the order of aircraft somehow became confused. Instead of the lead flight having three CH-46s carrying A 2/75, the first load had one from A Co. and two from B Co. Consequently, the second wave had two from A Co. and one from B Co. The first three aircraft missed the designated beach in front of the campus. There was sporadic small arms fire, but the only serious damage came from overhanging trees. One helicopter shut down and was abandoned in the surf, but the Rangers scrambled out as water poured in. Later a second machine was damaged by a tree.
- The orbiting Sea Stallions were now brought in to remove the students. The CH-46s returned and extracted the Rangers, completing the entire operation in 26 minutes. After leaving the beach, they realized that eleven men sent up as a flank guard had not returned. By radio these men were told to move toward positions held by the 82nd Airborne. the Rangers were not sure they could safely enter those lines, so they decided to use one of the inflatable boats from the disabled helicopter. However, the rafts had been damaged during the air assault. The Rangers soon had to swim alongside their damaged boat. having battled surf and tides for some time, they were spotted, picked up at 2300, and brought to the USS Caron lying off the coast.
- One of the Rangers' initial D-day objectives, Calivigny barracks, had not been secured. Lying about 5 kilometers from the airfield, the barracks reportedly housed and trained troops. On 27 October, under the command of a Brigade Headquarters from the 82nd Airborne Division, a full scale attack was carried out by 2/75 and reinforced by C 1/75.
- Four waves of four Black Hawks, each carrying a company to assault the camp, were to fly out to sea before heading to the beach, flying low over the water at about 100 knots. Support was furnished by Spectre gunships and Navy A-7s. At Salines the Army had seventeen 105mm howitzers, and at sea the USS Caron would supply fire support. A 2/75 was to land at the southern end of the compound, on the left and right C 2/75 was to set down. B 2/75 was to land in the southeast, assault suspected antiaircraft guns, and rejoin the other companies in the north. In reserve was C 1/75, which would also hold the southern end of the perimeter.
- The Black Hawks came in over the waves, climbing sharply to the top of the cliffs. Quickly the pilots slowed down in order to find the exact landing zone inside the perimeter. Each Black Hawk came in rapidly, one behind the other. The first helicopter put down safely, near the southern boundary of the camp, and was followed by the second. The third Black Hawk suffered some damage, and spun forward, smashing into the second machine. In the fourth Black Hawk, the crew saw what was happening and veered hard right; the aircraft landed in a ditch, damaging its tail rotor. Apparently not realizing that the helicopters rotor was damaged, the pilot attempted to move the Black Hawk, which rose sharply, seemed to spin forward, and crashed. In twenty seconds three machines were down. Debris and rotor blades flew through the air, badly wounding four Rangers and killing three who, sadly, were the only deaths in 2/75.
- A 2/75 regrouped as C 2/75 landed on large concrete pads on the edge of the compound. B 2/75 also landed safely, and moved on its objective. C 1/75 also landed without incident. Contrary to expectations, the barracks were deserted. The Rangers found nothing. That night they slept in the rubble caused by the intense bombardment. this was their last action before returning to the United States.
1984
3 Oct 1984 - The Department of the Army, Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., announced the activation 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning , Georgia.
1985
1986
3 Feb 1986 - The Department of the Army, Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., announced the activation the 75th Ranger Regimental Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia.. This historic event marked a new era for the Rangers; with over 2000 soldiers, the modern battalions had a number of men unseen since World War II.
1987
1 Nov 1987 - Ranger Department reorganized into the Ranger Training Brigade (RTB) and established Ranger Training Battalions.
- Ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia, began in September of 1950 with the formation and training of 17 Airborne Ranger companies during the Korean War by the Ranger Training Command. In October, 1951, the Commandant of the United States Army Infantry School established the Ranger Department and extended Ranger training to all combat units in the Army. The first Ranger class for individual candidates graduated on 1 March, 1952. On 1 November, 1987, the Ranger Department reorganized into the Ranger Training Brigade, and established four Ranger Training Battalions.
- The Ranger Training Brigade's mission is to conduct the Ranger, Long Range Surveillance Leader and Infantry Leader courses and to develop the leadership skills, confidence and competence of students by requiring them to perform effectively as small unit leaders in tactically realistic environments. The scope of the Ranger Training Brigade's mission extends not only to U. S. Army personnel but also to other services, international soldiers and to government agencies involved in counter-narcotics operations such as the Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Interior, U. S. Customs Service and others.
- The Ranger course is designed to further develop leaders who are physically and mentally tough and self-disciplined and challenges them to think, act and react effectively in stress approaching that found in combat. The course is over nine weeks in duration and divided into four phases: Benning phase, Fort Benning, Georgia; Desert phase, Fort Bliss, Texas (closed); Mountain phase, Dahlonega, Georgia; and Swamp phase, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Infantry Leader Course is designed to prepare company level infantry leaders to lead and train their units in critical skills and selected mission essential task list tasks. The Long Range Surveillance Leader course is designed to train long range surveillance leaders to better prepare them for the training and tactical leadership of their units/teams.
1988
21 Dec 1988 - Terrorist attack - Bombing aboard Pan Am 103, Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 189 persons, including Americans.
1989
9 Nov 1989 - Fall of the Berlin Wall
Operation Just Cause - Invasion of Panama - 20 Dec 1989 to 7 Jan 1990
- The entire Regiment would participate in the invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989. The Rangers were to secure Torrijos-Tocumen International Airport, Rio Hato Military Airfield, and then Noriega's beach house. Rangers who dropped at Torillos later moved into Panama City, where they took the military headquarters of the Panamanian Defense Forces. Conducting simultaneous low level parachute jumps, 1/75, C company 3/75, and Team Gold from RHQ would capture Torrijos-Tocumen International Airport, while 2/75, A and B 3/75, and Team Black of RHQ would take over Rio Hato Airfield. At Rio Hato heavy antiaircraft fire was encountered and one Ranger was hit in the back of the head while still in the airplane. He survived, but five Rangers were killed in the operation. the Rangers secured the perimeter of the field before the Panamanians began to test the defenses. At Rio Hato the Rangers were supported by AC-130 Spectre gunships, whose target acquisition cameras found targets in the dark. Two hours after the drop at Rio Hato, the airfield was secure enough for transport aircraft to begin landing with supplies and additional equipment for the Rangers.
- Once the airfields were secure, the Rangers then carried out special operations in support of Joint Task Force (South). They moved against the Panamanian special forces called the Mountain Troops. Rangers moved from house to house in the compound, and the village where the families of the soldiers lived. Many of the Mountain Troops were caught trying to shave off their distinctive beards. On the fifth day of the operation the Rangers were sent to secure Calle Diez, an area some twenty to twenty-five miles from Panama City, held by the "Dignity Battalions." Major General Wayne A. Downing, Commander of All Special Operations, personally accepted the surrender of President Noriega.
- Rangers took many pictures of Panamanian and foreign property, aircraft, shops, and houses to show that property was still intact and protected by the U.S. Army. This prevented false claims and probably saved the United States many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rangers also guarded buildings- such as the Vatican embassy where President Noriega took refuge- to see that no damage was done. Sustaining five killed in action and 42 wounded, the Rangers captured 1014 prisoners of war and over 18000 Panamanian arms. They accomplished the mission given to the for operation Just Cause: the removal of Manuel Noriega and members of the Panamanian Defense Force loyal to him. The Rangers returned home on January 7, 1990.
1990
1991
Operation Desert Storm - 1st Gulf War - 6 Jan 1991 to 27 Feb 1991 Cease-Fire
12 Feb 1991 to 6 Apr 1991- The Rangers fought again in Operation Desert Storm. Bravo Company and 1st platoon with weapons platoon attachments of Alpha company, 1st Ranger Battalion, deployed from February 12, 1991 to April 6, 1991. they conducted pin-point raids and quick reaction force missions in cooperation with Allied Forces. No casualties were sustained by the Rangers.
Mid February 1991 "He (General Wayne Downing, as commander of all Special Operations during the 1st Gulf War) was privy to one of the most astonishing engagements of the Gulf War: In mid-February of 1991, a Delta Force troop of sixteen men on night patrol south of Al-Qaim, near the Syrian border in western Iraq, was overrun by a large enemy force, and the Iraqis wounded two Americans. The Delta troops, operating from heavily armed vehicles, counterattacked with grenade launchers and machine guns (a maneuver know as Final Protective Fire) and killed or wounded an estimated hundred and eighty Iraqis, with no further injury to themselves. One American veteran of the Gulf War told me, 'In the west' - where Delta operated - "there was little opposition, and we had freedom of movement', that is, the troops were operating on their own. "Downing loved it.'" Source: The New Yorker, THE IRAQ HAWKS Can their war plan work? by Seymour M. Hersh, Issue of 2001-12-24 and 31.
Dec 1991 - In December 1991, 1/75 and the Regimental headquarters deployed to Kuwait in a show of force known as Operation Iris Gold. The Rangers performed an airborne assault onto Ali Al Salem airfield, near Kuwait City, conducted a lengthy foot march through devastation (including mine fields) left from the ground campaign, conducted a live fire exercise and marched back out. For this action, the battalion was awarded the SouthWest Asia Service Medal (SWASM) with bronze campaign star.
1992
Antelope Island - Operation Embryo Stage (USAF) - Operation Larkspur Raven (USA)
29 Oct 1992
29 Oct 1992 - At approximately 9:15 p.m. MST, a single AH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, carrying U.S. Army Rangers and Air Force Special Operations troops on a joint training flight from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, crashed in ten (10) feet of water north of Antelope Island, near Salt Lake City, Utah. Twelve of the thirteen troops on board were killed.
1993
26 Feb 1993 - Terrorist attack - 1st attack on World Trade Center (bombing), New York , New York, killing 6 Americans.
Somalia - Task Force Ranger - Operation Continue Hope - 22 Aug 1993 to 25 Mar 1994
26 Aug 1993 to 21 Oct 1993 - The next deployment of the Rangers occurred in Somalia in 1993. B 3/75 was deployed from August 26, 1993 to October 21, 1993 to assist United Nations Forces in bringing order to a desperately chaotic and starving nation. The Rangers took part in seven missions trying to capture Mohammed Aidid and his top lieutenants in order to end Aidid's guerrilla war against the UN's efforts to feed the Somali people.
- The Battle of 3 - 4 October. On 03 OCT 93, (exactly nine years after the reactivation of 3rd Battalion), TF Ranger conducted a raid into an enemy stronghold to seize several key members of Mohamed Aideed's militia. During TF Ranger's exfiltration, one of their extraction aircraft was shot down, killing and wounding several members of the Ranger Task Force, and trapping one of the pilots inside the aircraft.
At 031545C OCT 93, TF 2-14, under the command of LTC David, was alerted to be prepared to secure TF Ranger's exfiltration route. At 031645C OCT 93, TF 2-14 received the order to execute and departed the Mogadishu Airfield with one company via a ground convoy enroute to the downed aircraft site.
- Approximately one kilometer from the airfield the convoy was caught in a deliberate ambush resulting in two HMMWV's destroyed, 3 friendly KIA and 4 friendly WIA. The deliberate ambush resulted in a break in contact between friendly units and a temporary loss in communication between ground maneuver elements. Due to the multiple deliberate ambushes initiated along the primary route to the downed aircraft site, the first attempt to reach the trapped members of TF Ranger was aborted. After consolidating his forces at the airfield, LTC David was informed that the situation at the downed aircraft site was deteriorating rapidly. In addition to the first aircraft being shot down, a second aircraft had been shot down, the TF Ranger Ground Reaction Force had made four unsuccessful attempts to reach the aircraft site, TF Ranger had lost communication with a sniper element inserted to secure the second crash site, and that the 90 Rangers still in the objective area were encircled and were receiving intense direct and indirect enemy fire. The situation appeared to be extremely grave and it became clear that if the trapped Rangers could not be reached by a ground element they would be overwhelmed by superior enemy forces.
- At approximately 031945C OCT 93 LTC David was placed in command of an ad hoc task force consisting of two of his rifle companies, two Malaysian mechanized companies (drivers and gunners with APC's no dismounted troops), a composite platoon from TF Ranger, one Pakistani tank platoon and supported by an aerial TF consisting of elements of TF 2-25 Avn and Special Operations aircraft and given what seemed to everyone to be a mission that could not be accomplished.
- At 032130C OCT 93 LTC David assessed the situation, developed a simple plan that offered the greatest possibility for success, briefed his subordinate leaders, and prepared an ad hoc organization for a seemingly impossible task.
- At 032300C OCT this ad hoc task force departed and moved east around the old port of Mogadishu and then north to National street. As the task force turned west on National street, the enemy once again initiated a deliberate ambush with extremely heavy rocket, mortar, and automatic weapons fire. The subordinate commanders, clearly understanding the gravity of the situation and the commander's intent, immediately returned fire and continued to forge ahead down a gauntlet of fire until they reached their respective release points. For three hours, Alpha company 2-14 Inf fought a pitched battle to finally link up with the encircled ranger detachment at the first crash site. Upon reaching the first downed aircraft site, LTC David was informed by CPT Drew Meyerowich that the remains of one of the aircraft pilots was trapped in the aircraft and that it would be very difficult to dislodge him.
- Still receiving intensive direct and indirect enemy fire, LTC David informed CPT Meyerowich that we would stay in the objective area until all personnel and remains were recovered. Charlie Company 2-14 Inf was then dispatched to the second crash site to determineif there was anyone or anything to recover. Immediately upon moving to thesecond crash site, Charlie company, under the command of CPT Michael Whetstone, came under extremely heavy rocket and small arms fire, yet continued to press forward to the second crash site. Upon reaching the second crash site, CPT Whetstone informed LTC David that there was nothing to be recovered. Realizing that CPT Whetstone was in close proximity to 2nd Platoon A Co 2-14 Inf, carried in Malaysian APC's, that had been separated from the main body at the outset of the battle, LTC David instructed CPT Whetstone to link up with the platoon to ensure that we did not leave anyone on the battlefield. Upon making radio contact with the separated platoon, CPT Whetsone was informed that two of the Malaysian armored vehicles had been destroyed by rocket fire and that there were numerous Malaysian and American dead and wounded. The Malaysian company commander was informed by his Battalion commander not to attempt to recover the dead and wounded for fear of sustaining additional casualties. LTC David reiterated to the company commanders, "stay the course, we will fight here as long as it takes. We will not leave any of our soldiers on the battlefield." The task force fought on for an additional four hours until all of the Rangers, the wounded, and the dead were recovered.
- At the operation's end "Task Force David" had successfully achieved what many believed was impossible. The fact that so few casualties were sustained by this ad hoc organization, in the execution of a near insurmountable task is miraculous. TF David sustained 3 KIA and 29 WIA, including the Malaysian casualties (1 KIA and 7 WIA). TF Ranger after more than 13 hours of intensive fighting sustained 16 KIA, 57 WIA, and 1 MIA. At the outset of the operation, it appeared it had the makings of another Task Force Smith, an ad hoc organization that lacked interoperability between coalition forces, detailed intelligence on the enemy disposition, and time to sufficiently plan a complex operation. The complete success of this operation is directly attributable to dedication, professionalism, and training of each individual soldier that participated in the operation.
- The Rangers lost 6 men and had numerous wounded. The Somalis fared far worse- the Rangers delivered devastating firepower at them and killed approximately 300 of their forces, not including wounded. A 3/75 would deploy to Somalia from October 5, 1993 to 23 October 1993 in support of United Nations operations.
- America should be proud of her sons, on this day in October they overcame overwhelming odds and embodied the motto that they will never leave a fallen comrade to fall to the hands of the enemy.
3 Oct 1993 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Gary I. Gordon in Mogadishu, Somalia.
3 Oct 1993 - Medal of Honor (posthumously) awarded to Ranger Randall d. Shughart in Mogadishu, Somalia.
1994
1995
1996
25 Jun 1996 - Terrorist attack - Truck bombing of Khobar Towers, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 Americans.
1997
7 Aug 1997 - Terrorist attack - Bombing of U.S. Embassy, Kenya, Nairobi, killing 12 Americans.
1998
1999
2000
12 Oct 2000 - Terrorist attack - Bombing by boat of USS Cole, Aden, Yemen, killing 17 Americans.
2001
11 Sep 2001 - Terrorist attack - 2nd attack on World Trade Center (planes crashing into Towers), New York, New York, resulting in killing 2,823 Americans.
11 Sep 2001 - Terrorist attack - Plane crashed into Pentagon, Washington, D.C., killing 189 Americans.
11 Sep 2001 - Terrorist attack - Hijacking/crash of United Flight 93, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 45 Americans.
Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan War - 7 October 2001 to Present
7-20 Oct 2001 - On 7 October 2001, the Taliban controlled more than 80% of Afghanistan, being a terrorist sponsored nation. By 20 October 2001, American and Coalition forces had destroyed virtually all Taliban air defenses. U.S. Special Forces detachments linked up with anti-Taliban leaders and coordinated operational fires and logistics at multiple locations. Twenty (20) days later, the provincial capital fell, followed by other cities. By mid-March 2002, the Taliban had been removed from power and the Al Qaeda network in Afghanistan had been destroyed. Coalition forces continued to locate and destroy remaining pockets of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters and to search for surviving leadership.
As reported in The Wall Street Journal on December 19, 2003:"Two years ago this month, fewer than 100 men of the Army's 5th Special Forces Group, based out of Fort Campbell, Ky. -- almost all of them non-commissioned officers -- essentially took down the Taliban on their own. Along with a handful of Air Force Special Ops embeds, they succeeded where the British and the Soviets before them in Afghanistan had failed, because they had been given no specific instructions. The bureaucratic layers between the U.S. forces and the secretary of defense were severed. They were told merely to link up with the "indigs" (indigenous Northern Alliance and friendly Pushtun elements) and make it happen."
2002
Operation Anaconda (Afghanistan) 2 - 22 March 2002
4 Mar 2002 - Seven American special operation troops (including three (3) Rangers of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment) are killed as they attempt to infiltrate the Shahi Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission. Around 3 a.m. local time a MH-47 Chinook helicopter was hit by an rocket-propelled grenade, causing a soldier to fall out and damaging a hydraulic line. The helicopter made an emergency landing a half-mile away. A second helicopter on the mission picked up the first helicopter's crew and flew to where the crew member had fallen. The soldiers soon came under heavy fire, and six were killed. The remaining soldiers returned fire and retrieved the bodies before returning to base. It is not certain whether the fallen soldier died immediately or was killed by opposing soldiers.
March 2002 - "Not A Good Day To Die - The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, by Sean Naylor (Berkley/Penguin Publishing - March, 2005), starting at page 90:
- "...But it was the Ranger Regiment that provided the largest set of shared experience that connected the leaders gathering at Bagram. The regiment falls under U.S. Special Operations Command but is really an elite airborne infantry force that links the light infantry and special ops communities. Unlike Delta or Special Forces, into which troops tend to disappear for the rest of their careers, soldiers often rotate between the Ranger Regiment and the Army's light infantry divisions. So it was that many Mountain and Rakkasan officers and senior NCOs had served together in the Rangers. This was a massive slice of good fortune. The 75th Ranger Regiment is a tight community of warriors whose ethos is summed up in the Ranger Creed. There are 241 words in the Ranger Creed, and every Ranger is required to learn them all by heart. But the Creed's essence is encapsulated in six of them: 'Never shall I fail my comrades.'
- "If the Ranger Regiment Association had opened a Bagram chapter, Wiercinski, Larsen, LaCamera, Grippe, and Nielsen would all have been members. Of these, only Nielsen had not fought with the Rangers in Panama. Other Ranger alumni included Blaber, Jimmy, and Rosengard, as well as Lieutenant Colonel Chip Preysler, who commanded 2-187 Infantry. Blaber and Grippe had served together in 1997 as the operations officer and B Company first sergeant of 2nd Ranger Battalion. When Grippe left the battalion, he bid farewell to Blaber with the prohetic words, 'I'll see you on a distant battlefield.'
- "Walking out of one of the many briefings held at Bagram in the prelude to Anaconda, another soldier whispered to Wiercinski, 'Holly smokes! Look at everybody's right shoulder!' In the U.S. Army, soldiers wear their unit patch on their left soldier. The space on their right shoulder is reserved for the insignia of a unit in which they have served in a combat zone. As Wiercinski glanced around, on right shoulder after right shoulder he saw the small black scroll-shaped patches of the Ranger battalions. It told him these were men who lived the values of the Ranger Creed, men who would not let him down."
- Page 320: "Trebon had ensured that what was about to bubble into the fiercest close-range firefight U.S. troops had waged since Mogadishu, a close quarters, take-no-prisoners battle fought on a frozen Afghan mountaintop, would be 'controlled' by officers watching video screens on a desert island and 'commanded' by a man who had made his name flying transport aircraft."
- Page 328: "At 3:45a.m. as Razor 04 was landing beside the downed Razor 03, Gregory Trebon alerted the Task Force 11 quick reaction force. He didn't fully understand what had happened in the Shahikot, but he wanted his quick reaction force ready to go. Responsibility for providing that force rotated between the three platoons of A Company, 1st Ranger Battalion, which formed the core of Task Force Red. On the night of March 3-4, the QRF was 1st Platoon, led by Captain Nathan Self."
- "Nate Self was an all-American kid.... As with other echelons of command in the Ranger Regiment, platoon command was a second command for the officers who received it, making the lieutenants who became platoon leaders slightly older and more experienced than their counterparts in the rest of the Army, because they had already been platoon leaders elsewhere. Self was no exception. He was twenty-five and in December had been promoted to captain, a rank more often associated with company command. When Anaconda kicked off, Self had led 1st Platoon for almost seventeen months. He knew the men, their strengths, and their weaknesses."
- Page 343: "Like their Ranger forefathers who landed on Omaha Beach, Crose and Commons had stormed down the ramp only to be cut down in a hail of machine-gun fire. Anderson, who only moments earlier had been telling Gilliam that he felt 'like a Ranger,' didn't even make it to the ramp. He was hit in mid-cabin and fell to the floor. Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, the PJ medic, crawled over and did his best but couldn't save him."
- Page 353: "The spectacle of the senior ranking officer on the mountain - and a special mission unit member at that - not heading to the sound of the guns himself did not disappoint Self as much as might have been expected. 'I didn't want him to come up,' Self said, explaining that he thought a SEAL officer showing up in a Ranger gunfight might just have confused the situation. 'They're Navy. They do things differently. We know that from working with them previously."
- Page 360: "Self told him to finish the assault first. They had discovered several bunkers on the back side, and he wanted them cleared. The Rangers went through, tossing grenades and firing shots. Canon tossed a grenade into one, not realizing the position held a pile of RPG rounds, which cooked off, knocking him down. Then they went to the other side of the saddle, which had been cratered by Grim 32 earlier that morning. The Rangers shot and killed another guerrilla there."
- Page 370: "Taking a page from Al Qaida's tactics manual, Peterson's mortarmen put the baseplates in or around the compound and registered the guns, then unscrewed the tubes and remained out of sight until they received a fire mission. They would run out to the plates, screw in the tubes, fire the mission, and then run back to their hiding place carrying the tubes. After each mission they would displace to a different location, although they never moved more than 300 meters from the compound. The 120s stayed in the compound, the 81s moved a little up the road, behind a hill in a defilade position."
Late 2002 - NFL linebacker Pat Tillman turned down a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, in an expression of patriotism and love for America following 9.11 and symbolically as a leader of all Americans, in order to enlist in the U.S. Army along with his brother Kevin, a minor league professional baseball player with the Cleveland Indians. Pat Tillman and his brother completed training for the elite U.S. Army Rangers in late 2002, and were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis. Both Pat and Kevin were deployed to the Middle East (Afghanistan) as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2003
Iraq War No. 2
19 Mar 2003 to Present
2004
2005
2006
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RANGERS
AWARDED MEDAL OF HONOR
Sources: www.ranger.org
www.homeofheros.com
WORLD WAR II
14 Dec1944
RANGER ROBERT B. NETT
Rank and organization: Captain (then Lieutenant), U.S. Army, Company E, 305th Infantry,
77th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Cognon, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 14 December 1944.
Entered service at: New Haven, Conn. Birth: New Haven, Conn. G.O. No.: 16, 8 February 1946.
KOREAN WAR
7 Feb 1951
RANGER LEWIS L. MILLETT
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company E,
27th Infantry Regiment.
Place and date: Vicinity of Soam-Ni, Korea, 7 February 1951.
Entered service at Mechanic Falls, Maine. Born: 15 December 1920, Mechanic Falls, Maine.
G.O. No.: 69, 2 August 1951.
7 Sep 1952
*RANGER DONN F. PORTER
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 14th Infantry Regiment,
25th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Mundung-ni Korea, 7 September 1952.
Entered service at Baltimore, Md. Born: 1 March 1931, Sewickley, Pa.
G.O. No.: 64, 18 August 1953.
10 - 11 Jun 1953
RANGER OLA L. MIZE
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant (then Sgt.), U.S. Army, Company K, 15th Infantry Regiment,
3d Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Surang-ni, Korea, 10 to 11 June 1953.
Entered service at: Gadsden, Ala. Born: 28 August 1931, Marshall County, Ala.
G.O. No.: 70, 24 September 1954.
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VIETNAM WAR
29 Oct 1963 to 26 Sep 1965
*RANGER HUMBERT ROQUE VERSACE
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army.
Place and Date: An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, 29 October 1963 to 26 September 1965.
Born: 2 July 1937, Honolulu, HI, Entered Service At: Norfolk, VA
14 Nov 1965
RANGER WALTER JOSEPH MARM, JR.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant (then 2d Lt.), U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry,
1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Place and date: Vicinity of la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965.
Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Born: 20 November 1941, Washington, pa. G.O. No.: 7, 15 February 1967.
7 Feb 1966
*RANGER JAMES A. GARDNER
Posthumously
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade,
101st Airborne Division.
Place and date: My Canh, Vietnam, 7 February 1966.
Entered service at: Memphis, Tenn.
Born: 7 February 1943, Dyersburg, Tenn.
21 May 1966:
RANGER DAVID CHARLES DOLBY
Rank and organization. Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry,
1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile).
Place and date. Republic of Vietnam, 21 May 1966.
Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa.
Born: 14 May 1946, Norristown, Pa.
G.O. No.: 45, 20 October 1967.
19 Jun 1966
RANGER RONALD ERIC RAY
Rank and organization: Captain (then 1st Lt.), U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry,
25th Infantry Division.
Place and date: la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 19 June 1966.
Entered service at: Atlanta, Ga. Born: 7 December 1941, Cordelle, Ga.
5 Nov 1966
RANGER ROBERT F. FOLEY
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry,
25th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Quan Dau Tieng, Republic of Vietnam, 5 November 1966.
Entered service at: Newton, Mass. Born: 30 May 1941, Newton, Mass.
7 Feb 1967
*RANGER GEORGE K. SISLER
Posthumously
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces.
Place and Date: Republic of Vietnam. 7 February 1967.
Entered service at: Dexter, Mo. Born: 19 September 1937, Dexter, Mo.
19 Feb 1968
RANGER FRED WILLIAM ZABITOSKY
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class (then S/Sgt.), U.S. Army,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Place and Date: Republic of Vietnam, 19 February 1968.
Entered service at: Trenton, N.J. Born: 27 October 1942, Trenton, N.J.
16-19 Mar 1968
RANGER PAUL WILLIAM BUCHA
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company D, 3d Battalion. 187th Infantry, 3d Brigade,
101st Airborne Division.
Place and date: Near Phuoc Vinh, Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 16- 19 March 1968.
Entered service at: U .S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. Born: 1 August 1943, Washington, D.C.
13 Nov 1968
*RANGER LASZLO RABEL
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 74th Infantry Detachment (Long Range Patrol),
173d Airborne Brigade
Place and Date: Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam, 13 November 1968.
Entered service at: Minneapolis, Minn. Born: 21 September 1939, Budapest, Hungary.
30 Dec 1968
RANGER ROBERT L. HOWARD
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces.
Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 30 December 1968.
Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 11 July 1939, Opelika, Ala.
22 Feb 1969
*RANGER ROBERT D. LAW
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Company 1 (Ranger), 75th Infantry,
1st Infantry Division
Place and date: Tinh phuoc Thanh province, Republic of Vietnam, 22 February 1969.
Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Born: 15 September 1944, Fort Worth, Tex.
14 Mar 1969
RANGER JOSEPH R. KERREY
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Junior Grade, U.S. Naval Reserve,
Sea, Air, and Land Team (SEAL).
Place and date: Near Nha Trang Bay, Republic of Vietnam, 14 March 1969.
Entered service at: Omaha, Nebr. Born: 27 August 1943, Lincoln, Nebr.
25 Mar 1969
*RANGER STEPHEN HOLDEN DOANE
Posthumously
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry,
25th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Hau Nghia Province, Republic of Vietnam, 25 March 1969.
Entered service at: Albany, N.Y. Born: 13 October 1947, Beverly, Mass.
29 Nov 1969
*RANGER ROBERT J. PRUDEN
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 75th Infantry,
Americal Division
Place and Date: Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, 29 November 1969
Entered service at: Minneapolis, Minn. Born: 9 September 1949, St. Paul, Minn.
1 Apr 1970
RANGER PETER C. LEMON
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry,
1st Cavalry Division.
Place and date: Tay Ninh province, Republic of Vietnam, 1 April 1970.
Entered service at: Tawas City, Mich. Born: 5 June 1950, Toronto, Canada.
4-8 Apr 1970
RANGER GARY LEE LITTRELL
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Advisory Team 21,
11 Corps Advisory Group
Place and date: Kontum province, Republic of Vietnam, 4-8 April 1970
Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 26 October 1944, Henderson, Ky.
SOMALIA - TASK FORCE RANGER
OPERATION CONTINUE HOPE
3 Oct 1993
*RANGER GARY I. GORDON
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Sniper Team Leader,
Special Operations Command
Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia
Entered service at: Lincoln, Maine; Born: Lincoln, Maine
3 Oct 1993
*RANGER RANDALL D. SHUGHART
Posthumously
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Sniper Team Member,
Special Operation Command
Place and date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Entered service at Newville, Pennsylvania. Born: Newville, Pennsylvania.
******************************************************************************************************************************************
RANGER HALL OF FAME
(1992 TO 2006)
Note: For individual citations/photos by year go to:
*Medal of Honor
www.benning.army.mil/rtb/Hall_of_fame/hof.asp
Ranger Induction
Year
Abood, Edmond P. COL 99
Acebes, William H. CSM 03
Acker, John A., Tech S. 04
Alderman, Joe C. 1SG 96
Allen, Warren E. MAJ 96
Anderson, William E. PFC 97
Arnbal, Anders K. 1SG 95
Atkins, Albert SFC 01
Auger, Ulysses, Sr., T4 05
Barber, Harold L. MAJ 06
Bayne, Robert D. 04
Basil, Albert E. Father 96
Batts, Aubrey K. MSG 95
Beach, Charles E. II COL 95
Beckwith, Charles COL 01
Bennett, Harold G., SSG 04
Black, Robert W. COL 95
Blair, Melvin R. LTC 03
Block, Walter E. CPT 98
Branscomb, Clarence SSG 96
Brown, Roger B., 04
Brownlee, Les MR 03
Bryan, Robert L. SGT 06
*Bucha, Paul W. CPT 99
Burnell, Richard C. CSM 96
Butler, William RGR 00
Caro, Henry CSM 93
Carpenter, Gary R. CSM 98
Carr, Robert L. SGT 02
Carrier, Charles L. MAJ 06
Caruth, Charles W., CW4 04
Castonguay, Romeo John MSG 03
Cavazos, Richard E. GEN 92
Chaney, George GSM 96
Channon, Robert I. COL 96
Church, Benjamin CPT 92
Cicuzza, Sisto SGM 01
Clark, William C. Jr. SGT 95
Clement, Albert MAJ 00
Clemons, Joseph G. Jr. COL 99
Cobb, Autrail CSM 02
Collier, James H. CSM 02
Connell, Kevin P. CSM 06
Corley, John T. BG 03
Cournoyer, Joseph R. SGM 99
Crabtree, Ormand B. SGT 96
Dammer, Herman W. COL 97
Daniel, John S. Jr. LTC 99
Darby, William O. BG 92
Davis, Fred E. SGM 94
Dawson, Francis COL 92
Delorey, Donald W. CPT 97
Devlin, Gerald M. MAJ 95
*Doane, Stephen H. 1LT 97
*Dolby, David C. SSG 93
Donovan, William "Doc" CW4 99
Downing, Wayne A. GEN 99
Dushane, C.J. "Duke" SSG 97
Eaton, Richard J. BG 98
Edlin, Robert T. LT 95
Ehrler, Richard S. Jr. SGT 98
English, Glenn H. Jr. SSG 02
Evans, Warren CPT 96
Fike, Emmett RGR 00
Fletcher, Larry A. CSM 96
Foss, John W. GEN 95
Frost, Hubert H. SGM 96
*Gardner, James A. 1stLT 06
Gardner, Gregory E. CPT 94
Gates, Julius W. SMA 00
Geer, James D. SSG 01
Gentry, Neal R. CSM 93
Gergen, Theron (Bull) CSM 03
Getz, Charles E. BG 02
Gooch, Christopher M., Jr., LTC 04
*Gordon, Gary I. MSG 96
Gore, William E. LTC 94
Gosho, Henry SSG 97
Grange, David E., Jr. LTG 92
Grange, David L., BG 05
Grissom, William C. LTC 94
Hale, Nathan CPT 93
Hall, Glenn M. CPL 92
Harris, Randall 1SG 95
Heath, Mayo S. 1 LT 94
Herbert, James A. , BG 04
Herring, Thomas E. SGT 06
Hirabayashi, Grant J., TECH S. 04
Hopkins, (DR) James E. CPT 02
Horvath, George, CSM 04
Howard, Robert L. COL 05
Hunter, Charles N. COL 93
Jacks, Danny Lee, 05
Jakovenko, Vladimir SGM 03
Janis, Norman PFC 96
Johnson, Caifson LTC 99
Katz, Warner SGT 00
Keneally, John T., COL 05
Kernan, William F. "Buck" GEN 06
*Kerrey, J. Robert SEN 95
Kimsey, James V., MAJ 05
Kingston, Robert C. GEN 96
Kirschfield, William SGT 00
Kness, Lester E. CPT 02
Knight, Jack L., 1LT 05
Kuhn, Jack E. SSG 94
Labrozzi, Anthony COL 03
Lacy, Joseph R. Monsignor 96
*Law, Robert D., SP4 92
Laws, Charles R. 1SG 02
Lawton, John P. COL 97
Laye, Jesse G., CSM 05
Lehew, Donald L. SFC 99
*Lemon, Peter C. SGT 94
Lemonds, Gary L. SSG 94
Leon-Guerrero, M.R.C. CSM 97
Lesley, Ronald RGR 00
Leuer, Kenneth C. MG 92
Lincoln, Abraham President 93
Lindsay, James J. GEN 94
*Littrell, Gary L. CSM 93
Lockett, Milton Jr. MSG 01
Lombardo, Roy S. LTC 96
Lomell, Leonard G. 1 SG 94
Lucas, Andre C. LTC 93
Lyle, James B. COL 03
Madison, Eugene H. CPT 06
Magana, Francisco G., CSM 04
Mahaffey, Fred K. GEN 95
Marion, Francis BG 94
Markivich, Andy SGM 03
*Marm, Walter Joseph COL 00
Marshall, James C. CONG 06
Martin, Michael N. CSM 95
Mastin, Robert L. PFC 93
Matos, Santos A. Jr. SGM 99
Matsumoto, Roy H. MSG 93
McCoy, John L. SFC 99
McGee, George A. COL 92
McGee, John Hugh BG 95
McIlwain, Walter N. LTC 03
McLogan, Edward LT 01
Meadows, Richard J. MAJ 96
Merrill, Frank D., MG 92
*Millett, Lewis L. COL 97
Minatra, John D. MSG 01
Mixon, William T. CSM 97
*Mize, Lee COL 96
Moore, Harvey L. 1SG 93
Morrell, Glen E. SMA 93
Mosby, John S. COL 92
Mucci, Henry A. COL 98
Mueller, Robert S. III 04
Murphy, John F., CPT 05
Murray, Roy A. COL 93
Nardotti, Michael J. MG 06
*Nett, Robert B. COL 97
Osborne, William Lloyd COL 98
Paccerelli, George A. COL 93
Palmer, William T., COL 05
Parker, Charles H. CPT 98
Parker, Harris L. CSM 02
Pentecost, Brian M. COL 06
Piazza, Philip B. LT 95
*Porter, Donn F. SGT 93
Posey, Edward L. MSC 02
Powell, Colin GEN 00
Prince, Robert W. MAJ 99
*Pruden, Robert J. SSG 92
Puckett, Ralph COL 92
Pung, Andy B. SGT 94
Purcel, Edward W. SFC 02
Purdy, Donald CSM 01
Queen, James C. MAJ 94
*Rabel, Laszio, SSG 92
Ranger, Michael B. CPT 06
*Ray, Ronald LTC 01
Rinard, Harold L., MSG 05
Rivera, Eugene C. CPT 98
Roberts, Marvin CPT 01
Robison, Thomas C., SSG 05
Rogers, James D. LTC"Jimmie" 02
Rogers, Robert MAJ 92
Ross, Charles G. LTC 96
Rudder, James E. MG 92
Salomon, Sidney A.. , COL 05
Samborowski, Leo G. PFC 98
Sanders, Walt 04
Schneider, Max COL 92
Shelton, Hugh H., GEN 05
Sheperd, Fred M. SGM 95
*Shughart, Randall D. SFC 94
Simons, Arthur COL 92
Singlaub, John K. MG 06
Smith, Mike MSG 01
Spears, Sam B. CSM 03
Spencer, Jimmie W., CSM 04
Spies, Bill MAJ 00
Stamper, James M., Jr. LTC 03
Strange, Arthur C. III COL 93
Stauss, Kenneth W. LTC 02
Stiner, Carl W., GEN 04
Storter, James Gavin, MAJ 04
Stringham, Joseph S. BG 95
Strong, Berkeley J. LTC 96
Sullivan, Richard P. LTC 96
Stewart, Dick CPT 01
Sydnor, Elliot P. Jr COL 92
Tadina, Patrick CSM 95
Taylor, Wes BG 01
Thompson, Dennis L. SGM 02
Toschik, Mark Joseph 1LT 03
Turner, Robert COL 00
Valeriano, Victor D. SGT 02
Van Houten, John G. MG 06
Valrey, Cleveland, CW4 05
*Versace, Humbert CPT 00
Wandke, Richard D. LTC 02
Waters, Charles F. CSM 06
Watson, Martin E SGT 92
Weekley, Fredrick E., CSM 05
Welch, Albert C. LTC 06
Werner, Arthur A. Jr. SGM 99
Weston, Logan E. COL 92
White, Wilton SFC 98
Wijas, Rodney J., COL 05
Wilburn, Tom W., 1SG 05
Wilson, Samuel V. LTG 93
Total Members RHOF 228
Honorary Inductees RHOF
Abrams, Creighton W. GEN 92
Alison, John R. MG 06
Burkett, B.G., MR 05
Callaway, Howard H. "Bo" MR 03
Hanks, Tom MR 06
Leandri, Richard A. MR. 92
Marsh, John O. Honorable 93
Robinson, Arthur "Robbie" WO2C 99
Thurmond, Strom Senator 94
Truscott, Lucian K. Jr. GEN 94
Voorhees, E. Paul, MR. 04
Recapitulation:
Members RHOF (1992-2006) 228
Honorary RHOF members 011
Total RHOF members 239
"Rangers, always honor and appreciate the duty, heroism and blood spilled by Rangers over the years on behalf of this Great Nation, the United States of America."
last updated: 30 Jun 06ts
Remarks of Ranger Tim Swain
It is an Honor and privilege to be here before the assembled Rangers of the Ranger Hall of Fame ......On behalf of Ranger James A. Gardner's family, his 82-year-old mother and his sister Lynda.
They were unable to make the trip from Newbern, Tennessee (West Tennessee) and asked that I represent them here today and to thank the Rangers for this additional honor being accorded their beloved Jim.
Lynda told me about her red-headed brother's All-American characteristics..... being a star athlete at Dyersburg Tennessee High School....sometimes a prankster.....cheerful.....with a constant love of life and action.... and how after being admitted to the United States Military Academy (Class of 65), he chose to drop out during his first year because, as he confided to her, he thought it was too boring. As an enlistee in the Army, Jim wasted no time and graduated from OCS, Airborne and Ranger schools and was then assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell.
In Vietnam in the fall of 65, I was privileged to serve with Jim in Task Force Hansen along the east west Route 19 in the Central Highlands with the 1st Brigade (Separate) 101st Airborne Division;
Today, four others are here at my request to join me in standing in for Jim's family in this time of his honor:
1. Ranger Don Korman, a skilled artilleryman with a CIB and a recipient of the Silver Star, and who was present and in the thick of the battle in which Jim was killed on 7 Feb 66
2. Ranger Harry Ikner, a 101st Airborne combat veteran, who was in S-2 section of 1st Brigade both at Fort Campbell and in Vietnam (at least on his first tour when I was there);
3. Ranger Bill Dubbs, a 5th Special Forces combat veteran, and in the 2nd Brigade with Jim prior to Jim volunteering for Vietnam and transferring to the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne;
4. United States Magistrate Judge G. Mallon Faircloth, of the Middle District of Georgia, whose brother Ranger Johnnie Faircloth was in the 1st Brigade's B Company, 2/502 Infantry and who was killed in action while leading his paratroopers in Operation Gibraltar on 18 Sept 65, for which he was awarded the Silver Star posthumously; During that action Harry was in the command and control Huey overhead and Jim and I were in a supporting role on Route 19, south of the battle, and again, Don was in the middle of the battle;
Following Gibraltar, Jim was named as the first commanding officer of 1/327 Infantry's elite Tiger Force (which combined the recon platoon and heavy weapons platoon), and which he led with skill and without fear or concern for his personal safety, while always concerned for the safety and well-being of his paratroopers;
It was from this command and responsibility that on his 23rd birthday that Ranger James Alton Gardner was killed in action on 7 Feb 66 ....leading the way....and demonstrating
Ranger initiative
Ranger ability
Ranger courage
Ranger leadership
Ranger spirit, AND
All in the same spirit and way that Jim's Ranger comrade in arms Johnnie Faircloth had exhibited 142 days previously at Gibraltar.....
For Ranger James A. Garner's heroism on 7 Feb 1966, he received, posthumously, the Medal of Honor, his Citation stating:
********************************************
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: My Canh, Vietnam, 7 February 1966. Entered service at: Memphis, Tenn. Born: 7 February 1943, Dyersburg, Tenn.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was advancing to relieve a company of the 1st Battalion that had been pinned down for several hours by a numerically superior enemy force in the village of My Canh, Vietnam. The enemy occupied a series of strongly fortified bunker positions which were mutually supporting and expertly concealed. Approaches to the position were well covered by an integrated pattern of fire including automatic weapons, machineguns and mortars. Air strikes and artillery placed on the fortifications had little effect. 1st Lt. Gardner's platoon was to relieve the friendly company by encircling and destroying the enemy force. Even as it moved to begin the attack, the platoon was under heavy enemy fire. During the attack, the enemy fire intensified. Leading the assault and disregarding his own safety, 1st Lt. Gardner charged through a withering hail of fire across an open rice paddy. On reaching the first bunker he destroyed it with a grenade and without hesitation dashed to the second bunker and eliminated it by tossing a grenade inside. Then, crawling swiftly along the dike of a rice paddy, he reached the third bunker. Before he could arm a grenade, the enemy gunner leaped forth, firing at him. 1st Lt. Gardner instantly returned the fire and killed the enemy gunner at a distance of 6 feet. Following the seizure of the main enemy position, he reorganized the platoon to continue the attack. Advancing to the new assault position, the platoon was pinned down by an enemy machinegun emplaced in a fortified bunker. 1st Lt. Gardner immediately collected several grenades and charged the enemy position, firing his rifle as he advanced to neutralize the defenders. He dropped a grenade into the bunker and vaulted beyond. As the bunker blew up, he came under fire again. Rolling into a ditch to gain cover, he moved toward the new source of fire. Nearing the position, he leaped from the ditch and advanced with a grenade in one hand and firing his rifle with the other. He was gravely wounded just before he reached the bunker, but with a last valiant effort he staggered forward and destroyed the bunker, and its defenders with a grenade. Although he fell dead on the rim of the bunker, his extraordinary actions so inspired the men of his platoon that they resumed the attack and completely routed the enemy. 1st Lt. Gardner's conspicuous gallantry was in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
*********************************************
In speaking recently by phone to Charlie Musselwhite in Florida, who was the battalion's operations sergeant (who knew Jim well and described Jim as a tough guy and a good soldier) and was also in the thick of the late afternoon battle at My Canh (near the Tuy Hoa area on the South China Sea), he told me how due to the fact that medevac's were unable to get into the area (because of heavy fire from the 95th NVA Regiment's heavy weapons including .50 caliber machine guns, weather and darkness), that Jim's platoon sergeant, Phil Belden, wrapped Jim's body in a poncho liner and then wrapped himself in one next to him and watched over his friend and leader all night until the medevac's were able to land in the morning;
On behalf of the Gardner Family and Jim's devoted friends and comrades, we express our deep appreciation to the Rangers and the Ranger Hall of Fame, for recognizing the duty, honor and love of America exhibited in life by Ranger James Alton Garner and memorializing his courageous heroism by inducting this fine Ranger into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia this 29th day of June, 2006.
Thank you.
1. Don't forget nothing.
2. Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, 60 rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.
3. When you're on the march, act the way you would if you were sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first.
4. Tell the truth about what you see and do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but never lie to a Ranger or officer.
5. Don't never take a chance you don't have to.
6. When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't to through two men.
7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us.
8. When we march, we keep moving 'til dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us.
9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
10. If we take prisoners, we keep 'em separate 'til we have had time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between 'em.
11. Don't ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won't by ambushed.
12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank and 20 yards in the rear, so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.
13. Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.
14. Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.
15. Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians attack.
16. Don't cross a river by a regular ford.
17. If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.
18. Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down. Hide behind a tree.
19. Let the enemy come 'till he's almost close enough to touch. Then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.
20. Don't use your musket if you can kill 'em with your hatchet.
Major Robert Rogers, French & Indian War, 1759
Source: Web page [www.hackworth.com] of Colonel David H. Hackworth, one of America's most highly decorated combat leaders who served, among many other combat units, in the Korean War with the Raiders of the 27th Infantry Divsion ("Wolfhounds").
The Screaming Eagle, November-December 2000, Vietnam Eagles by: Tony Mabb (PO Box 15141, Jacksonville, FL 32239; (904) 744-8429), excerpts from page 11 and 12:
Decorations for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division - Vietnam
* Presidential Unit Citation (Army) Streamer embroidered DAK TO, VIETNAM 1966
* Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered TUY HOA
* Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1965-1966
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1971 (101st Airborne Division cited)
* Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer, embroidered VIETNAM 1968-1970
Airmobility. "A very interesting publication entitled Airmobility 1961-1971 (Center for Military History, 1973) by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson contains some interesting insights into the evolution of airmobility in the US Army. It also covers the contributions of the 101st Airborne Division and its evolution from airborne status to airmobile status. The publication can be found online under the topic Vietnam Studies. Here are some excerpts from several chapters:
1st Brigade Leads the Way
Chapter Four: the First Airmobile Division and the Buildup, 1965 (Growing Pains pg 67).
"The problems involved in this buildup can be described by a short review of the deployment of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. During the period 6 July to 29 July 1965 the Brigade moved from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to Vietnam. On 29 July through 21 August 1965 the Brigade manned a defensive perimeter in the Cam Ranh Bay area and began to establish a base camp. From 10 to 21 August the Brigade conducted operations southwest of Nha Trang and on 22 August, the Brigade moved north by sea and air with a mission to sweep clear the An Khe area of Binh Dinh Province to provide security for the arrival of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). During this deployment and subsequent operations, the Brigade had reconfigured to a new Table of Organization and Equipment and conducted major training in airmobile operations. they found that many of the items that they had not brought, such as additional water trucks, were absolutely essential.
When the Brigade was alerted at Fort Campbell, there was no positive assurance this would be a permanent move or a temporary duty move, and personal problems of families, quarters, etc., placed an undue administrative burden on the unit. The advance party moved on two old C-124 aircraft which, because of mechanical and administrative difficulties, required seven days to close in Nha Trang. The main body of over 3,600 troops was shipped aboard the USNS General Leroy Eltinge, which had a normal troop capacity of 2,200 men. the 21-day voyage was a miserable period plagued by plumbing, lighting, and ventilation problems.
The movement of the 1st Brigade, 101st, to secure the an Khe base area for the soon-to-arrive 1st Cavalry Division was entitled Operation HIGHLAND and spanned the period 22 August until 2 October. One battalion conducted an airmobile assault in conjunction with a battalion-size ground attack to open the An Khe Pass and to clear and secure Route 19 from Qui Nhon to An Khe. To secure the division base area, the Brigade conducted eight airmobile assaults and many large ground operations. a special task force was organized to secure convoy movement along Route 19. This task force established strong points along the critical terrain bordering the route from Qui Nhon to the An Khe Pass. Tactical air cover was provided for all convoys. During this period, enemy losses totaled 692 killed in action as opposed to the 1st Brigade losses of 21."
"General Tolson does note that Operation Junction City Alternate was originally conceived in November 1966 to allow the 1st Brigade the honor of making the first parachute assault in Vietnam. But by February 1967, the first Brigade was engaged in other operations and the 173rd got the nod."
The following was taken from "THE FIRST SCREAMING EAGLES IN VIET NAM", October 2000, Volume 2, Number 4 [A Historical Review of the 1st Brigade (Separate) 101st AIRBORNE DIVISION in Viet Nam from July 1965 through January 1968], Ivan Worrell, Editor and Publisher, 105 McCosh Drive Suite 1, Post Office Box 675, Sweetwater, TN 37874-0675; (423) 337-5983; and email at: worrell@usit.net and http://www.101stabndiv1stbrigade.com/
WHY PARATROOPERS?
TAKEN FROM A PAPER WRITTEN ON BOARD THE USS ELTINGE SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC WHILE THE 1ST BDE OF THE 101ST ABN DIV WAS ON THE WAY TO VIETNAM IN JULY, 1965.
"BUT, WHY PARATROOPERS? Paratroopers are a special breed! Many people wonder why we are wilder than other soldier, a wildness that has been demonstrated many times, often with violence. Men join the paratroops because they can not resist the awful thrill of risking their lives in a parachute jump. each on of us has supreme faith in our ability to take care of ourselves, whatever the odds. For this reason, we are a quarrelsome lot as we can never believe that anyone can possibly defeat us. This may be the key as to "Why Paratroopers?". Just as in WWII, when paratroopers took such a beating but never said die. Then defeated the best infantry in the world, The German Army.
Eleanor Roosevelt once stated of paratroopers -- "Those nuts are over-paid, underworked, oversexed, drunken shoeshine boys." But other people, who had a closer look at paratroopers, had things like this to say, "American parachutists -- devils in baggy pants -- are less than 100 meters from y outpost line. I can't sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they strike next. Seems like the blackhearted devils are everywhere...." This was found in the diary of a German officer who opposed the 504th ABN INF on the Anzio Beachhead in WWII.
The Viet Cong Army that we are going to face is the best irregular army. Witnessed by their successful fighting since late 1946 and the defeat of the French Army in 1954. But now they are going to face us -- the best regular army in the world--and we have never known defeat. The eyes of the world are upon us as we once again prepare to show the world the unconquerable spirit of the American Paratrooper!!"
From the October 2003 issue of "The First Screaming Eagles in Viet Nam", The Always First Brigade, publisher and editor, Ivan Worrell, page 21:
"BEWARE THIS MAN"
Listen, you citizens, and listen well,
When stories are told of men in Hell,
Look at the man, and give him ear,
For this man knows the meaning of fear -
Look for the man with a 101st crest,
He fought with giants, he's one of the best,
He knows what it is to fall from the sky,
To fight like a man, and yes, even to die -
He fought with men, a special breed,
True to their oath, the Paratrooper's Creed,
Those men of iron who have a bond to keep,
With comrades below in graves so deep -
He fough in the day and he fought at night,
He killed in anger and he killed in fright,
He buried his dead, and then wondered in awe,
This killing of men, is this God's law?
A task he had, and hell would pay,
Before this trooper would quit that day,
So he kept on fighting and hunting VC,
For a world, which someday, might freer be.
A warning to you, who laugh and scorn,
This man dad not fight for a cause forlorn,
He's done his job, more than his share -
So beware of him when he enters your lair-
This man means trouble for all your kind,
You shrinkers and cowards, with a sick
soul and mind,
Beware his templer, that you do not burst,
Because he's a fighter - from the 101st.
1st Lt David Campbell
B 2/502 1/101
APO SF 96347
[Campbell is now Dir, SC Disaster Reponse Services
Email: http://friends.peoria.lib.il.us/community/dcampbell@dss.state.sc.us
*LTC Robert G. Cole
3/502 Infantry
*PFC Joe E. Mann
3/502 Infantry
Vietnam [17]
PFC Webster Anderson
2/320 Field Artillery
CPT Paul W. Bucha
3/187 Infantry
SP4 Michael J. Fitzmaurice
2/17 Cavalry
*CPL Frank R. Fratellencio
2/502 Infantry
*1LT James A. Gardner
1/327 Infantry
*SSG John G.Gertsch
1/327 Infantry
*SP4 Peter M. Guenette
2/506 Infantry
SP4 Frank A. Herda
1/506 Infantry
SSG Joe R. Hooper
2/501 Infantry
PFC Kenneth M. Kays
1/506 Infantry
*SP4 Joseph G. LaPointe, Jr.
2/17 Cavalry
*PFC Milton A. Lee
2/502 Infantry
*LTC Andre C. Lucas
2/506 Infantry
SGT Robert M. Patterson
2/17 Cavalry
SGT Gordon R. Roberts
1/506 Infantry
*SSG Clifford C. Sims
2/501 Infantry
*SP4 Dale E. Wayrynen
2/502 Infantry
*Posthumous award
Sixty-one years ago, 48 brave volunteer members of the United Army Parachute Test Platoon pioneered a new method of warfare. Their successful jump led to the creation of a mighty force of more than 100,000 paratroopers. Members of this force were assigned to the legendary 11th, 13th, 17th, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and numerous other units that fought in every theater during World War II.
The soldiers of the Parachute Test Platoon also forged a unique warrior spirit, a relentless passion for victory, and a reputation that still strikes fear in potential adversaries. Beginning with the first combat jump by the men of the 2d Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, over North Africa in November 1942, airborne and special operations soldiers have made a total of 93 combat jumps. Since World War II, paratroopers have continually distinguished themselves in battle, earning 69 Congressional Medals of Honor and hundreds of other awards for valor.
Today, we celebrate the anniversary of the first official Army parachute jump, I join all Americans in recognizing these heroes. We salute our Nation?s sky troopers, both past and present, for their great service and personal sacrifice in the defense of freedom and liberty around the world.
Best wishes to all for a memorable observance.
GEORGE W. BUSH
[Thanks to the efforts of General Wayne A. Downing (Ret.) and "The Static Line" in their dedicated work to obtain this Presidential Proclamation and official recognition of the many contributions of The Airborne to keeping America free during the past 50 years and continuing into the future.]
Queen of Battle. In praise of the Infantry. Despite their huge sacrifices in war, infantrymen are seldom accorded the respect they rate.
"It has borne the brunt of human conflict through the ages," according to Encyclopedia Brittanica, "and has been called the 'Queen of Battle.'"
That title was earned by American infantrymen on blood-drenched battlefields from Camden in the Revolutionary War to the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. In special recognition of their role in war, the War Department created the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) in 1943.
As Eric C. Ludvigsen wrote in "Army": "The CIB was created for infantrymen in infantry units at a time [1943] when they were doing 70% of the fighting and dying - a proportion that has not changed much despite the ever-increasing application of technology to was, and is likely to increase in infantry-oriented, low-intensity conflict."
Unfortunately, not every American is proud of first-line combat soldiers, the men who, in every one of our wars, led the way and bled profusely as a result, much more so than any other branch of the service....The public has simply never appreciated the magnificant service rendered by the infantry during the past 226 years.
Tradition of Versatility
The humble infantry's beginnings were humble. On June 14, 1775 (the day of the Army's inception), the Continental Congress authorized 10 companies of riflemen to be raised in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia as part of the new Continental Army. That makes the U.S. Infantry branch older than the Declaration of Independence itself.
Although its weapons, equipment and tactics have become increasingly sophisticated, the infantry still has the same basic mission: to get to the battlefield and to close with and destroy the enemy. As such, the infantry is the most flexible and most mobile of the Army's combat arms.
It can move by land, sea or air and arrive at its destination ready to fight. It can land by parachute, conduct both air assaults and amphibious operations, operate effectively under all weather conditions and overcome natural and man-made obstacles.
Uncomplimented 'Joe'
Just who has been the U.S. Infantryman? He is the tired and hungry Continental soldier standing watch in the freezing cold at Valley Forge; the brave man wearing blue or gray at Shiloh and Gettysburg; and the tough professional in a lonely outpost on the Western frontier.
He has put streamers on the Army's battle flag recalling fights in the Spanish-American War and WWI. Without hope or chance of relief or rescue, he fought desperately at Bataan and Corregidor, gaining valuable time for America to mobilize. Infantrymen fought more limited wars in Korea and Vietnam, helped liberate Grenada, restored stability in Panama and faced off against a tyrant in Iraq.
An infantryman is the lone soldier whose foxhole marks the Army's forward progress. He is the uncomplimented "Joe" who fights without promise or reward.
He carries on because of discipline, pride, belief in a cause and for not wanting to let down his comrades. As [Ernie] Pyle put it, if for no other reason, "at least for each other."
Periodically - down through the centuries - some have implied the infantryman's days were numbered, suggesting he be relegated to the junkyard of history. Yet the foot soldier has demonstrated again and again that individual courage, good leadership and fighting spirit does make a difference in battle.
Indispensable Contributors
America's citizens also should remember that the infantryman has served in many other ways: exploring, surveying, mapping and settling the far reaches of the U.S. and its overseas possessions. He carried out the country's foreign policies, but also quelled domestic disturbances.
Helping to create national ideals, he was in the forefront of the country's political, economic, social and technological successes. He has gone when and where he has has been ordered, and has done what had to be done when he got there.
Since 1775, the U.S. Infantryman has been called upon to perform prodigious deeds, both in war and peace - not for fame or fortune, but because those deeds needed doing.
If the U.S. is to maintain its liberties, it will, as in the past, depend on the fortitude and gallantry of its Infantrymen.
Ernie Pyle - appropriately regarded as "the infantry soldier's ambassador to America" - as usual, got it right: "I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud-rain-frost-and-wind boys...In the end, they are the guys that wars can't be won without."
Author: Albert N. Garland, VFW, August, 2001.
INFANTRY SUSTAINS 80%+ OF THE U.S. ARMY CASUALTIES
WWI
19 months of war
224,089 total Army casualties
195,547 Infantry casualties
87%
WWII
44 months of war
823,483 total Army casualties
661,059 Infantry casualities
80%
Korea
36 months of war
109,958 total Army casualties
92,185 Infantry casualties
84%
Vietnam
84 months of war
230,398 total Army casualties
184,318 Infantry casualties
80%
Source: Lucian K. Truscott III, "Spare the Infantry," Washington Post, Feb. 6, 1991, p. 17
The average age of the Infantryman is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either. He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or jazz or swing and 155mm Howitzers. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and his weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life -- or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime. He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years. He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. He is an INFANTRYMAN! "Wherever brave men fight and die for freedom You will find me. I am always ready. Now and forever I am the Infantry. Queen of Battle Follow Me." Thanks to Martin Markley for submitting this tome from Nick Schultz. From the Official Website of The Society of the 3rd Infantry Division www.warfoto.com/3rdiv.htm
“Politically motivated, extremists Islamists have been waging a jihad (“Holy War”) against Americans for more than 20 years. (Most Americans killed in the 1970’s were probably incidental to Israeli targets.) That war began in earnest in 1979 with the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Iran and peaked in pre-Sept. 11 bloodshed in Lebanon in 1983.
As the nation pauses to remember the dead of Sept. 11, it is essential the 629 Americans killed by Islamist militants before and after that day also be publicly commemorated. Their deaths are equally as worthy of remembrance as those killed on Sept. 11, 2001.”
DATE
COUNTRY/CITY
ATTACK
U.S.KILLED
TERRORIST NATIONALITY
2.21.1970
Switzerland, Zurich
Bombing of Swissair Flight 330
6 Americans killed
Palestinian
2.23.1970
Israel, Halhul (West Bank)
Gunfire at a Bus
1 American killed
Palestinian
6.10.1970
Jordan, Amman
Assassination
1 American killed
Palestinian
1.16.1972
Israel, Gaza Strip
Gunfire at a Car
1 American killed
Palestinian
5.8.1972
Israel, Tel Aviv
Shoot-out at Airport
1 American killed
Palestinian
3.1.1973
Sudan, Khartoum
Execution at Saudi Embassy
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
6.2.1973
Iran, Tehran
Assassination
1 American killed
Iranian
8.5.1973
Greece, Athens
Gunfire at TWA Passengers
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
10.18.1973
Lebanon, Beirut
Execution at Bank of America
1 American killed
Lebanese
12.17.1973
Italy, Rome
Grenade into Pan Am Plane
14 Americans killed
Palestinian
9.8.1974
Greece, Ionian Sea
Bombing of TWA Plane
17 Americans killed
Palestinian
5.21.1975
Iran, Tehran
Assassination
2 Americans killed
Iranian
6.16.1976
Lebanon, Beirut
Assassination
2 Americans killed
Palestinian (?)
8.11.1976
Turkey, Istanbul
Attack at Airport
1 American killed
Palestinian
8.28.1976
Iran, Tehran
Assassination
3 Americans killed
Iranian
6.3.1978
Israel, Jerusalem
Bombing of Bus
1 American killed
Palestinian
12.23.1978
Iran, Ahwaz
Assassination
1 American killed
Iranian
1.14.1979
Iran, Kerman
Assassinatin
1 American killed
Iranian
2.14.1979
Afghanistan, Kabul
Execution
1 American killed
Afghan
11.21.1979
Pakistan, Islamabad
Mob Attack on U.S. Embassy
2 Americans killed
Pakistani
8.9.1982
France, Paris
Shooting Spree
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
4.18.1983
Lebanon, Beirut
Truck Bombing of U.S. Embassy
17 Americans killed
Lebanese
9.23.1983
United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi
Bombing of Plane
1 American killed
Palestinian
10.23.1983
Lebanon, Beirut
Truck Bombing of Marine Barracks
241 American Marines killed
Lebanese
1.18.1984
Lebanon, Beirut
Assassination
1 American killed
Lebanese
9.20.1984
Lebanon, Beirut
Car Bombing of U.S. Embassy Annex
2 Americans killed
Lebanese
12.4.1984
Iran, Tehran
Execution
2 Americans killed
Lebanese
6.14.1985
Lebanon, Beirut
Execution Aboard TWA Flight 847
1 American killed
Lebanese
10.4.1985
Lebanon, Beirut
Execution
1 American killed
Lebanese
10.7.1985
Mediterranean Sea
Execution Aboard Ship Achille Laurol
1 American killed
Palestinian
11.23.1985
Malta, Luqa
Execution Aboard Plane
1 American killed
Palestinian
12.27.1985
Italy, Rome
Assassination at Airport
5 Americans killed
Palestiania
4.2.1986
Greece, Athens
Bombing Aboard TWA Flight 840
4 Americans killed
Palestinian
4.5.1986
Germany, Berlin
Bombing of La Belle Disco
2 Americans killed
Libyan
4.17.1986
Lebanon, Beirut
Execution
1 American killed
Lebanese (?)
9.5.1986
Pakistan, Karachi
Assassination Aboard Pan Am Flight 73
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
12.21.1988
Scotland, Lockerbie
Bombing Aboard Pan Am 103
189 Americans killed
Libyan
7.6.1989
Israel, Tel Aviv
Bus Crash
1 American killed
Palestinian
7.31.1989
Lebanon, Tyre
Execution
1 American killed
Lebanese
9.19.1989
Niger, Agadez
Bombing Aboard UTA Flight 772
7 Americans killed
Lebanese
3.27.1990
Lebanon, Rashaya Al-Fukhar
Assassination
1 American killed
Lebanese
10.28.1991
Turkey, Ankara
Car Bomb
1 American killed
Lebanese
2.26.1993
U.S., New York City
Bombing of World Trade Center
6 Americans killed
Egyptian
3.8.1995
Pakistan, Karachi
Assassination
2 Americans killed
Pakistani
8.21.1995
Israel, Jerusalem
Bombing of Bus
1 American killed
Palestinian
11.13.1995
Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
Car Bombing of Building
5 Americans killed
Saudi
2.25.1996
Israel, Jerusalem
Bombing of Bus
3 Americans killed
Palestinian
5.13.1996
Israel, Ramallah (West Bank)
Assassination
1 American killed
Palestinian
6.25.1996
Saudi Arabia, Dhahran
Truck Bombing of Khobar Towers
19 Americans killed
Saudi
11.12.1997
Pakistan, Karachi
Assassinatin in Car
4 Americans killed
Pakistani
8.7.1997
Kenya, Nairobi
Bombing of U.S. Embassy
12 Americans killed
Saudi
10.12.2000
Yemen, Aden
Boat Bombing of USS Cole
17 American Sailors killed
Saudi
5.9.2001
Israel, Teqoa (West Bank)
Stoning
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
5.29.2001
Israel, West Bank
Gunfire on Car
1 American killed
Palestinian
8.9.2001
Israel, Jerusalem
Sucide Bombing of Restaurant
2 Americans killed
Palestinian
9.11.2001
U.S., New York City
Plane Crash into World Trade Center
2,823* Americans and others killed
Saudi **
9.11.2001
U.S., Washington, D.C.
Plane Crash into Pentagon
189 Americans killed
Saudi**
9.11.2001
U.S., Shanksville, Pa.
Hijacking/Crash of United Flight 93
45 Americans killed
Saudi**
10.6.2001
Saudi Arabia, al-Khobar
Pacel Bombing of Shopping Area
1 American killed
Saudi
1.23.2002
Pakistan, Karachi
Execution
1 American killed
Pakistani
3.17.2002
Pakistan, Islamabad
Assassination (grenades) in Church
2 Americans killed
Pakistani
7.31.2002
Israel, Jerusalem
Bombing at Hebrew University
5 Americans killed
Palestinian
*This total is for all deaths, including citizens of 77 other countries.
** Fifteen of the 19 (79%) hijackers were Saudis of al Qaeda.
SOURCE: Almanac of Modern Terrorism by Jay M. Shafritz, et al (N.Y. : Facts on File, 1991) and Significant incidents of Political Violence Against Americans, 10th Anniversary Issue (1997 annual), U.S. Dept. of State (Bureau of Diplomatic Security). Washington, D.C.: November, 1998. This article is found in VFW Magazine, September, 2002 issue.
SUMMARY OF AMERICANS KILLED BETWEEN 2.21.1970 AND 7.31.2002
Terrorist Nationality
Americans Killed
Number of Incidents
#1.
Saudis
3,111 Americans have been killed by Saudis in 8 incidents.
#2.
Lebanese
277 Americans have been killed by Lebanese in 13 incidents.
#3.
Libyans
191 Americans have been killed by Libyans in 2 incidents.
#4.
Palestinians
81 Americans have been killed by Palestinians in 27 incidents.
#5.
Pakistanis
11 Americans have been killed by Pakistanis in 5 incidents.
#6.
Iranians
8 Americans have been killed by Iranians in 6 incidents.
#7.
Afghans
1 American has been killed by Afghans in 1 incident
TOTAL:
3,680 Americans have been killed in 62 separate incidents involving Americans.
SECOND AMENDMENT SAFEGUARDS
FREEDOM AND LIBERTY
[Excerpts from Paul Harvey on Guns - 2000]
FreeRepublic.com - 1.11.2001
1. Soviet Union in 1929 established gun control
1929-1953 - 20 million innocent and defenseless people killed
2. Turkey in 1911 established gun control
1915-1917 - 1.5 million innocent and defenseless Armenians killed
3. Nazi Germany in 1938 established gun control
1939-1945 - 13 million innocent and defenseless people killed in concentration camps, etc.
4. China in 1935 established gun control
1948-1952 - 20 million innocent and defenseless people killed
5. Guatemala in 1964 established gun control
1964-1981 - 100,000 innocent and defenseless Mayan Indians killed
6. Uganda in 1970 established gun control
1971-1979 - 300,000 innocent and defenseless Christians killed
7. Cambonia in 1956 established gun control
1975-1977 - 1 million innocent and defenseless people killed
8. The total number of innocent and defenseless victims who lost their lives due to the enactment of strict gun controls in their respective nations during the last century is estimated to be approximately 56 million human beings.
********************
"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future." Adolph Hitler, 1935
***********************
A selection of bumper stickers from cheaperthandirt.com:
"Ted Kennedy's Car Has Killed More People Than My Gun."
"The Second Amendment - America's Original Homeland Security."
"When In Doubt - Empty The Magazine."
"Gun Control Means Hitting Your Target."
"Guns Cause Crime Like Flies Cause Garbage."
"A Man With a Gun is a Citizen
A Man Without a Gun is a Subject."
"Special Ops - Al Quaeda Hunting Club."
"Guns Don't Kill People - People Kill People.
"Warning: Driver Only Carries $20 Worth of Ammunition."
"Better To Have It And Not Need It
Than To Need It And Not Have It."
"Notice: If You Are Found Here Tonight - You Will Be Found Here Tomorrow."
"Keep Working - Millions On Welfare Depend On You."
"Criminals Prefer Unarmed Victims."
"Keep Honking - I'm Re-Loading."
"Second Amendment - Defender Of The Rest."
************************
WHO REALLY DESERVES THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?
Now that Jimmy Carter has won the Nobel Peace Prize because, according to Noble committee head Gunnar Berge, of Mr. Carter's "criticism of the line that the current administration has taken" on Iraq ..., perhaps it should be renamed the Noble Appeasement Prize.
If any American president deserves a Noble Peace Prize it is Ronald Reagan, who actually did what Peace Price winners rarely do - bring peace. While Mr. Carter, as president, lectured Americans about their "inordinate fear of communism," it was Mr. Reagan's resistance to Soviet aggression that brought down the Evil Empire, liberated half a continent, and ended forever the imminent threat of nuclear war.
He put Pershing missles in Europe when peaceniks said it would provoke war.
He pursued the Strategic Defense Initiative when peaceniks said it would provoke a new arms race.
He resisted Soviet expansion in Grenada and Afghanistan.
Instead of war or a new arms race, we saw the collapse of the Soviet empire.
In fact, the most fitting recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize would be the Amerian G.I. No institution has done more to preserve and expand peace, justice and freedom than the U.S. military.
Should the Peace Prize go to those who appease tyrants or those who resist them?
How much human suffering and devastation would have been prevented had the British listened to the warnings of Winston Churchill instead of the good intentions of a naive Neville Chamberlain, who waived a meaningless piece of paper and proclaimed "peace in our time"?
Clearly, the Nobel committee hasn't a clue about what brings about real peace.
Daniel John Sobieski
Chicago
Updated October 18, 2002
WSJ letter to the editor
November 4, 2002 12:57 a.m. EST
THINKING THINGS OVER
By ROBERT L. BARTLEY
Declining Democrats,
Intimidated Republicans
"I used to be a Democrat years ago," legendary Fed Chairman Paul Volcker said last week while in Iowa campaigning for Republican Jim Leach. "I'm kind of a nothing now." A week earlier I sat with a one-time Democratic White House aide over after-dinner drinks and cigars; he confessed, "I keep trying to figure out what the Democratic Party stands for anymore."
That, rather than the immediate outcome, seems to me the real story of tomorrow's elections. An establishment, policy-oriented Democratic Party dominated American politics over my lifetime, but it is no more. Yet despite big gains over the last two decades, Republicans haven't been able to muster the wit and courage to build a new dominance.
Tomorrow's results seem sure to repeat the knife-edge political balance of the last presidential election. The House, with districts drawn to protect incumbents of all parties, has so few competitive races the Democrats would need a turnout miracle to overturn the narrow Republican edge. Because no one has figured out how to gerrymander a state, the Senate is more competitive. But even a big swing, say a gain of three seats by either party, would be based on tens of thousand votes in close races.
Yet this is a remarkable change over my career. I joined the Journal editorial page during the Goldwater debacle of 1964, when the only GOP President in a generation had been war hero Dwight Eisenhower. I started to direct editorial policy in 1972, when Richard Nixon won re-election but Democrats ran the Senate with 57 votes to 43. The House remained under Democratic control with only two brief interruptions from 1932 to 1994. Yet if Republicans are lucky enough to win the close Senate races tomorrow, they will control all of the high ground in the nation's capital.
The Democrats have lost the intellectual glue that held together their imposing political coalition, at one time combining Southern segregationists and northern blacks, urban ethnics and Harvard dons. Their claims of unique expertise in foreign policy, built with World War II and the greatest generation, sank in the rice paddies of Vietnam. Their commendable civil rights accomplishments turned away from individual opportunity and into group entitlements. Their agenda of using the government to uplift the poor reduced itself to absurdity with the Great Society. Their economic policy, based on Keynesian demand management, dissolved in the stagflation of the 1970s. Under Bill Clinton, their one-time moral authority became a sick joke.
Today's Democrats are little more than a collection of narrow interest groups -- unions, tort lawyers, minorities headed by an ossified leadership. They are clever, tenacious and increasingly nasty in defending their perks, as establishments typically are when they're being displaced by upstarts. So Democrats desperately scratch to hold power by their fingernails, with a frantic switch in New Jersey and by turning the Paul Wellstone memorial service into a partisan spectacle.
Democrats have recently prospered by delivering their voters, occasionally with overtones of fraud. They're helped because the world view of the media hive frames issues in the categories of a now-quaint 1960s liberalism. The academy, where Democrats once held sway, now indulges the unelectable left with causes such as disinvestment in Israel. In the face of all of this, Republicans are generally intimidated by their long-time conquerors.
The big Republican gains of these decades came under a leader not in the least intimidated, having been a Democrat and a union leader himself. Politics today plays out in the shadow of Ronald Reagan, a figure growing ever more remarkable as time passes. His tax cuts and backing of Mr. Volcker's tight money resolved the stagflation of the 1970s. No fewer than four times he predicted to unbelieving audiences that the fall of Communism was imminent. And he imbued his party and his nation with a can-do optimism.
To an astonishing degree the Republican Party has turned away from this legacy. By the end of the first Bush administration the Reaganites had pretty much left government, leaving an administration intellectually dominated by Dick Darman and Nick Brady. This proved to be a path to President Clinton.
Even Republican triumphs have been tarnished. The 1991 Gulf War stopped short of regime change. Newt Gingrich won the House by nationalizing the 1994 mid-term elections, but his "Contract with America" laid the basis for future defeats by putting deficits instead of growth at the center of economic policy.
The current Bush administration yearns for Reaganism, though intermittently. In foreign and defense policy Secretary Donald Rumsfeld heads a team of Reaganite personalities. They have destroyed the Taliban, crippled al Qaeda and now threaten Saddam Hussein. In a little-recognized achievement, President Bush personally has delegitamized Yasser Arafat, as President Reagan delegitimized the evil empire.
On the domestic scene the picture is far more mixed. The president did win a tax cut, though a hesitant one. The Harvey Pitt debacle is eroding moral authority won after September 11. The congressional party has officially ducked the Social Security issue in the face of Democratic lies about cutting benefits for current recipients, which no one proposes. But a few candidates like Elizabeth Dole have refused to be intimidated and make the issue.
Tomorrow's elections will of course have tactical meaning if Democrats carry the House or the Republicans carry the Senate. But the larger results may be strategic, measured by whether they move the Bush administration and the Republican Party toward realizing that they have the advantage in the war of ideas, that they can win if only they stop apologizing and take their own ideas on the offensive.
THINKING THINGS OVER
By ROBERT L. BARTLEY
On the Left: Hysteria
And Name-Calling
"....A lot of people aspire to join "the rich," and indeed longitudinal studies show that they do move up the income ladder. Anyway, the top half of taxpayers pay 96% of the income tax. Social Security reform, with recipients investing some of their tax money in stocks and bonds, has been tried successfully in Chile and also Great Britain.
Far from being radical, that is, the agenda of the Bush GOP represents today's only reform agenda. And it is rapidly occupying the mainstream, both politically and intellectually. Liberal hysteria is a symptom that at some level liberals understand this themselves. The recent elections represented only a small tilt toward Republicans, after all, but it looks like an eruption because the volcano has been rumbling ever since Ronald Reagan arrived in 1980.
Even liberal pundits say that Democrats suffer in failing to stand for any idea bigger than drugs for granny. Yet politicians are wholesalers of ideas; generating and honing them is the work of intellectuals and pundits. If the liberal class can't offer anything but hysteria and name-calling, the future of their cause looks bleak indeed.
FRONTPAGE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR STEVEN HAYWARD IN MAY 2004 WITH RESPECT TO "THE REAL JIMMY CARTER":
FP: Why don't we start with Carter's general record. Give us a brief laundry list of his failures.
Hayward: He was a disaster on the economy, blaming high inflation, for example, on the character of the American people. But by far his worst failingwas in foreign policy. His human rights policy led to human rights disasters in Iran and Nicaragua, and emboldened the Soviet Union to extend its reach further into the third world. The fruits of the Iran disaster are still very much with us today. The fall of Iran set in motion the advance of radical Islam and the rise of terrorism that culminated in September 11. If we had stuck by the Shah or his successors, the history of the last 25 years in the Middle East would have been very different (and the Iranian people would have been better off, too). For starters, the Soviet Union would have hesitated greatly over invading Afghanistan in 1979.
FP: Yes, Carter facilitated the coming to power of Marxists in Nicaragua and Islamist desposts in Iran. Both of the new tyrannies by far surpassed the brutality of their predecessors. Meanwhile, by letting the Soviets know he wouldn't lift a finger if they invaded Afghanistan, Carter spawned a war that ultimately saw one million dead Afghans, five million displaced, and a situation of evid that nurtured the Islamic hatred and militancy that ultimately turned n the West and gave us 9/11. How is it that a man who fertilized the soil in which so much evil grew remains completely unchastened?
Hayward: Carter is clearly intelligent in the SAT-score sense of the word, but he seems utterly incapable of learning anything from experience. Even Neville Chamberlain, the arch-appeaser of England in the 1930's, eventually came around about the Nazis, but Carter and liberals like him can't be shaken from their sentimental view of the world, even by something as stark as 9/11.
FP: Let us suppose that you were invited to a political history conference in which the top scholars were asked to rate Carter as President from a scale of 1-10 (10 being a superb president, ) being an absolute disaster) and then to give a short verdict on his presidency and legacy, what would you say?
Hayward: He would get a zero. He has already been identified as such. Nathan Miller, author of "The Star-Spangled Men: America's Ten Worst Presidents", ranks Carter number one among the worst. Miller wrote that "Electing Jimmy Carter president was as close as the American people have ever come to picking a name out of the phone book and giving him the job." I concur. Everyone old enough recalls the high inflation under Carter, and his foreign record was just as bad. Henry Kissinger summarized it this way: "The Carter administration has managed the extraordinary feat of having, at one and the same time, the worst relations with our allies, the worst relations with our adversaries, and the most serious upheavals in the developing world since the end of the Second World War."
Fronpage Interview's guest today is Steven Hayward, the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Senior Fellow at the Pacific Resarch Institute. He is author of the new book: "The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dicatators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry."
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Washington, DC?RNC Communications Director Jim Dyke issued the following statement today [5.26.2004] in response to a speech by former Vice President Al Gore attacking President Bush.
"Al Gore served as Vice President of this country for eight years. During that time, Osama Bin Laden declared war on the United States five times and terrorists killed US citizens on at least four different occasions including the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the attacks on Khobar Towers, our embassies in East Africa, and the USS Cole."
"Al Gore's attacks on the President today demonstrate that he either does not understand the threat of global terror, or he has amnesia."
*****************
"By destroying the tradition of bipartisanship in war, by betraying a war policy they signed onto, and by conducting a scorched earth campaign against their own commander-in-chief, the Democratic Party has opened the public square to a political zoo of America hating radicals. Personified in such figures as Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore, their agenda is exactly the same as it was during the Cold War and the war in Vietnam: to demoralize our troops, to sap the will of our country, to weaken our ability to stay the course and resist, and to soften us up for the kill." David Horowitz, FrontPageMagazine.com , October 26, 2004
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"The big networks were in the tank for the Democrats the whole campaign and election night was no different. And what the Democrats couldn't get them to do willingly they got with dirty tricks. The Kerry Campaign rigged the results by getting early, bogus pro-Kerry exit poll numbers out on the internet where they spread as fast and furious as the address of a keg party. The first "real" exit poll numbers were far off the actual vote due to some as yet unidentified glitch or manipulation. Oddly enough they were also pro-Kerry.
When the real vote came in the networks delayed making calls for Bush because of the bogus exit poll numbers entered into their computer models. Finally, when states began to fall for Bush by such large actual vote margins they slowly made the calls. But when Ohio fell to Bush and FOX made the call the Kerry Campaign was on the phone twisting arms at ABC, NBC and CBS to hold off on calling Ohio and any further states for Bush. And they did. To the Democrats the election process has become a nationwide free-for-all where the only rules that apply to them are the ones they get caught breaking." Luccianne.com - chatter 11.6.2004
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The Democrat's Hypocrisy
Jeane Kirkpatrick
August 20, 1984
Dallas, Texas
This is the first Republican convention I have ever attended. I am grateful that you should invite me, a lifelong Democrat; on the other hand, I realize you are today inviting many lifelong Democrats to join our common cause¡¦.
I shall speak tonight of foreign affairs, even though the other party¡¯s convention barely touched the subject. When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought, as they did, they behaved less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich¡ªconvinced it could shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand.
Today, foreign policy is central to the security, to the freedom, to the prosperity, even to the survival of the United States. And our strength, for which we make many sacrifices, is essential to the independence and freedom of our allies and of our friends.
Ask yourself, What would become of Europe if the United States withdrew? What would become of Africa if Europe fell under Soviet domination? What would become of Europe if the Middle East came under Soviet control? What would become of Israel, if surrounded by Soviet client states? What would become of Asia if the Philippines or Japan fell under Soviet domination? What would become of Mexico if Central America became a Soviet satellite? What then could the United States do?
These are questions the San Francisco Democrats have not answered. These are questions they have not even asked.
The United States cannot remain an open, democratic society if we are left alone¡ªa garrison state in a hostile world. We need independent nations with which to trade, to consult, and cooperate. We need friends and allies with whom to share the pleasures and protection of our civilization. We cannot, therefore, be indifferent to the subversion of others¡¯ independence or to the development of new weapons by our adversaries or of new vulnerabilities by our friends.
The last Democratic administration did not seem to notice much, care much, or do much about these matters. And at home and abroad, our country slid into deep trouble. North and South, East and West, our relations deteriorated.
The Carter administration¡¯s motives were good, but their policies were inadequate, uninformed, and mistaken. They made things worse, not better. Those who had least, suffered most. Poor countries grew poorer. Rich countries grew poorer, too. The United States grew weaker.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union grew stronger. The Carter administration¡¯s unilateral ¡°restraint¡± in developing and deploying new weapon systems was accompanied by an unprecedented Soviet buildup, military and political.
The Soviets, working on the margins and through the loopholes of SALT I, developed missiles of stunning speed and accuracy and targeted the cities of our friends in Europe. They produced weapons capable of wiping out our land-based missiles. And then, feeling strong, Soviet leaders moved with boldness and skill to exploit their new advantages. Facilities were completed in Cuba during those years that permit Soviet nuclear submarines to roam our coasts, that permit Soviet planes to fly reconnaissance missions over the eastern United States, and permit Soviet electronic surveillance to monitor our telephone calls and telegrams.
Those were the years the Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran, while in Nicaragua the Sandinistas developed a one-party dictatorship based on the Cuban model.
From the fall of Saigon in 1975 until January 1981, Soviet influence expanded dramatically¡ªinto Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Yemen, Libya, Syria, Aden, Congo, Madagascar, Seychelles, and Grenada. Soviet bloc forces sought to guarantee what they call the ¡°irreversibility¡± of their newfound influence and to stimulate insurgencies in a dozen other places. During this period, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, murdered its president, and began a ghastly war against the Afghan people.
The American people were shocked by these events. We were greatly surprised to learn of our diminished economic and military strength; we were demoralized by the treatment of our hostages in Iran, and we were outraged by harsh attacks on the United States in the United Nations. As a result, we lost confidence in ourselves and in our government.
Jimmy Carter looked for an explanation for all these problems and thought he found it in the American people. But the people knew better. It was not malaise we suffered from, it was Jimmy Carter¡ªand Walter Mondale. And so in 1980 the American people elected a very different president. The election of Ronald Reagan marked an end to the dismal period of retreat and decline. His inauguration, blessed by the simultaneous release of our hostages, signaled an end to the most humiliating episode in our national history.
The inauguration of President Reagan signaled a reaffirmation of historic American ideals. Ronald Reagan brought to the presidency confidence in the American experience; confidence in the legitimacy and success of American institutions; confidence in the decency of the American people, and confidence in the relevance of our experience to the rest of the world. That confidence has proved contagious. Our nation¡¯s subsequent recovery in domestic and foreign affairs, the restoration of our economic and military strength, has silenced talk of inevitable American decline and reminded the world of the advantages of freedom.
President Reagan faced a stunning challenge; and he met it. In the three and one-half years since his inauguration, the United States has grown stronger, safer, more confident, and we are at peace¡¦. And at each step of the way, the same people who were responsible for America¡¯s decline have insisted that the president¡¯s policies would fail.
They said we could never deploy missiles to protect Europe¡¯s cities. But today Europe¡¯s cities enjoy that protection.
They said it would never be possible to hold elections in El Salvador, because the people were too frightened and the country too disorganized. But the people of El Salvador proved them wrong, and today President Napoleon Duarte has impressed the democratic world with his skillful, principled leadership.
They said we could not use America¡¯s strength to help others¡ªSudan, Chad, Central America, the Gulf states, the Caribbean nations¡ªwithout being drawn into war. But we have helped others resist Soviet, Libyan, and Cuban subversion, and we are at peace. They said that saving Grenada from totalitarianism and terror was the wrong thing to do¡ªthey didn¡¯t blame Cuba or the Communists for threatening American students and murdering Grenadans¡ªthey blamed the United States instead. But then, somehow, they always blame America first.
When our marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the ¡°blame America first crowd¡± did not blame the terrorists who murdered the marines, they blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first.
When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats did not blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States. But then, they always blame America first.
When Marxists dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats do not blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of one hundred years ago. But then, they always blame America first.
The American people know better. They know that Ronald Reagan and the United States did not cause the Marxist dictatorship in Nicaragua, or the repression of Poland, or the brutal new offensives in Afghanistan, or the destruction of the Korean airliner, or new attacks on religious and ethnic groups in the Soviet Union, or the jamming of Western broadcasts, or the denial of Jewish emigration, or the brutal imprisonment of Anatoly Shcharansky and Ida Nudel, or the obscene treatment of Andrey Sakharov and Elena Bonner, or the re-Stalinization of the Soviet Union.
The American people also know that it is dangerous to blame ourselves for terrible problems we did not cause. They understand just as the distinguished French writer Jean-Francois Revel understands the danger of endless self-criticism and self-denigration. He wrote, ¡°Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself.¡± With the election of Ronald Reagan, the American people declared to the world that we have the necessary energy and conviction to defend ourselves as well as a deep commitment to peace. And now, the American people, proud of our country, proud of our freedom, proud of ourselves, will reject the San Francisco Democrats and send Ronald Reagan back to the White House.
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"It has been observed that Marxism was itself a religion. It had its martyrs, processions, ritual flagellations, paradises; and other things besides, though they went by other names: but chiefly it had its Inquisitions -- the Great Purges, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution -- which consumed millions. It is ironic that the single greatest imperative of its ideological heirs is the urge to persecution. At heart political correctness is the rejection of the scientific method. Truth is measured by conformity to the unholy writ." The Belmont Club (Wretchard - 2006)
********************************************
"You really have to love this guy. God rest his soul."
We could use him now.
Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."
- Ronald Reagan
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
- Ronald Reagan
"The trouble with our liberal friend’s is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan
"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong."
- Ronald Reagan
"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
- Ronald Reagan
"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
- Ronald Reagan
"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."
- Ronald Reagan
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
- Ronald Reagan
"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
- Ronald Reagan
"I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."
- Ronald Reagan
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."
- Ronald Reagan
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
- Ronald Reagan
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
- Ronald Reagan
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
- Ronald Reagan
***********************************************
"And the Truth shall set You Free." John 8:31
"Remember, Be The Best You Can Be."
"Be Courageous! Have Faith! Go Foward." Thomas Edison
"Think Big." (Little minds focus on little things.)
"Problems Create Skills."
"Problems Create Confidence."
"Seek Intellectual Confidence."
"Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide."
"Change does not always mean improvement."
"Always Ride Your Own Horse." Timothy W. Swain
"Keep the ball in the other fellow's court."
"Always follow the straight and narrow."
"Do your best, that is all a mule can do."
"It's A Great Life If You Do Not Weaken." TWS
"It's A Great Life If You Remain Strong." TS
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness."
"The early bird catches the worm."
"Speed, Simplicity, Boldness." Patton
"In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet and say 'Make us your slaves, but feed us." Dostoyevsky
"People do not lack strength, they lack will." Victor Hugo
"(1) Be a Team Player; (2) Welcome Change; (3) Beware of Complacency; (4) Remember, Attitude is the Mother of Luck." Pat Riley ('What Winners Know"')
"A unique talent or insight usually lies behind every fortune." Barron's
"As they get older, men can become wise and mellow. Or they can get cranky and despairing." Paul Gigot, WSJ
"We now live in a world dominated by instant communications and unremitting economic competition. We now know that the key to progress is personal ability and personal autonomy." Robert Bartley, WSJ
"The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers." Arthur Koestler
"Life is built of the things we do; the only construction material is positive action."
"Do extraordinary things, do not just dream them."
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop
"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." Sir Edmund Hillary
"No man ever became great except through many and great mistakes." William E. Gladstone
"True democracy is not so much about the entitlement to vote, as it is the rule of law." John Crawford Davis, Bethesda, MD, WSJ letter to editor
"Think Preventive Law." Tim Swain
"Obstacles are things you see when you take your eyes off the GOAL."
"The world is composed of billions of individuals making trillions of economic decisions each day guided by the iron laws of self-interest and mutual advantage." WSJ letter to editor
"Innovate, develop, motivate, inspire trust - be a leader."
"Money is the enemy of caste and stagnation." Forbes
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Alan Kay
"Opportunities are seldom labeled."
"The most important political development of the second millennium was the firm establishment, first in one or two countries, then in many, of the rule of lawÂ…and the rule of law throughout our planet is likely to be among the achievements of the third millenniumÂ…." Paul Johnson, WSJ
"Leadership is action, not position."
"The Cost of Freedom is Service." Kay Swain
"Freedom is not free." - U.S. Special Forces
"It Can Be Done!" S.H.Altorfer
"All action people are born leaders."
"Ability involves responsibility."
"Man is selfish for neglecting his neighbor's good."
"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."
"Think well of yourself and proclaim this fact to the world not in loud words,but in great deeds." Optimist's Creed
"There is a spark of genius in each of us - find it - use it." Peoria High School
"In the story of our lives we cannot write the beginning or the end - but we can write anything we want in the middle - if we believe in ourselves." PHS
"Leaders always look out for their troops."
The two most important Rules of Life: (a) self confidence, and (b) a sense of humor. ts
"Now children, don't forget to pray." David A. Hoerr, Apostolic Christian Church Sunday School teacher, 1950's.
"Where there is a will, there is a way."
"When you rest, you rust." - Sign, YMCA locker room.
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." Henry D.Thoreau
"ATTORNEY. The Most Creative Job In the World. It involves: Law * Communications * Government * Intellect * History * Judgment * Detection * Memory * Oratory * Diplomacy * Education * Anyone who can handle all this Is someone very Special!" Inscription on mug which was a surprise gift from Kristan to her Dad (12.1993).
"To God Be The Glory."
"Believe in yourself."
"If it's going to be, it's up to me."
"I don't have time for that."
"Aw, the hell with it. Just do it."
"That's his problem."
"Oh Tim, you can't worry about that."
"Focus on the mission."
"The real secret of success is enthusiasm."
"All things are difficult before they are easy." English proverb
"Get up. Get moving. Get going."
"You gotta keep going."
The two characteristics that all the self-made millionaires have in common: (a) they think differently from the crowd, and (b) they have a strong belief in themselves.
"Discipline is remembering what you want." Osmond family motto
"You can't worry about it."
"The past is our future. Let's all pray together. Let's all work together and I believe we'll see change." - Native American saying forwarded to Papa Tim by grandson Hank Smith, Great Falls, Montana.
"Life always gets harder toward the summit - the cold increases, responsibility increases." Nietzsche
"Triumph lies in discipline."
"The Fall Of A Republic
When the 13 colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over 2000 years previous to that time:
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence:
from bondage to spiritual faith,
from spiritual faith to great courage,
from courage to liberty,
from liberty to abundance,
from abundance to selfishness,
from selfishness to complacency,
from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependency,
from dependency back to bondage." Alexander Tyler [Gregg G. Smith]
"Every day is a good day. Some are just better than others." Devan Swain Smith
"CNN lies." - Tailwind Story, 1998
"At an early age, I became aware that newspapers report no event honestly." George Orwell
"I lied to everybody." Bill Clinton, 60 Minutes interview with Dan Rather, June, 2004
"I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things." Dan Rather
"In an insight into who the media most influence, Gallup discovered that 'those with lower levels of education and income are more likely to have confidence in the media's accuracy and fairness."
"The Peoria Journal Star selfishly seeks to harm the Peoria area and its citizens." Bielfeldt story - 2003
"Now 'drawer dumping' and 'pillow slicing' are reported (by the mainstream media) with the same level of breathless outrage as a bullet in the back of a GI's head during an act of kindness." Investor's Business Daily, May 18, 2004
"Opinions based upon ignorance are worthless."
"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid."
"Victory belongs to the persistent."
"The future belongs to those who prepare for it." Emerson
"Courage is believing in yourself, and that is something no one can teach you."
"Every noble work is at first impossible." Thomas Carlyle
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort." Teddy Roosevelt
"We don't have time to be unhappy!" - Dr. Sue Sauder
"Great spirits have always encountered violet opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
"Press on: Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance." Calvin Coolidge
"Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains." William Penn
"The secret is this: Strength lies solely in tenacity." Louis Pasteur
"Fortune favors the brave." Terence
"The extent of the 'desire to control' is what distinguishes all political philosophies."
"There are no limitations except those you acknowledge. Whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve." Napoleon Hill
"The price of Liberty is eternal vigilance."
"The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men." Thoreau
"Oh, the hell with it, just do it."
"Brevity is the soul of wit." - Shakespeare
"The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men." Thoreau
"God of Grace, God of Glory, Grant Us Wisdom, Grant Us Courage." Henry Emerson Fosdisk at dedication of Riverside Church, NYC
Weight Watchers 17 Words That Will Never Fail You:
Prepare
Care
Forgive
Change
Risk
Listen
Choose
Relax
Pray
Persist
Smile
Focus
Act
Trust
Accept
Wait
"First you borrow, then you beg." Hemingway, "Old Man and The Sea"
"Who moved my cheese?"
"Let's roll!" Todd Beamer 9.11.2001 Flight 93
"We cannot know every turn this battle will take. Yet we know our cause is just and our ultimate victory is assured. We will no doubt face new challenges. But we have our marching orders: My fellow Americans, let's roll." - President George W. Bush 11.9.2001
"People sleep at night peacefully because violent men ready to fight stand guard over them." George Orwell
"Move the blood. Stay in touch."
"O God, Your Sea So Great, Our Ship So Small."
"Prompt obediance. Iron discipline." Rangers
"Never complain. Never explain."
"It's the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate.
It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trail.
And it's the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives the protester the right to burn the flag."
"To those who pit Americans against immigrants, citizens against non-citizens, to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve.... They give ammunition to America's enemies and pause to America's friends. They encourage people of good will to remain silent in the face of evil." U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, 12.6.2001
"Good surgeons are born, not made." Taylor Caldwell, "Testimony of Two Men"
"Trace, you really do have good hands." Dr. Smink, Chief Surgeon, to Dr. Swain, Chief Surgical Resident, 2003
"A day without surgery is like a day without sunshine." A dedicated surgeon
"Don't kid yourself, that's the way it is." Grace (Jack's mother)Welch
"Make every obstacle an opportunity." Linda (Lance's mother) Armstrong
"A person who has tried and failed is superior to the person who has never tried."
"Never underestimate an American."
"He was born tired and raised lazy."
"I hate facts. I always say the chief end of man is to form general propositions - adding that no general proposition is worth a damn." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
"There are no facts, only interpretations." - Nietzsche
"As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our Union has never been stronger....I will not wait on events, while dangers gather....My budget supports three great goals for America; We will win this war; we'll protect our homeland; and we will revive our economy....Good jobs must be the aim of welfare reform. As we reauthorize these important reforms, we must always remember the goal is to reduce dependency on government and offer every American the dignity of a job....America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity; the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property; free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance....We seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror...." President George W. Bush, January 29,2002
"Creative people are laced with self doubt." From the novel, 'Envy'
"That [state] which separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting by fools.' Thucydides, 'The Peloponnesian Wars'
"The purpose of our legal system in general and our adversarial system in particular is to ascertain the truth." The Federalist Society
"Lord, grant me the patience to endure my Blessings." Bil Keane
"Keep it clean and Keep it neat." The Rules of this Room
"A Winner never quits. A quitter never wins."
"If it is to be, it is up to me."
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams
And endeavors to live a life which he has imagined
He will meet with a Success unexpected in common dreams."
Henry David Thoreau
"1982 Family Resolutions
1. Team Work Around the House - "12 helping hands"
2. Be happy. Think kind thoughts
3. No gossip. No bad news
4. Acept Family duties happily
5. Treat each other kindly
6. Be tolerant. Count to 50 before becoming angry
7. Gripe session. List on paper all complaints and they will be discussed . Also list one compliment.
8. Be active in the "meal assistance program"
9. California trip = everyone getting good grades
10. Learn to plan & use lists on a daily basis
11. Work to achieve your own "goals list"
12. Take part in the weekly Sunday Planning Conference.
Mom, Dad, Devan, Alicia, Trace & Kristan
"Pride goeth before the fall."
"Well done is better than well said." Ben Franklin
"The Family that prays together stays together."
"Character is the only secure foundation of the State." Calvin Coolidge
"Establish your territory." Ralph (Dale's dad) Earnhardt
"Give me a knapsack of medals and I will conquer the World."Napoleon
"Success demands singleness of purpose." Vince Lombardi
"[N]o weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism...." President Ronald Reagan, 1st Inaugural Address
"Ronald Reagan won the Cold War single-handedly, without firing a shot." Margaret Thatcher, Britain's Prime Minister
"Never go to the law for revenge, only money."
"A soldier is a person who fights for people who cannot fight for themselves."
"You never hit higher than you aim." Dr. Chester Danehower
"He lies like an eyewitness." Russian saying
"Again, from our redoubt in the 21st century the decade's divers look so naive and even goofy, but anyone who came into contact with these quintessentially American entrepreneurs couldn't help but be touched by their optimism, belief in self and extraordinary energy, an energy described many years ago by a famous European as the Protestant ethic -- work hard, get ahead." WSJ 5.3.2002, Daniel Henninger,
"Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave." Henry Brougham
"Be Cheerfull. Don't Worry. Feel Good." Larry Hageman
"Never brag. Never quit. Never let 'em know you're hurting. Be honest. Be kind. Care about the other guy. Don't look down on anyone. Compete hard. Play to win. Give the other guy credit." Grandmother Dotty Bush
"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbles, nor where the doer of deeds could have done them better. On the contrary, the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena - whose vision is marred by the dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up again and again; who knows the great devotions, the great enthusiasms; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement. However, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
Democratic Party: "A collection of warring tribes that have come together in anticipation of common plunder."
"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." Thomas Jefferson
"This old house once gave warmth and comfort as we fought the 'storms of life.'"
"A little boy was hitting a baseball by himself. Before he threw the ball up in the air the first time to hit it, he said, "I am the greatest." He missed. He threw it a second time, saying, "I am the greatest." He missed. He threw the ball up a third time, saying, "I am the greatest" and again missed. He picked up the ball and then said, "I am the greatest pitcher." Paul Harvey
"Always seek to know and understand the Big Picture."
"Success often comes from successful environments. If you're in a dynamic company, school or family, you'll experience and see success. If you're not, you need to place yourself in situations in which you can experience and feel success." Dr. Bob Arnot
"The cumulative effect of the small become gradually large." Ken Carrigan
"The concept is interesting and well formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." A Yale University professor in response to a paper by Fred Smith, future founder of FedEx, proposing reliable overnight delivery service.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the whole universe." Einstein
"Stay alert. Stay alive." Major Hackworth
"Character consists of what you do on the 3rd and 4th tries." James Michener
"Don't assume anything. No excuses." Lt. Col. Hooper, USA, ROTC-University of Illinois
"We've got to work hard and keep moving and try to do the right thing." Whitey Whiteside in the novel 'Jim the Boy',Tony Earley
"Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs repainting." Billy Rose
"I personally believe we were put here to build and not to destroy. So if by chance some day you're not feeling well and you should remember some silly little thing I've said or done and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled. Goodnight and may God bless." Red Skeleton. These are the words that he sometimes used to close his performance, which describe his philosophy about life.
"Blessings in disguise fill our lives, and are everywhere."
"Search for and recognize blessings."
"Requisites for all personal services: honesty, competency."
"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while Congress is in session." Mark Twain
"God gave us an unfinished world so that we have the joy of participating in creation. What we're doing is God's work. We're trying to turn this unfinished world into something we want it to be. God did not ask you to accept life. You must take it. The only question is 'how?' Some meet the challenge; some don't." Bob Jamieson
"Liberals are in my estimation just not bright people. They don't think deeply; they don't comprehend; they don't understand....They have a narrow educational base, as opposed to hard scientists....I have not been impressed with the intellect of the left since I was a freshman in college." Dick Armey
"While one hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
"Useful idiots." Lenin, on Westerners who believe Marxist/Socialist ideology
"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment." Robert Hutchins
"Free beer, tomorrow." Sign at One Stop Cafe, Franklin, Tennessee
"It was merely an indicator of the man's strength of character. [Jack] Ryan was a tough formidable sob who met things head-on when he had to. That was his weakness, Wellington told himself. He prefers to meet things head-on. He lacks subtlety. It was a common failing of the honest, and a grievous weakness in a political environment." Tom Clancy's 'The Sum of All Fears.'
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Ronald Reagan
"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free." P.J. O'Rourke
"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you." Pericles (430 BC)
"Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no rest." George W. Bush
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course. I have kept the faith." II Timothy 4:7
"Conservatism is better for America than liberalism, because it's more tuned to individual freedom." William Saffire
"I am what I am." Popeye
"I like old people." Carsen Smith, age 5
"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." Thomas Jefferson
"The show goes on."
"It's showtime."
"Professionals should not take what amateurs have say too seriously."
"Dogs bark at things beyond their understanding."
"You need three things to win a war, Money, money and more money" - Trivulzio (1441-1518)
"Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that." Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." Vince Lombardi
"The secret of discipline is motivation. When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself." Sir Alexander Paterson
"Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." Gen. George S. Patton
"If women did not exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning." Aristotle Onassis
"There seems to be little correlation between a man's effectiveness and his intelligence...brilliant men are often strikingly ineffectual." Peter Drucker
"The only person who is not insecure is 6 feet under." P. Drucker
"The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn." David Russell
"The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone." Lady Reading
"Know your enemy."
"Never despise your enemy."
"Knowledge is power."
"If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.'' Gus Grissom
"No one is big enough to be independent of others." Dr. Will Mayo
"Success demands singleness of purpose." Vince Lombardi
"A nation can have no permanent allies, only permanent interests." Lord Palmeraton
"There are knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns." Unknown (Rumsfield)
"The one thing that's clear, at least to me, is that to participate in modern society you need a good education.. When I was growing up, mechanical sciences were obvious: You can look at a car, take it apart and figure out how it works. But biology and biotechnology are not obvious. To get that knowledge, you need a solid education." Gordon Moore
"If you have you have your health, you have everything." Dad
"When you can't breathe, nothing else matters." Chicago Lung Association
"Every day matters."
"Today is tomorrow's yesterday. Make it count." Reis Ford, Marissa, IL
"Hollywood's beautifully bodied, but mentally and patriotically limited stars and starlets, going on worldwide television and opening their precious little mouths..." Tony Blankley
"Iraq makes a new exhibit for the argument that natural resources are more a curse than a blessing." Holman Jenkins,Jr.
"A Texas Ranger is an officer who is able to handle any situation without definite instructions from his commanding officer or higher authority." Captain Bob Crower
"No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that is in the right and keeps on a-comin." Captain, Bill Mc Donald, Texas Ranger
"When your success exceeds your expectations, it's a trap." Army general
"C-One-Thirty rollin' down the strip
Airborne Ranger on a one-way trip
Mission unspoken, destination unknown,
Airborne Ranger ain't never comin' home!" Ranger running cadence
"Communists are people who read Marx and Engles, anti-communists are those who understand Marx and Engles." Ronald Reagan
"Who dares wins." Special Air Service Regiment
"Operations create opportunities." Brig.Gen. Vincent Brooks
"When I wake up each morning, I want to be able to answer 'yes' to the question, 'Do I feel honorable and clean?'" Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman
"Don't gamble. Buy some good stock. Hold it till it goes up... and then sell it. If it doesn't go up, don't buy it!" Will Rogers
"In foreign policy, America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests." Henry Kissinger
"Capitalism produces mass affluence." Dinesh D'Souza
"Immigrants don't spend a lot of time contemplating the hardships of the past; their gaze is firmly fixed on the future. They recognize that education and entrepreneurship are the fastest ladders to success in America." D'Souza
"America is the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism. This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world. By making sacrifices for America, and by our willingness to die for her, we bind ourselves by invisible cords to those great patriots who fought at Yorktown, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima, and we prove ourselves worthy of the blessings of freedom. By defeating the terrorist threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism, we can protect the American way of life while once again redeeming humanity from a global menace. History will view America as a great gift to the world, a gift that Americans today must preserve and cherish." Dinesh D'Sourza's 'What's So Great About America'
"Hypocrites lack credibility."
"We are disciplined, trained and accurate." Brig. Gen. Brooks
"America is the last best hope for mankind." A. Lincoln
"Commerce, which if properly managed, will be a better instrument for obliging the interested nations of Europe to treat us with justice." Thomas Jefferson (1797)
"Changing seasons make life more interesting and folks can always discuss the weather." Butte, Montana brochure
"How are the battles going?" Greeting of hiker on Mt. Sentinel, Missoula, MT
"Generally, the RMI guides are in their 20's and their clients are in their 30's and 40's. Climbing Mt. Rainier is a young man's ball game." TS, 6.21.2003
"Always take advantage of 'open' stairways at airports. Good exercise."
"You can do anything if you have enthusiasm." Winterset,Iowa sign
"Let there be light." Andrew Carnegie, from nothing to wealth to giving all his wealth away, including establishing over 2,000 libraries in America and his native Scotland, in that he believed education was the secret.
"Success breeds enemies."
"While the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it's best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department." Andrew Carnegie
"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln
"Seek good, and not evil, that you may live, so the Lord will be with you." Amos 5:14 - Norma Lee Jones
"The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter - he's got to just know." Will Rogers
"The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others."
"For America, there will be no going back to the era before September the 11th, 2001 - to false comfort in a dangerous world. We have learned that terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness. And the surest way to avoid attacks on our own people is to engage the enemy where he lives and plans. We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities." President George W. Bush, 9.7.2003.
"I like action."
"The most valuable natural resource in the 21st century is brains. Smart people tend to be mobile. Watch where they go! Because where they go, robust economic activity will follow." Rich Karlgaard
"Leaders need courage to fight for right, and wisdom to know when to retreat to fight another day."
"An oral contract is not worth the paper it's written on." Louis B. Mayer
"The longer we look into the past, the more we see into the future." Winston Churchill
"17.2% of statistics are made up on the spot." George Carlin
"If you done it, you ain't bragging." Dizzy Dean
"The finest metal is forged in the hottest fire."
"You will figure it out." Dr. Sue Sauder
"You can handle it."
"No problem."
"You can do it."
"A great leader is distinguished from a mere politician, by the mental power to concentrate on objectives for long periods without tiring." Napoleon
"Driver carries no cash. Our kids have all of it." Bumper sticker I-355
"Flash your hooters for driver." Written in dirt on back of semi - I-80(watch it, he might take photo!)
"This man means trouble for all your kind,
You shrinkers and cowards with a sick soul and mind
Beware his temper that you do not burst
For he is a fighter from the 101st." Author, Vietnam vet
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." Thomas Paine
"Politics is like fighting rats. You have to keep at it night and day." Zell Miller
"Deal with it."
"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe -- because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty." G.W.Bush
"There are leaders and there are gripers."
"If the shoe fits, wear it."
"The danger when men stop believing in God is not that they'll believe in nothing, but that they'll believe in anything." G.K. Chesterton
"Christmas Blessings on all."
"Troubles-flee following a good nights sleep."
"I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant." Admiral Yamamoto, post Pearl Harbor bombing
"Success goes to who can predict evolutionary change and take advantage of the resulting chaos."
"3-legged stool: each leg equally important."
"Skilling was a city kid who understood, from personal experience, the perpetual change that defines urban (and, maybe more important, suburban) life that, intuitively if not expresses, the emptiness that often lays at the center of it." Power Failure The Inside Story of the Collapse of ENRON
"Every era gets the clowns it deserves." Vince Kaminski
"Steely determination is required to achieve lasting change."
"The best chance you have of making a big success in this world is to decide from square one that you're going to do it ethically." Alan Greenspan
"Two rules for a happy life: (a) love your work; (b) retain a sense of humor." Dr. Huge Firor
"Something to do; something to love; something to work for."
"All styles are good except the boring." Voltaire
"What you see is not always what you get."
"Best to be thankful for what you have than to complain about what you don't."
"Be sure you're right, then go ahead." Davy Crockett
"Patience and persistence." Bill Porter's mother
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." Machiavelli
"You can only fail if you give up too soon." Jonas Salk
"A cheap dollar means lots of US exports and fewer US imports."
"US Exports = US jobs + profits."
"Age, damn you AGE!"
"Sound judgment is one of the qualities that sets us apart from insect life and the Osbourne family." William F. Buckley Jr.
"No one likes to say it, but over half the people on the FBI's Most Wanted terrorist list are named Mohammed, Ahmed, or both."
"Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress." Thomas A. Edison
""Prefer a lost to a dishonest gain; the one brings pain at the moment, the other for all time." Chilton
"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation." Pearl S. Buck
"Hey, we all make mistakes." William J. Casey
"The more liberal the facade, the darker the heart."
"Not having a clue about what the future holds is one of the least appreciated conditions of life. If we knew, probably most of us would be in a constant state of despair. But in our ignorance of the future, most of us live in hope. " Tony Blankley
"Essential traits of leadership(Jack Welch):
1. Energy - can go go go - love action - relish change
2. Energize others - love people - can inspire people
3. Edge - courage to make tough yes-no decisions
4. Execute - get the job done."
"Diligence is the mother of good luck." Ben Franklin
"Have hope and harness fear."
"Perception is sometimes reality, sometimes not."
"The only way you hurt your body is not using it. That's the killer: inactivity." Jack LaLanne
"You have to do muscle work, you got to do flexibility, you got to do some cardiovascular. That's the key. If man makes it, don't eat it and don't eat between meals. He drinks plenty of water, eats at least 10 raw vegetables and 5 pieces of fresh fruit daily." Jack LaLanne
"Three hops get you just as far as one leap."
"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength."
"Nobody can pedal a bike for you."
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." Robert Frost
"The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning bug and lightning." Mark Twain
"We become what we think about." Earl Nightingale
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature." Helen Keller
"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln
"I love America."
"The essence of a successful life: Honor. Contribution."
"Texas has better art galleries than France does -- the Louvre being the sole exception -- and that although Texas is only one state in the union it has more first-class universities that the entire country of France does...." Paul Johnson, British historian, Forbes
"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." Satchel Paige
"The secret is exercise."
"A man is happiest when he is working." Uncle Stanton Jones
"Life is a journey."
"Life is a stall."
"Luck is the residue of design."
"Fear can paralyze. Action is the antidote." Ken Follett in "Hornet Flight"
"In the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet and say 'Make us your slaves, but feed us." Dostoyevsky
"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may be even a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves." Winston Churchill (page 310, "The Hell Makers")
"Nothing good comes from something bad."
"America's best days lie ahead." Ronald Reagan
"Evil thrives when good people do nothing."
"Self talk: You can't worry about it Tim; Oh, the hell with it, Tim; Nice person/people"
"Individual ambition serves the common good." Adam Smith
"From here, you can go anywhere." Sign in Idaho Falls, ID airport (U of ID)
"Don't pack your ancestors around on your back." Fannie Gebhart's Dad, Dr. Alexander H. Ewing.
"They join for the action. So they enjoy it very much." Special operators in Afghanistan.
"We can only remain free if America remains strong." Ronald Reagan
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Ronald Reagan
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Dwight Eisenhower
"America is no longer the melting pot it used to be. It has now become a tossed salad of foreigners that arrive to our shores wanting to keep their culture and forcing our acceptance."
"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude." Colin Powell
"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill
"Political Correctness is just Tyranny with manners." Charlton Heston
"The government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps on moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it." Ronald Reagan
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try and take it." Thomas Jefferson
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison - The Federalist Papers No. 46, 243-244
"The difference between a politician and a statesman is: a politician thinks of the next election and the statesman thinks of the next generation." J.F. Clarke
"Communism is like prohibition. It's a nice idea, but it won't work." Will Rogers
"Riding is simple. It's just not easy." Carsen's riding academy, Great Falls, Montana
"We are all imperfect. Still, we can be great." Kristan
"Life is fun."
"They do not know me or my family. They do know my reputation." Alvin LaCabe, commencement speaker, The University of Denver College of Law, Kristan's graduation, May 15, 2004
"To win in a battle, you must be the one to choose the battleground." Garry Kasparov
"My legs are strong and I've got a lot of ambition." Ranger Colonel Charles Beckwith, founder of Delta Force
"Brains matter, not size."
"Nothing happens until somebody sells something."
"The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind forward." Igor Sikorsky
Investor's Business Daily has spent years analyzing leaders and successful people in all walks of life. Most have 10 traits that, when combined, can turn dreams into reality. They are:
1. How you think is everything: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.
2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.
3. Take action: Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started. Just do it.
4. Never stop learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.
5. Be persistent and work hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
6. Learn to analyze details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
7. Focus your time and money: Don't let other people or things distract you.
8. Don't be afraid to innovate; be different; Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.
9. Deal and communicate with people effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.
10. Be honest and dependable; take responsibility: Otherwise, Nos. 1-9 won't matter.
"The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators." Edward Gibbon
"The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point...you've got to keep on working that talent." Irving Berlin
"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity." Douglas MacArthur
"The Democrat Party and the leftist (ABCCBSNBCCNN NYLATIMES) media are a criminal enterprise."
"Many minds make quick work of uncertainty."
"It was Lt. George Rice of the 10th Armored Division.
Rice(to Winters) "Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
Winters: "We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded." 101st Airborne Division
"I've told you a billion times, stop exaggerating."
"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class, except Congress." Mark Twain
"People tend to get well."
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged." President Abraham Lincoln
"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all." George Washington
"In the long run, people hit only what they aim at." H. D. Thoreau
"They must know the price the Americans paid to free our continent. Half a million killed in World War II. More than 7000 killed on D-Day alone, in Normandy; 25,000 killed to liberate Italy. Some of them rest in peace in our country, buried in Anzio. I suggest you visit that cemetery, and see the names of people unknown to you: John, Charlie, Robert, Ted, Howard... Men aged 20, 22, who gave up their life for our freedom." -Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi
"When the Lord calls me home, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future." Ronald Reagan
"I lied to everybody." Bill Clinton, 60 Minutes interview with Dan Rather (6.2004)
"When the Berlin Wall fell, the perpetual right in America, which always needs an enemy, didn't have an enemy anymore, so I had to serve as the next best thing." Bill Clinton
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." Ronald Reagan
"Ronald Reagan, unlike all but 10 or so Presidents, was a world figure whose career will interest historians for centuries, and centuries hence his greatness will be, and should be, measured primarily by what happened in Europe, as a glorious echo of his presidency, in the three years after he left the White House. What happened was the largest peaceful revolution in history, resulting in history's largest emancipation of people from tyranny - a tyranny that had deadened life for hundreds of millions of people from the middle of Germany to the easternmost of Russia's 11 time zones...." George Will
"Why do Al Qaeda and DNC press releases always sound the same?"
"Europe says: 'Let's give communism another try."
"Nothing is wrong with shooting as long as the right people get shot." Dirty Harry
"War means fighting, and fighting means killing and getting there firstest with the mostest." Nathan Bedford Forrest
"Leaders initiate."
"Rules of war - luck and pluck."
"Many of you are well enough off...the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Hillary Clinton (6.29.2004 - San Francisco)
"From each according to his means, to each according to his needs." Karl Marx
"Some of us are more equal than others." Animal Farm
"If you can read this, thank a teacher...and since it is in English, thank a soldier."
"The lottery is a tax on people who are not good at math."
"Our aims are simple to state. They will be challenging to achieve." Paul Volcker, Chair, U.N. Oil-for-Food Program Inquiry
"He loved being on a team, fighting for a goal." Lance Cpl. Justin Hunt, age 22, killed after losing 150 lbs to enlist in Marines, Iraq, 2004
"Anyone spouting the decline of America's youth never had the privilege of commanding them in combat." 1st Lt. Lee Alley, DSC, 1968, Vietnam
"The last two words of American are 'I Can'." ViceAdm Conroy Land, 1945
"An ambassador is a good man sent abroad to lie for his country." Sir Henry Wootton
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them" Ray Bradbury
"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should get too fond of it." Robert E. Lee
"History suggests that Capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom." Milton Friedman
"Speed (i.e. continuous movement) is security in recon platoons."
"Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is the ability to keep going in the presence of fear."
"They should have armed themselves." Clint Eastwood
"Camelot, like all dreams, dies with the dawning of the light." Wes Pruden
"The secret is focus."
"We're challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've raised the bar. We're setting high standards. We're focusing on results. We're insisting on accountability. We're empowering parents. We're making sure local folks are in charge of school, real substantial progress in reading and math...With four more years, we'll help a rising generation gain the skills and the confidence to achieve the American dream...Good education means workers can realize their dreams...One of the lessons of September 11th is we must deal with threats before they fully materialize...We will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral clarity...But I will never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries...In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty and hopelessness and resentment...The role of government is to help our citizens gain the time and the tools to make their own choices and improve their own lives...." George W. Bush, Springfield, Missouri, July 2004
"Life at the top is frequently a lonely business." Ronald Reagan
"Members and front organizations must continually embarrass, discredit and degrade our critics. When obstructionists become too irritating, label them as fascist, or Nazi or anti-Semitic .... The association will, after enough repetition, become "fact" in the public mind."
--Communist Party, Moscow Central Committee 1943
"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." Alexander Hamilton
"There's more to life than football. I want to contribute to society and help people." Cpl. Pat Tillman, U.S. Army Rangers
"Great things can be accomplished as long as you don't care who gets the credit." Ronald Reagan
"Mess with the best, die like the rest." Ancient Special Forces saying
"When Bush said that Scalia and Thomas are examples of judges who base their judgments strictly on the words of the Constitution, he was stating what the American people expect of judges. The alternative is for judges to base their decisions on their personal political views and supremacist attitude." Phyllis Schlafly
"You can run, but you'll only die tired." U.S. Army long-range snipers
"Get out and do something. Just don't watch TV." G.H.W.Bush, 80+ parachutist
"Like all good husbands he brought out the best in his wife." Amy Finnerty, speaking of Paul Child, Julia's husband.
"He fights." A. Lincoln explaining why he liked U.S. Grant
"Chloroform in print." Mark Twain remarking on a particular article
"The Darfur genocide — like the genocides in Rwanda, Srebrenica, Cambodia, and so many other nations in the last century — was made possible only by the prior destruction of that fifth auxiliary right (i.e. the right to be armed)....It is long past time for the United Nations and the rest of the international community to do more than bemoan genocide after the fact. It is time for formal international law to recognize the natural right of self-defense, and to acknowledge the universal human right of "having arms for their defense" so that, as a last resort, victims can "restrain the violence of oppression." As history has shown, as long as dictatorships exist, the only way to ensure the primary right to life is to guarantee the auxiliary right to arms." National Review Online, August 18, 2004 'Avoiding Genocide: The right to bear arms could have saved Sudan.'
"The very roots of restricting private firearm ownership run deep with racism." American Freedom (NRA) Magazine, 9.2004, page 25
"O my young friend, the world is beautiful and life is full of promise." Phillip Brooks
"In spite of the most inept civilian command possible, our military had defeated the NVA. But not for the Kerry's, Fonda's and their red, diaper, doper, baby buddies millions of Vietnamese and Cambodians would be alive today." Lucianne.com chatter
"Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce."
"Victory at all costs, for without victory there is no survival." Churchill
"Truth is the most powerful concept, because we can do nothing about it." Marilyn Vos Savant
"Do what you are afraid to do; go where you are afraid to go. When you run away because you are afraid to do something big, you pass opportunity by." W. Clement Stone
"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The classical difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that if you send an introvert into a reception or an event with a hundred other people he will emerge with less energy that he had going in; an extrovert will come out of that event energized, with more energy than he had going in."
"Light, swift, accurate." Motto, 199th Light Infantry Brigade
"Without a heritage, every generation starts over." The Heritage Foundation
P.J. O'Rourke explaining to a British gent the basic nature of your average American: "WE BE BAD....We're three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car-wreck and descended from a stock-market crash on our mother's side. You take your Germany, France and Spain, roll them all together, and it wouldn't give us room to park our cars. We're the big boys, Jack, the original giant economy-sized new and improved butt-kickers of all time."
"I don't give anybody hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell." Harry S Truman
"But you are not natural runners like I am." Hank Smith, age 11, at conclusion of his cross-country six week season - in response to his parents' observation that between them they have finished 5 marathons.
"The rich don't mind high taxes, because they already have their money." Barney Kilgore, WSJ
"If you hate the people who hate you, then you become like the people who hate you." Richard M. Nixon
"Achievers experience moments of anger, indecision, intemperance, envy, fear, too."
"In their hunger for power and control, Democrats/Liberals are willing to destroy America and Americans."
"By not reading the local liberal newspaper, a side benefit is not to be drawn to reading the pages of depressing obituaries of mainly the unknown."
"Patton has two phrases that he used almost ad nauseum. The first, from Danton, was "Audacity, always audacity, still more audacity." The second was "the unforgiving minute," a phrase from Kipling that referred to certain times in war when the collective will of people or an army can without warning collapse - critical moments that must be capitalized on."
"After the debate, Lynn Cheney ripped Kerry. 'This is not a good man," she said. "Of course, I am speaking as a mom, and a pretty indignant mom,...What a cheap and tawdry political trick."
"The secret is ice."
"We live in the age of surprises."
"No ordinary work done by a man is either as hard or as responsible as the work of a woman who is bringing up a family of small children; for upon her time and strength demands are made not only every hour of the day but often every hour of the night. She may have to get up night after night to take care of a sick child, and yet must by day continue to do all her household duties as well; and if the family means are scant she must usually enjoy even her rare holidays taking her whole brood of children with her. The birth pangs make all men the debtors of all women. Above all our sympathy and regard are due to the struggling wives among those whom Abraham Lincoln called the plain people, and whom he so loved and trusted; for the lives of these women are often led on the lonely heights of quiet, self-sacrificing heroism." Teddy Roosevelt"
"Then I heard the name of the Lord say 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, "Here am I, send me." Isaiah 6:8. United States Army Ranger Association.
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, who shall I send, and who shall go for us? Then said I, here am I, Send me." Isaiah 6:8, Son Tay Raider Association, 21 November 1970
"Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics."
"Why, man, we are at war!" Winston Churchill's critique of Cordell Hull's fatigue in a late night planning session in the early stages of WWII, when Hull began to excuse himself and head for bed, citing the lateness of the hour.
"Following honorable U.S.Navy service, Democrat Kerry betrayed America and sided with its enemies, the Vietcong, the North Vietnamese, the Soviets, the Sandinistas, the Communists in Grenada and in 1991, Saddam Hussein."
"Going forward into the future with only the past as our guide is akin to driving down a road with a blacked-out windshield and only a fleeting glimpse of the rearview mirror to help us on our way. It is unfair that men should live thus; uncertain of their eternal fate; blinkered and ignorant even of the consequences of their well-intended actions. Perhaps the most we can hope for is to act with honesty and goodwill. Robert E. Lee is forgiven for choosing the wrong side; forgiven for his sincerity and manliness. Sherman is pardoned his brutality; pardoned him for being in the right. But the book has not yet been written of our days; yet tomorrow we shall write and be judged." Wetchard, The Belmont Club
"America is land of the free, because it is home of the brave."
"Perennial conflict - freedom vs. control."
"With God, all things are possible." The Salvation Army
"Potestas Democraticorum delenda est!" Hugh Hewitt
"If it's not close, they can't cheat." Hugh Hewitt
"Life is short, pray hard." Bumper sticker at Rivercity
"Cultural liberals despise religion and patriotism."
"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future." Adolph Hitler, 1935
"Darkness is a friend to the skilled infantryman." Liddell Hart
"They're not Americans. They're just journalists." Col. George Connell, USMC
"Blamers are weak."
"There is only one type of Ranger." Brig.Gen "Smokin Joe" Stringham, a Ranger legend
"Dare to be a David. Dare to stand alone." Smokin Joe's Mother
"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave." Patrick Henry
"I am a patient man....." Gen. Wayne A. Downing
"Who is he. Whom is him." Donald M. Hartshorn
"Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." George Orwell
"A pretty girl is twice as pretty when she smiles." Tom Lawless
"Santa, what's your zip code?" Will Swain, age 4 to Santa on Christmas Eve at the Crawfords. Earlier, when his brother Sam, age 6, wanted to write Santa, his Mother said they would have to find Santa's zip code. Will's teacher described him as a "very confident little boy."
" It was like the 1959 Kingston Trio song, "The Merry Minuet"
They're rioting in Africa.
They're starving in Spain.
There's hurricanes in Florida;
And Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans.
The Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs.
South Africans hate the Dutch;
And I don't like anybody very much."
"What do you want to be remembered for? It is a question that induces you to renew yourself, because it pushes you to see yourself as a different person - the person you can become. If you are fortunate, someone with moral authority will ask you that question early enough in your life so that you can continue to ask it as you go through life." Peter Drucker
"Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidences rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way." Ronald Reagan
"Privacy is essential to liberty." Roger Hedgecock
"Payback...is a medivac." Old Army mantra of revenge
"Why must you curl your lip when you say that?"
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage." Thucydides
"The Only Two Rules of Life: (a) Honesty; (b) Golden Rule."
"You can't just do what is best, you have to do what is necessary." W.Churchill
"...Vietnam Part II --not the war, the failure of political will-- is under way, but this time the consequences of allowing the left to succeed won't be two million dead Cambodians and hundreds of thousands of imprisoned South Vietnamese or boat people. This time surrender will mean dead Americans in American cities." Hugh Hewitt
"Oh! Once I was happy, but now I'm Airborne/ Riding in gliders all tattered and torn/ The pilots are daring, all caution they scorn/ And the pay is exactly the same." The Gliders Riders (Tune of "Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.") Garner Sherwood, 13th Airborne WWII vet, Highland, Michigan
"Some think bloggers and internet writers of all sorts are like the 19th century pamphleteers who made American politics livelier and more vigorous by lambasting the other team in full-throated broadsides. Actually, I've said that. And there are similarities. But it should be noted that the pamphleteers were heavy on screeds and colorfully damning the foe. The most successful bloggers aren't bringing bluster to the debate, they're bringing facts--font sizes, full quotes, etc. They're bringing facts and points of view on those facts that the MSM before this could ignore, and did ignore. They're bringing a lot to the debate, and changing the debate by what they bring. They're doing what excellent reporters would do." Hugh Hewitt
"Every person has a story." Beth Gehrt, GM/ExecDirector, Times Newspapers
"The secret is a Thera Band."
"Keys to Success: Focusing, Anticipating, Consistency." Billboard, Smartt, Tennessee
"No democratic government has ever initiated national aggression." General Vernon Walters
"No plan is worth a darn until it results in work." Peter Drucker
Senators who voted
against confirmation of
Dr. Rice for Secretary of State
Akaka, Daniel - D - Hawaii
Bayh, Evan - D - Indiana
Boxer, Barbara - D-California
Byrd, Robert - D - West Virginia
Dayton, Mark - D - Minnesota
Durbin, Richard - D - Illinois
Harkin, Tom - D - Iowa
Jeffords, James - I - Vermont
Kennedy, Edward - D - Massachusetts
Kerry, John - D - Massachusetts
Lautenberg, Frank - D - New Jersey
Levin, Carl - D - Michigan
Reed, Jack - D - Rhode Island
"I am a slightly moderate staunch conservative."
"The lights are on, but nobody's home."
"Get er done."
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad."
"Can't do that if want to do this."
"Those who churlishly denigrate today's vote really do identify themselves as blind ideologues of the worst sort." Hugh Hewitt, 1.30.2005 first Iraqi free vote in 50 yrs
"Pay more but pay only once." Sign on plumber's truck.
"It is the true nature of mankind to learn from mistakes, not from example." Fred Hoyle, astronomer
"Be willing to dispense with formulas in order to get the job done." General Wayne A. Downing
"All glory comes from daring to begin."
"Study history."
"Learn from the past."
"Hillary Clinton seeks to give Americans an obsolete health care system."
"Kathy, you have to make your own music." In response to Kathy Lee's question to her Dad when she was young and was dancing and asked where the music was.
"She who laughs….lasts."
"Lawyers make much better analysts than journalists, and thus better journalists than journalists -- they are trained in logic and evidence." Hugh Hewitt
"The power to hold convictions and act on them." Whittaker Chambers, 'Witness'
"Fat, lazy and stupid is no way to go through life." Dean Wormer's advice to Flounder
"Give the lady what she wants." Marshall Field
"A geek among bean counters." Scott Stevens
"You deserve to work until you die." Coach Bruce Cowdrey
"Liberalism is a philosophy based on false premises and false promises, and failed programs."
"The fourth estate is a fifth column."
"Pettiness from a petty nation."
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
George Orwell, Animal Farm 1945
"(A)rms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them." Thomas Paine, Thoughts on Defensive War, (1775.)
"If you enjoy your work, you are a success." George Burns
"Alimony: feeding hay to a dead horse."
"Num num." "Ranger" Austin Abraham, age 1, when his Mother drives by the Dairy Queen
"AARP, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democratic party, whose members share a common love for motel discounts." Senator Allan Simpson (R-WY)
"Sixty years of western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment, and violence ready for export." George W. Bush, 11.2003, speech, National Endowment for Democracy
"Extremism generates not only anger, but resolve."
"Another lizard creeps from his dark hole to dart his tongue at a hopeless prey; only to slither back into his cave when the light of day approaches. Walter, you are a serpent!"
"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream - the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order - or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism." Ronald Reagan
"I have not given you a spirit of fear." 2 Timothy 1:7
"Intelligence guided by experience." Rush Limbaugh
"Man was made to work and work hard. I don't think it ever hurt anyone....What we call stress is sometimes stimulating and can bring out the best features in our makeup. No vacation spot could ever prove as relaxing for me as does the operating room. Work can block out the unpleasant things we have to deal with every day. When you concentrate, you are not distracted by the things that are bothering you." Michael DeBakey, M.D., renowned cardiothoracic surgeon
"As a company commander in combat...crawling around in the mud with an enemy machine gun hammering over my head...the crotch ripped out of my uniform..constipated...hungry...huge bug bites under my eyes...exhausted with days of intermittent sleep....I could always comfort myself by saying..."it could be worse....I could be back in Ranger School". General Barry McCaffrey
"He was compact, with forearms the size of hams. His uniform was filthy and his use of obscenity was truly inventive." What struck the journalist most forcefully was "his enthusiasm, his magnetism, his exuberance, his invincible cheerfulness." Ward Just met Major David H. Hackworth in the ruins of a base camp in the Central Highlands in 1966, where he was a major commanding a battalion of the 101st Airborne
"Socialist Democrats are communists and are intent on destroying this Republic."
"The secret is two glasses of water."
"Major Hackworth was always deeply concerned for his men and he always pushed hard and relentlessly to defeat the enemy."
"Evan Thomas whose grandfather Norman Thomas was one of the ACLU's co-founders, not to mention Socialist candidate for President 6 times." Evan Thomas, Newsweek's Assistant Managing Editor, on Newsweek's apology for lying about the United States military.
"There is no such thing as 'friendly' fire in war." Ranger Jim Grimshaw
"Personal boycotts help one's mental health."
"I think Lawyers are cool. They help people." - Marriott reservations operator
"It is their right and duty to be at all times armed." Thomas Jefferson
"If not us, who? And if not now, when?" Ronald Reagan
"Communists. The only cult in history whose death toll is comparable to that of Islam. Both are popular on college campuses. Go figure."
"This is what you get when virtually every one of the top dogs at GM for 40 years or more came out of the finance group. Beancounters ain't leaders and have no vision, no love of product, no enthusiasm for manufacturing, and no resonance with customers. Eventually it shows."
"Stress is self-created."
"Pearl Harbor and September 11, 2001 are tributes to catastrophic intelligence failures."
"History is the pursuit of truth about the past."
"The absence of sympathy for the victims or even acknowledgement of the mass murders by the Communists in the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Vietnam and elsewhere demonstrates the complete emptiness of the Liberals' appeal made under the guise of universal humanitarianism."
"War is fear cloaked in courage." General William C. Westmoreland
"We had two parishioners in Iraq, one with the army, one with NPR. The soldier's mom encouraged him to get in touch with his childhood friend. He said, "Mom. They are the enemy."
"Holland: a very tolerant country. Until someone shoots you on a public street in broad daylight...."
"September 11, 2001, never forget, and never forgive."
"We are fighting an enemy that murdered 3,000 innocent people on American soil 3 1/2 years ago and would murder millions more if given the chance--and according to Dick Durbin, the actions of our American soldiers are more like the Nazis (9 million dead), the Soviets in their gulags (2.7 million dead), or Pol Pot(1.7 million dead).". James Taranto, WSJ, June 15, 2005.
"To be a good nurse, one has to be a good person." Florence Nightingale
"All gave some.
Some gave all."
"It is a well-established principle of development psychology that young children have no sense of cause and effect. They live in a magical world in which things just seem to happen. They don't understand that if you pull a gun's trigger, a bullet will come out. They don't even understand the finality of death. They just seem to appear, disappear and re-appear."
"The terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September the 11th, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi, and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden. For the sake of our nation's security, this will not happen on my watch." President George W. Bush
"Life is a calculated risk."
Kelo v. City of New London, United States Supreme Court, June 23, 2005
Holding:
Government may take private property from an owner for use by another private property owner.
Stevens, John Paul, wrote opinion
Breyer, Stephen G. concurred
Ginsburg, Ruth Bader concurred
Kennedy, Anthony M. concurred (filed concurring opinion)
Souter, David H. concurred
O'Connor, Sandra Day, filed dissenting opinion
Rehnquist, William H., Chief Justice, joined dissent
Scalia, Antonin joined dissent
Thomas, Clarence (filed dissenting opinion)
"Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures, but in certain specific times and places -- mostly in Britain and America, but also in various parts of Europe." Michael Barone
"If you understood what Communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that we would some day become Communist." Jane Fonda, November 21, 1970, University of Michigan
"I, a socialist, think that we should strive toward a socialist society, all the way to Communism." Jane Fonda, Duke University
"The late economist Mancur Olson argued that the downfall of democracy would be its tendency to calcify into special-interest gridlock. Germany's extensive welfare state has created millions of voters who fear the loss of any benefits. Combine that with voters in eastern Germany who cling to outmoded notions of state support and you have an formidable challenge to bring about real reform. "The lesson for America is do not go down the road as far as Germany has," says Horst Schakat, a German who created a series of successful businesses in California for 30 years but retired to his native land in 2001. "You may find yourself unable to go down a different but correct path once too many people have become dependent on the state." John Fund, WSJ, 9.19.2005
"A person must necessarily occupy a narrow field who is at the beck and call of others." Kristan Swain
"Despite our admiration for sapience, as a species we humans are better at biting than thinking -- which is understandable as we have aspired to thought only for a few thousand years, while we have been biting and slashing since our DNA shared space in the crocodile." Tony Blankley
"Never, ever complain, because one can never repay God for the favors he has done us." Aloise (Bill's Mother) Buckley.
"Pimps, prostitutes, preachers." Caller to Rush Limbaugh Show
"At a certain age, if you do not wake up with aches in every bone in your body, you are dead."
"Never go to a gun fight with a handgun that uses ammo that doesn't start with a 4." LtCol Robert K. Brown
"Extremely Extreme Extremist."
"Compare yourself only with yourself."
"When a clown makes a mistake, he makes a big bow to the audience and celebrates with everyone his learning experience."
"We've been working on the Great Society and the war on poverty since 1964. Six trillion we've spent on it and what have we got? We've got New Orleans, and the liberals know it." Rush Limbaugh
"Free money gets spent faster than earned money."
"Attacking bunkers in Vietnam was responsible for the lion's share of the names on the Wall. Throughout the war, from the 173rd Airborne Brigade's wild assaults in 1965 against machine gun bunkers in War Zone C to the 101st Airborne Division's insane 1969 assault against fortified positions on Hamburger Hill, 'Hey diddle, diddle, right up the middle' was the name of the game. Rifle companies bled and bled many times over the years, taking fortified objectives, which they were frequently lured into attacking. This lack of intelligent tactics played right into the enemy's hands." Colonel David H. Hackworth, "Soldier of Fortune" December 1993.
"Sarcasm - the last refuge of an empty mind."
"Fear the government that fears your guns. God, guts, and guns made America great."
"Sarcasm - the last refuge of an empty mind."
"Fear the government that fears your guns. God, guts, and guns made America great."
"Afghanistan is the first country to have been bombed out of the Stone Age." Christopher Hitchens
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
"New Orleans has a Democrat Mayor, a Democrat City Council, and a Democrat Chief of Police. Louisiana has a Democrat Governor, a Democrat Lieutenant Governor, a Democrat Attorney General; 24 of 39 Louisiana State Senators are Democrat, 67 of 105 Louisiana State House Representatives ar Democrat, there's a Democrat Representative in the House from New Orleans, and one of two Senators in the Senate is a Democrat. So you can see why any problems with Hurricane Katrina are all Bush's fault." Soldier of Fortune, January 2006
"I don't know anybody under the age of 30 who has ever looked at a classified ad in a newspaper." Rupert Murdoch 24 Nov 05
"Good training is the foundation of good leadership. The rest can be found in the principles of another man who deeply influenced Hackworth, Col. Glover Johns. Hackworth loved to quote Johns' basic philosophy of soldiering:
- Strive to do small things well.
- Be a doer and a self-starter - aggressiveness and initiative are two most admired qualities in a leader - but you must also put your feet up and think.
- Strive through self-improvement through constant self-evaluation.
- Never be satisfied. Ask of any project, "How can it be done better?"
- Don't overinspect and oversupervise. Allow your leaders to make mistakes in training, so they can profit from the errors and not make them in combat.
- Keep the troops informed; telling them "what, how, and why" builds their confidence.
- The harder the training, the more troops will brag.
- Enthusiasm, fairness, and moral and physical courage - four of the most important aspects of leadership.
- Showmanship - a vital technique of leadership.
- The ability to speak and write well - two essential tools of leadership.
- There is a salient difference between profanity and obscenity; while a leader employs profanity (tempered with discretion), he never uses obscenities.
- Have consideration for others.
- Yelling detracts from your dignity; take men aside to counsel them.
- Understand and use judgment; know when to stop fighting for something you believe is right. Discuss and argue your point of view until a decision is made, and then support the decision wholeheartedly.
- Stay ahead of your boss.
These are the traits of good leaders in any field. Sadly, the people who live up to them are few and far between. But when you find a person who has these qualities, you will follow them gladly and with pride." Author, Colonel Glover Johns, as quoted and used by Colonel David H. Hackworth, American Preeminent Military Leader and Hero.
"Posterity -- you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." --John Quincy Adams
"The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC
this Christmas season. This isn't for any religious reason, they simply have not been able to
find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol! There was no
problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable."
"May the good Lord Bless You and Keep You until we meet again." Meredith Wilson's Mother
"Slavery of welfare." Rush Limbaugh
"Win the War
Confirm the Judges
Control the Borders
Cut the Taxes
Control the Spending."
"Takers hate Givers."
"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent." Issac Newton, mathematician, physicist (IBD)
"The work of the individual still remains the spark that moves mankind forward." Igor Sikorsky, aeronautical engineer (IBD)
"The leader is not just a scorekeeper. He is responsible for creating something new and better." Bill Creech, Commanding General U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command (IBD)
"Our vision controls the way we think and, therefore, the way we act.... The vision we have of our jobs determines what we do and the opportunities we see or don't see." Charles Koch, executive (IBD)
Peter Drucker's keen insights (IBD):
"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."
"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work."
"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."
"Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work."
"An organization's mission statement...should fit on a T-shirt."
"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." George Washington
"Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare." Harriet Martineau
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Pablo Picasso
"Talk happiness. The world is sad enough without your woe." Orison Sweet Marden
"They should remember that in the absence of justice there is only revenge."
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged." Abraham Lincoln
Roll Call of U.S. Senate Vote on USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005:
YEAs - 52 Republicans
NAYs - 100% Democrats plus 4 Republicans (Larry Craig -IDAHO; Chuck Hagel -NEBRSKA; Lisa Murkowski ALASKA; John Sununu NEW HAMPSHIRE) 12.16.05 Vote #358
"Stop the excuses, go to school, get a job, don't be rude or start fights. How hard can that be?"
"Go for the Robes (i.e. judges, clergy, academics)." Karl Marx
"If he (Bush) gambled on creating a democracy in the Arab Middle East and he does it, he belongs on Mount Rushmore." Chris Matthews
"You can't be afraid of your shadow."
"The secret is demographics."
"In Wyoming, for example, Gov. Dave Freudenthal last April decreed that the Endangered Species Act is no longer in force and that the state 'now considers the wolf as a federal dog,' unworthy of protection." Front page LA Times factual story based on a fake news release/April's Fools joke. The story noted how successful the reintroduction of wolves had been 10 years ago.
"The ignorance among journalists is appalling. It appears that the leftist educators in American universities have succeeded in their goal, they have helped to produce a generation of idiots."
"Every car should have a gun."
"It is comforting to think that students are smart enough to capitalize on their professor's foolishness rather than dumb enough to be influenced by it." James Taranto
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him." Psalm 28:7 (RSV)
"Conservative = Constitutional Republic, Liberty and Freedom.
Liberal = Socialism, Communism, destruction of the Constitution, total control of your life."
"The soft bigotry of low expectations." President George W. Bush
"The beginning of wisdom is the realization of responsibility." Christopher Hitchens
"The baby boomer generation begins reaching retirement age in five years or so. That will be the beginning of the end of the sixties. And I have nothing but respect for that larger percentage that served their country and worked their jobs instead of gnawing at the hand of the country that feeds them."
"Mediocrity." Salieri in comparison to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"The dems need to publicly apologize for the millions that were murdered after they voted to withhold the promised funds to the South Vietnam government."
"Welfare culture is bad not just because, as in Europe, it's bankrupting the state, but because it enfeebles the citizenry, it erodes self-reliance and resourcefulness." Mark Steyn
"America will long remember one thing and one thing only about New Orleans: Democrat 'diversity' city-and-state politicians are incompetent graftsters and neo-slaves whom they've dumbed down through handouts-for-votes are pathetic."
"We continue to narrow our view of warfare's acceptable parameters even as our enemies amplify the concept of total war." Wretchard, The Belmont Club
"I think the Danish ambassador should issue an apology. In the largest Christian church in Saudi Arabia." Laurence Simon
***********
Oliver Wendell Holmes:
"The one and only success which it is his to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart."
"And in a war there is only one rule: Form your battalions and fight."
"If you want it hard enough, you will get anything you want."
**********
"Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need." Voltaire
"Denial is an often useful innate human trait. Few of us would be able to function in the present if we did not put out of mind many unpleasant realities — such as our inevitable death." Tony Blakely
"America shines when it provides work for the mentally challenged."
"Unsung, the noblest deed will die." Bing West
"Be cheerful, live in hope, be productive and useful. Nobody likes a gloomy Gus." Tony Blakely
"I only see blessings and opportunities."
"And it gets cold in Cleveland."
"A patriot is someone who never gets over an obsession with protecting our nation." Daniel Henniger
"People love to learn. Learning is fun." George Shultz
"Keep your head in the game." Kevin
"Upheavals are history's way of retiring the mountain of political debts earlier generations of hacks have accumulated." Wretchard
"Behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
"You can either make yourself happy or miserable...the amount of work is the same."
"Mom, drive me to work so I can make some money." Austin, age 3
"I'm in love with downtown Franklin." Bernie Butler
"You fixed a good time to leave me Lucile."
"Mom, what are we doing this year after school is out?" Will Smith, age 11
"You talk always through me. Thank you." a Prussian trait
"The Army wants you to take the ordinary and do the extraordinary. Linc German
"Driver carries no cash. He is married."
"When they find exactly the right product at the right price, life is good." Satisfied consumer
"Most Americans recognize that stopping the next 9/11 before it happens requires aggressive intelligence gathering, and keeping those operations secret."
"History suggests that Capitalism is the necessary condition for political freedom." Milton Friedman
"Israel is doing all the right things. There must be a disproportionate response to terrorism to counter its asymmetry."
"Quoting myself: To be a liberal you must believe something that is not true."
"Remember, cars and bicycles are just wheels in the scheme of things."
"Dom, what did you do today?"
"If men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail."
General Ulysses S. Grant
"When the Cuban people are finally free to speak about Castro's
decades of dictatorship, how will they rate the U.S. media's
coverage? Did our free press speak truth to power, or were they
instead cheerleaders for Castro's communist revolution?"
"Too often the GOP acts as if it's simply above the fray. George H.W. Bush was too decent a man to go after Bill Clinton and it cost us 8 years of having a president that neglected national defense at best and at worst allowed North Korea and China to become nuclear dangers to us." Comment in response to criticism that Ann Coulter is too tough.
"Sudan: A Grim Reminder That Genocide Begins With Gun Bans" - Cover, "America's 1st Freedom"
"My favorite cartoon depicting this was a single-frame with two homes. Outside one was a huge sign, with an arrow pointing to the other home. Above the arrow, the text said something like, "My neighbor believes in Gun Control. I respect his right to hold that position, and thus will not be using my guns to protect him."
"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at home many want in....and how many want out." Tony Blair, in response to the perception of America in the world.
"But until we as a country come to terms publicly with what kind of a country we think America is and should be, we can never have a rational and full debate about what kind of immigration policy we should try to enforce." Tony Blankley
"It will never be known what acts of cowardice have been motivated by the fear of looking insufficiently progressive." Charles Peguy, French poet, as quoted by Patrick Buchanan
"My only quandary at this point in time. When the time comes, should we bomb Mecca and Medina simultaneously, or in sequence like Hiroshima and then Nagasaki?"
"Ginormous" - Carsen, age 7
"The continuity of a great ranch is no accident. It requires vision, work, commitment and persistence. " King Ranch (825,000 acres of South Texas land - larger than the State of Rhode Island), Kingsville, Texas.
"War is a series of catastrophes that results in victory." Clemenceau
"Worry is a misuse of imagination." Church sign
"We are at war with Muslims. I don't need a second 9/11 or a second Pearl Harbor."
"It all depends on what phase of our life that we are in." Nieman Marcus shoe salesman at Oakbrook
"Quality. There is hardly anything in the world that some men cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." John Ruskin
Brevity is the soul of wit.
- William Shakespeare
"Dresden was payback for Coventry."
"Ignore those mad at the world."
"Our whole educational system, from the elementary schools to the universities, is increasingly turning out people who have never heard enough conflicting arguments to develop the skills and discipline required to produce a coherent analysis, based on logic and evidence. The implications of having so many people so incapable of confronting opposing arguments with anything besides ad hominem responses reach far beyond Wal-Mart or think tanks. It is in fact the Achilles heel of this generation of our society and of Western civilization." Thomas Sowell
"The above is merely my opinion and neither true or false. If valid, my memory serves me well. If not, sorry and I'll try better next time." Earle Malkin
"Ranger for Ranger, today's Ranger has more combat experience than any Ranger in the history of our Rangers."
"Study hard and do your homework because if you don't you'll get stuck in Iraq" John Kerry, October 30, 2006
"The mass of the population always want to live their own lives; change is always driven by small, committed groups of ideologues and fanatics - even in our own revolution. Representative democracy is a great ideal, but major shifts are rarely achieved by majority rule, which prefers the status quo." Camille Paglia (i.e. the tail does wag the dog)
Some time . . . when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, but I'll know about it, and I'll be happy. - President Ronald Reagan
"Complexity is easy; simplicity is difficult." Georgy Shpagin, designer PPSh41 submachine gun.
"I have a standard line that I use in speeches to academic audiences, where I quickly run through the various atrocities committed by Communism in the 20th century. Among those lines, I always begin my statement on the 100 million deaths attributed to Communism (twice the total of the World War I and II deaths combined) by The Black Book of Communism by first noting that the book was published by Harvard University Press, so I don't get scoffed at by the elites in the room. Even then, when I fire off a litany of horrific examples of Communist barbarism, students and non-faculty members are riveted, mouths agape, whereas the hardened leftist profs and media people in the room just sneer at me, daggers in their eyes, as if the ghost of Joe McCarthy has just flown into the room and leapt inside of my body." Jamie Glazov, Front Page Magazine.com 11.8.2006
"If you talk about the past, it means you have no future." Marty Katz
"Pity those Americans who can only find fault with and criticize this God-inspired greatest nation on earth."
[1] Lessons and Memories
LESSONS WE LEARNED AND FOND MEMORIES FROM GROWING UP IN THE KNOLLS DURING THE 1940's and 1950's AS REMEMBERED BY TIM SWAIN
* Be kind,courteous, helpful and friendly with the neighbors
* Tell the truth
* Don't smoke or drink
* Be confident and always keep a good sense of humor
* be patriotic and proud of the United State of America
* Own an American flag, and fly it often
* Vote Republican
* Buy American cars, tools and clothes
* Give a firm handshake with your right hand and look them in the eye
* Work to keep your neighborhood clean and neat and in good repair
*
* When the American flag passes or the Star Spangled Banner is played or sung, give a civilian salute of our Flag by placing your hand
(with fingers together) over your heart
* Play hard outside and study hard inside
* Learn to play the piano
* Join the Scouts and advance in the ranks
* Be a crossing patrol guard and protect the little kids
* Respect other people's property
* Be clean. Wash your hands often, with soap, scrub to count of 10
* Help your Dad mow the grass and wash the car
* Help your Mom clear the table and wash and dry the dishes
* Learn the words to The Star Spangled Banner and place your hand
over your heart while singing it
* Don't shoot out the street lights
* Look forward to the last day of school and the ride in Albert
Chesko's truck to Columbia Grade School
* Hope that Tony Smith is making the ice cream cones at Meadowbrook
Dairy
* Look forward to the Knolls Neighborhood Carnivals in the Sunken
Garden
* Try to mow the baseball diamonds in the vacant lots before the
grass gets too high
* Take off your bike's fenders before racing it on the dirt track in
the vacant lot
And remembering...........
Sledding down Stratford Hill on the first snow of the season, and making sure to make the 90 degree turn to the right so as not to go out on Knoxville
Mr. (Ollie) Bieth (Dick's Dad, who was a civil engineer with McDougal Hartman road builders; and took us to watch the construction of the "spillway" in East Peoria by Chris Hoerr & Sons in the 1950's, where we enjoyed floating in a WWII yellow raft in the water; wow, did we have fun!!!) taking maybe 6 or so sleds tied with ropes behind his car and driving - in what felt to be a really "fast" manner around the Knolls - if one considers maybe 3 sleds 35 mph with 20' ropes behind a car to be fast!! And, Dick's Mom, Mrs. Bieth, with her platinum blond hair and her flashy Buick convertible was not only good-looking, but quite memorable and, of course, always nice to us kids.
Hitching a ride on the Roszells'Sealtest milk truck (down Terrace Lane) either with our sleds in the winter, or with our bikes in the summer.
Going to The Harvey Girls with the Heibergers to watch my first girl friend, Judy Garland.
Be treated to a "real milkshake" at the Wahlfelds where Mrs. Wahlfeld would use plenty of ice cream in their real milkshake mixer.
Making an assortment of things in Cub Scouts in Mrs. Heibergers, our den mother, basement. These included full Indian headdresses, wood kupi dolls, paper mache people, Indian tom-toms, birdhouses and many other things.
Watching Mrs. Heiberger back her Cadillac out of their long driveway bordered with a chain link fence, with the skill of a true professional.
Observing the huge wad of bills in Dr. Heiberger's wallet when he took us boys to the movies.
Remembering that I felt "sorry" for Jack and Jim because rather than the normal carpeting in their living room, they had to deal with beautiful dark hardwood flooring with a large priceless deep red and rich colored oriental rug. However, we could run our cars on the wood portion next to the walls.
Playing in the "hideout" of Charles Howard's house, which was accessed through steps affixed to the inside of the garage wall.
Playing in the ponds in the park at the corner of Bigelow and Hollyridge Circle and the vacant lot, where Blenders later built there home.
Being in the Welch's front yard when a buck deer came running by (it had escaped from Glen Oak Park), and chasing it with a 4' length of rope with plans to rope it.
Playing in the "bean field" (now Knollcrest) and throwing clods of dirt.
Playing "behind Hines" (now Seventh Adventist Church) in the woods with our BB guns, sleds and just plain exploring.
Playing on the roof and the swings at Hines School (now Seventh Adventist Church) and hearing the story that a gutsy girl had taken her swing over the top and in a compete circle!
Telling my dog King (a Belgium collie, all white, except for a brown spot over his eye) not to chase cars; using a squirt gun with ammonia in it to try and stop him (unsuccessful); taking him home when he came over to Thomas Jefferson school and drank out of the low water fountains; and receiving his sympathy during the hard times of a boy growing up; and how we would let him (a pure "outdoor, wandering dog") in our basement on the 4th of July when the fireworks at the Stadium would scare him.
Swimming in the Salzenstein/Schwartz swimming pool (the only one in the Knolls) in the summertime.Since Joel Schwartz's dad, Ben, was in the grocery business, when we were invited to Joel's barmitzvah, which was held in his backyard, poolside, one could not imagine the food provided, including the largest shrimp (maybe 5 to 6 inches long)that we had ever seen.
Remembering when some of the older boys told us little boys that if we did not behave, they would take us up in the attic and shake a "bottle of nitroglycerin" that they had, and that would be it.
Going to Kenny's Market on Sheridan for assorted goodies; in being pulled by my Grandpa Swain with my sister Nancy in our wagon to Kenny's where he bought for us a box of 24 Hershey bars. Thanks again Grandpa!
At Halloween no one missed Rissers where they gave you a full-sized Hershey bar.
On Halloween, at our house on Bigelow, my Mom would have the treats in the basement which you would get to by following a rope from the front door, through the house and down the basement stairs. Once there, you could bob for apples, eat treats of all types.
Learning to ride my 26" wheel red Schwinn bike (which I partially help pay for through odd jobs at home) down Bigelow, but it being too big for me to sit on the seat and pedal. Thus, we bought Georgie Eagleton's used 24" bike which I rode for several years until I was big enough for my red bike.
The summer carnivals put on by the older kids. I recall that most were held in the Sunken Garden. They were real productions and everybody looked forward to them.
Right after Albert mowed with his team of horses the vacant lots, we would take the cut grass and build forts with it. One time, a match was thrown by an older kid and that was the end of that fort. Luckily, Mr. Glos (who often wore a WWII white sailor hat) got his hose and doused it before it could ignite the field and his house!
Searching through the tall grass and "cane-break" for, finding and playing in the concrete "pill-box" [a sewer structure] in the cane fields where War Memorial is now located.
Digging foxholes to play "war-games."
Riding our bikes everywhere. In fact, it was on a bike ride I was told about the birds and the bees. Asking Bud Howe at the Standard Station at Sheridan and War Memorial to put some air in our bike tires during our ride between the Knolls and T.J.
Serving as a "patrol guard" at the Florence/Sheridan crossing for Thomas Jefferson students. Arriving early and getting to school late so that I could assist kids crossing Sheridan Road and activate the school cross flashing light and hold the flag out. Also, helping to raise the American Flag at the front of T.J.
Watching Albert Chesko bring his team of horses to mow the vacant lots before houses were built on them in The Knolls. Jack Zang got too close to the rear of one of the horses and got some teeth kicked out. Albert has a wood panel Ford station wagon that was probably the "first school bus" in that he would transport us kids to Columbia grade school. On the last day of school, he would bring his 3/4 ton old truck, with high wood sides, and would take us to the little store on Boots Street, across from the main entrance to Columbia, and treat us to treats; other times he would take us to Meadowbrook Dairy for ice cream cones. Clearly, we were the envy of the other kids. All the kids in the Knolls loved Albert and his always kindness to the kids, and their parents. His home/farm was at the corner of Sheridan and Glen.
And, in the Knolls growing up, it always snowed on Christmas.
[2] The Knolls Roster
THE KNOLLS KIDS ROSTER 1930'S, 1940'S AND 1950'S AS OF 7.13.2000:
ALTORFER, JOANNE
ALTORFER, LINDA
ALTORFER, CAROL
BAYMILLER, JIM
BAYMILLER, BETTY
BAYMILLER, BONNIE
BELLAS, JOAN
BELLAS, BARBARA
BLENDER, BILL
BLENDER, BARBARA
BIETH, DICK
BLACKIE, BRUCE
BLANC, ALEC
BLANC, BARBARA
BLANC, ERIC, J.D. JUDGE
BLOOM, MARIS
BLOOM, PEB, J.D. SENATOR
BORK, NORMAN
BORK, SAUL
BOWER, BRENDA
BOWER, TOM
BRANDON, BOB
BROEHL, WAYNE, JR.
BROEHL, BUZZ
BROWN, BOB M.
BROWN, WILLIAM
BROWN, BARBARA
BURGETT, JERRY
BURHANS, BETSY
CANTERBURY, JOHN
CANTERBURY, BOB
CASE,BOB
CHARLESTON, BOB
CHARLESTON, JOHNNY
CHICOKI, TONY
COFFEY, BOB
COLLINS, BUNNY
COLLINS, JULIE
COLLINS, MARTHA
COONS, DAVE
COONS, BARBARA
COUGHLIN, JOHN
CUMMINGS, LINDA
CUMMINGS, PEACHIE
DEITRICH, SONNY
DEMOURE, SUSIE
DENNISON, TERI
DENNISON, SHARON
EAGLETON, RALPH ("Mack" - Mackemer)
EAGLETON, GEORGE
FINK, GARY
FISHER, ANNE
FISHER, STEVE
FISHER, ________
FLANIGON, NANCY
FLANIGON, CATHY
FLANIGON, JIM
FLAHERTY, TERRY
FLAHERTY, MARTY
HACKETT, BARBARA
HACKETT, E.J.
HACKETT, TWINK
HARKER, FRANCIS
HARKER, SUSIE
HAWKINS, JUDY
HAWKINS, JIM
HAWKINS, JAN
HEDBERG, RENA
HEIBERGER, JACK
HEIBERGER, JIM, M.D.
HEIDEN, JOAN
HEIDEN, TIM
HEIDEN, KIRK
HENNIGES, GUS
HINKLE, (GIRL)
HINKLE, (GIRL)
HOLDERMAN,JANICE/JANET
HORN, JERRY, J.D.
HORN, MARTY, J.D.
HORN, _____, J.D.
HORN, _____, J.D.
HOWARD, TAYLOR
HOWARD, CHARLES
HOWARD, ANN
HOWARD, JANE
HOWARD, KAY "KIKI", M.D.
HOWARD, JOHN, J.D.
HOWARD, JIM, J.D.
HOWARD, MARK, J.D.
INGRAM, (BOY)
INGRAM, (BOY)
ISGREN, MARLENE
ISGREN, CARL, CPA
JACKSON, DAVID N.
JOHNSON, ART ("SKIP"),M.D.
KEEFER, JAN
KEEFER, ANN
KELLOGG, KATHY
KELLOGG, BETSY
KLAUS, CARMEN
KLAUS, BOB
KLAUS, RIC
KLEIN, MIKE
KLEIN, NANCY
KUECKER, JIM, CPA
KUECKER, CYNTHIA
LADEAN, MARIAN
LAING, STEVE
LOLLI, BOB
LOLLI, LINDA
LUNDEEN,MARIAN
MARGARET, PATTY
MASON, BARBARA
MASON, BONNIE
MCCONNELL, BILL
MCCONNELL, JOHN
MCCONNELL, BARBARA
MILES, HELEN
MILES, CHARLIE
MILLER, FRED
MILLER, SUZANNE
MITCHENER, BILL
MITCHENER, SARAH
MUGGE, BOB
NELSON, JOYCELYN
PETERS, GORDON
PETERS, DAVID
PFLUKE, JACK
PHILLIPS, LINDA
POTHUIJSE, KENT
POTHUIJSE,, CRAIG
POTHUIJSE, SHARON
POWELL, CAROLYN
POWELL, CRAIG
RADLEY, BRUCE
RISSER, RONALEE
RISSER, MARDEE ANN
RITCHEL, MIKE
RITCHEL, TOM
RITCHEL, (GIRL)
ROSENBERG, (BOY)
ROSENBERG, SUSAN/JOAN
ROSENBERG, JEANNIE/JAN
SALZENSTEIN, SUE
SALZENSTEIN, CHUCK
SCHWAB, KEN
SCHWAB, ROBERT
SCHWARTZ, SANDY
SCHWARTZ, JOEL
SCHWARTZ, CARY
SCHWARTZ, BRENDA
SCHWARTZ, CATHY
SEHM, MARSHA
SHORE, ED, M.D.
SHORE, BARB, J.D.
SMITH, TONY
SNAVLEY, CHUCK
SNAVLEY, JIM
SNAVLEY, HARRY
STONE, CAROL
STONE, HOLLY
SWAIN, NANCY
SWAIN, TIM, J.D.
SWAIN, CISTY
SWEENEY, BO
SWEENEY, RANDY "CHIP"
TOBIAS, JUDY
TORRENCE, JEFF
TROPE,CAROL
ULLMAN,DICK
ULLMAN, DON
ULRICH, NANCY
ULRICH, PATTY
VOELPEL, FREDERICK
VOELPEL, DAVID, D.D.S.
WAHLFELD, TED
WAHLFELD, JOHN
WALLK, DEBBIE
WALLK, JOY
WELCH, TOM
WELCH, CHARLES
WELCH, DAVID
WERTZ, ANITA
WERTZ, (GIRL)
YEOMANS, FAY
YEOMANS, MURRAY
ZANG, ROBERT
ZANG, SALLY
ZANG, JACK
ZANG, JIM
Count: 190 [as of 4 Nov 2005], and still adding.
Please advise with corrections, additions or comments. Thank you. Tim Swain [800-728-1806].
Special thanks to former "paper boy" Gordon Peters for many of the names, and Tom Bower, David Welch, Joel Schwartz,John Howard, David Jackson and many others who have generously contributed "lost" names and corrected spelling errors!!
The Knolls Roster is on the Web:
http://friends.peoria.lib.il.us/community/swaincountry.html
10. OTHER
[under construction]
last updated: September 22, 2000
Cross reference: http://peorialaw.com/
1. Private pilot's license (Visual Flight Rules), University of Illinois, 1958. Never used the VFR license, since did not feel comfortable without more training and education in the use of instruments and the obtaining of an instruments rating (IFR license).Recognized that in flying, weather can be a killer.
2. Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) summer camp, basic training, Fort Riley, Kansas, 1959.This was an enjoyable experience. Basically, it was like taking basic training; with standing guard duty; KP duty; keeping barracks clean, etc. Also opportunity to experience the combat arms (Infantry, Armor, Artillery). Commanding a M-48 tank was the closest thing to being King of the Hill! We got one Saturday off to go to Kansas City, Missouri; and it looked like Times Square in New York City!!
3. Spelunking/caving, Sullivan, Indiana,1960, one weekend in the Fall with Jack Martin and two other guys from the University of Illiniois. Camped out overnight at the hidden entrance. Spent the day in the cave system, wading in the river in the cave, observing the 50' high rooms and squeezing through "Bardinghy's Hole" and other sites of interests. Conclusion: Not for the claustrophobic.Very dependent on the earth not shifting while you are in the cave, having gotten there through very small passageways. Anyway, one time was enough for me!
4. Skydiving (got the idea from a July, 1961, I believe, cover article in "TRUE" magazine about Jacque Istel) (8 parachute jumps, 3 static line, 5 pulling rip cord), Jacque Istel Skydiving School, Orange, Massachusetts, summer, 1961 (with Ted Wahlfeld). On 4th jump, experienced a "pilot chute hesitation" that could have been fatal. However, followed taught procedure of reaching for reserve chute after counting to "4,000", which in turn broke the air pocket which the pilot chute was fluttering in and permitted it to deploy the main chute. Lesson Learned: follows procedures.
5. Scuba diving in the Atlantic Ocean off Providencetown, Massachusetts in the summer of 1961 (with Ted Wahlfeld). This is a sport that is very dangerous. It is the only time that I wore a wet suit, which was really great and kept you warm. There is no room for error. We were down about 30 to 50 feet, but one looked into the "dark abyss" of the Atlantic Ocean. A little un-nerving for a novice.
6. Infantry Basic Officers' School, at the The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia (aka "Benning School for Boys"), December, 1963 to February, 1964.
7. Ranger School No. 8 (February 20 to April 23, 1964), Phase One (Physical Fitness) Fort Benning, Georgia ; Phase Two (Mountain), Dahlonaga, Georgia; Phase Three (Jungle), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.http://www.ranger.org/
8. Airborne School Class No. 37 (April 24 to May 15, 1964), Fort Benning, Georgia. Memories: the tough NCO "Black Hats" in great shape and with a mission to be sure we were in shape; running everywhere in platoon (about 30 guys)-sized groups; and if you screwed up, would have drop out to do push-ups and then run even harder to catch up and resume run; and for the real screw-ups, the BH's had you run around the running platoon, which of course meant you had to run quite a bit faster to get the job done; outclimbing the Navy UDT guys in the class (but, the UDT guys were in great shape, generally); on that first jump (even though had skydived previously) over Ft. Benning, I got to wondering, "Is this smart Tim?"
Military aircraft: Our 5 qualifying jumps at Ft. Benning were made from Korean War vintage C-119s. A C-119, with twin booms to the rear, has 2 exit doors (1 on each side)that are at an angle, and made for ease of exiting; post-"Benning School For Boys", my parachuting experience included: the C-121, which was a large aircraft (capable of being converted to 2 floors, I believe; and, which I flew to Vietnam in) with 2 rear-exit doors on the sides of the aircraft, capable of carrying of large number of paratroopers; the C-123 "Provider" had rear 2 rear doors that had a protruding [inward] "frame" that made it potentially difficult/hazardous for a fully loaded paratrooper to get through on the way out the door, and thus was not a great favorite and not used a lot at Ft. Campbell. However, in Vietnam, the C-123's again appeared and were used extensively and quite dependable [just not a great jumping plane; one Air Force pilot was awarded the CMOH in Vietnam for rescuing 3 troopers on the ground by bringing his C-123 in under intense fire, and landing it within 100 feet,jamming on the brakes; picking up the troopers; doing a 180; and taking off within the same 100 feet]; "The Big Bird" - the C-124 was the largest plane of the 1950's to 1970's era and the rarest. Douglas only built 448 and all were released from active service in the mid 70's; they were double-deckers, with jumping occuring out of the side door on the lower level; jumped from C-124's and went to Vietnam in a C-124, which had engine trouble that got repaired when we stopped for 18 hours in Hawaii;and then there was the favorite plane of every paratrooper, the muscle-bound [4 powerful Pratt & Whitney engines]Lockheed C-130 [manufactured in Marrietta, Georgia], totally dependable in which we all willingly trusted it with our lives, and which we exited out of 2 side rear doors at about 150 mph, into the roar of those engines, just like one would spit out a car window on the highway. While the C-141 jets came after my time, my friend Jim Pahris reported that to jump from them was a real pleasurable experience. Jumping from the single rear cargo platform was like walking [shuffling] off a diving board. It was not as exciting as the side door jumps, but it was often done for "qualifying jumps" [i.e. to receive "jump pay" of $55 per month for enlisted and $110 per month for officers, you were required to make a parachute jump once every 3 months]. Often times these jumps would be done "Hollywood" or without equipment. Aircraft included the C-130 and the Army Caribou in Vietnam [a tough totally dependable aircraft that could go anywhere, but apparently disappeared from use when the USAF was concerned that the US Army was infringing on their territory of supplying all fixed-wing aircraft for the Army. I was told that "the deal" was: Army gets to keep the fighter-helicopers (Blackhawks, Apaches, Cobra's, etc) and Air Force gets the fixed-wing Caribou]. Parachute jumps were also made from the old Korean War vintage H-34 helicopter that the Marines used in Vietnam [my good friend, Capt. Kirk Riley, USMC, was piloting a H-34 when he was shot down and killed on 03 Dec 1965] and the tough and dependable Huey helicopters flown by Army pilots. Helicopter jumps involved the static line being hooked to a D-ring on the floor, standing on the skid, and plummeting straight down. It was not as exciting or as much fun as the C-130 side door jumps.
9. Security Platoon leader (Top Secret security clearance), Fort Campbell, Kentucky, May-June, 1964. This position was but a "means to an end" (remember, I had to first get assigned to an Army base that hosted an Airborne Division). We rode "shotgun" on semi-trucks loaded with classified material being moved within the Central USA. The following is an article in the Nashville Tennessean which shed some light for me on what was involved:
TENNESSEAN.com
Local News
Tuesday, 10.24.2000
COLD WAR SITE'S SECRECY FADES
Brad Schrade, Staff Writer
"A rusty chair-link fence strung with ragged barbwire is all that remains of the outer perimeter of Clarksville's old nuclear weapons base. There is little hint that the 5,000-acre compound was once among the most secretive, secure places in America.
It closed in 1965 and is now said to be good hunting country. The fence has been part of an almost impenetrable series of four chain-link, barbwire barriers that surrounded the leafy complex. They were designed to keep Russian spies out, but today, the lone dilapidated barricade hems in the deer.
As John O'Brien drives toward the former guard station entrance on a recent morning he points to a car-width concrete path that used to be sandwiched between the four fences, one of which was electric.
"Marines used to patrol that," O'Brien said. "They didn't want people hanging around here. If you broke down with a flat out here they would force you to drive away on the rim."
O'Brien, 45, is the official historian at Fort Campbell, which annexed the former nuclear base in 1969. Once a source of local curiosity, it had largely faded from memory.
But pending legislation to compensate thousands of sick former workers at nuclear sites nationwide has rekindled interest. Many nuclear workers -- who lived and died sworn to secrecy in the name of national defense -- paid dearly for their exposure to radiation. Former "Clarksville Base" employees could be eligible to collect $150,000, plus medical benefits, but it is unclear how many, if any, were exposed.
The base opened in 1948 and became one of 13 top secret nuclear weapons sites in the country. dubbed "The Birdcage" for its chair-link fences, only those who worked there with top-level clearance knew about the nuclear weapons, and, even after the bombs were removed, the base was steeped in mystery.
According to legend, a curious commanding general at Fort Campbell tried to get an overhead look at the Navy-guarded nuclear base. And when his helicopter approached the area, he "was told if it continued any more it would be shot down," O'Brien said.
"He was ordered to Washington and had to do a lot of explaining."
The nuclear base is blacked out on old Fort Campbell maps. Now it sits as an architectural relic from those anxious early decades of the Cold War. The facility had its own power and water plants and a 100-bed underground hospital. It was a self-contained island designed to operate after "Armagedoon."
Long, curling weeds spiral up, through and around its concrete bunkers today. Fort Campbell uses its cavernous tunnels that once housed the nuclear bombs to store ammunition and other supplies. A series of massive steel doors hide the maze of tunnels and rooms where technicians once worked and maintained the nuclear arsenal.
O'Brien doesn't want the deeds of this anonymous, yet vital, work force to be forgotten. He would like to create a driving tour/museum on the facility to help others understand the period.
"What you get from seeing this is a flavor of how tense those times were," O'Brien said. "When I (first) saw it, there was an eerie sense of a story that needed to be told."
Don Lockhart lived that story. He spent 1951 and 1952 at Clarksville with the Air Force. He patrolled the base and spent many hours in cement bunkers on night watch.
"If our challenges weren't properly answered, we were ordered to shoot to kill," Lockhart said.
The only break-ins he recalls were an occasional groundhog or opossum that ambled into the deadly high-voltage fence. Lockhart returned to the base around 1960 to work as a civilian machinist. He remembers hearing about two radioactive leaks.
A good friend, Luther Menser, who performed nuclear-warhead maintenance, was among several men exposed in one of the leaks. He collapsed a decade later and died shortly after. The autopsy revealed cancer had snaked through much of his body. He was 47 and left behind two stepsons and a wife who never remarried.
"I always felt that what he did and where he worked killed him," said Lockhart, who is healthy himself and lives in Manchester, Tenn. "They (the government) didn't know the dangers the way they know now and washed over it considerably."
Gordon Grissom may have worked at the base longer than anyone. In 1947, he helped transform the thick woods and winding creek, once a family farm, into the top-secret military base. He watched rock miners from North Carolina cut a dozen or so deep tunnels into the limestone hill. He worked there again in 1951 and stayed until it closed in 1965. His job included carting the bombs around the base so the technicians could maintain them.
Base workers had to operate under a high level of secrecy outside the compound. when Grissom went to get a loan at the bank he wasn't allowed to reveal where he worked. His wife didn't even know exactly what he did until recently.
Grissom, now 73, healthy and living near Clarksville, laughs about some of the rumors local people dreamed up about the base, including the existence of a large underground airport. But there was a grave reality, too, for base employees.
"We knew we were a prime target," Grissom said. "We were told Russia could send a missile and hit us in 30 minutes."
It is difficult for those who didn't live through the nuclear arms race to understand the sense of vulnerability that permeated the country, said Tom Schwartz, a Cold War expert in the history department at Vanderbilt University. The more historians study the period, the more they consider it a war.
The extreme level of secrecy at Clarksville Base and, to a lesser extent, throughout broader culture, must be understood through this filter, he said. Otherwise, some of the ideas and behavior at the time may seem crazy by current standards. New York City, for example, had bomb drills in which the entire city emptied into the subway tunnels.
"Lots of these fears were real concerns," Schwartz said. "Even though it wasn't a shooting war, there was a real sense of us against them."
As a boy, he remembers school bomb drills that were as routine as a fire drill today. He vividly recalls his parents stockpiling 5-gallon jugs of water and other supplies as the world waited for the end during the Cuban missile crisis in fall 1962.
As an adult, he spent two decades in the Army during the conflict's waning decades. It carried him to the front lines of Europe, where he handled secret nuclear weapons codes as the Soviet empire coughed to its end. O'Brien left just before the Berlin Wall fell in1989, and he retired in 1997. And now as base historian he wants to preserve that past.
The museum, to him, seems like a good way to do that. Its buildings have been tested and there is no trace of radiation. Included in his plan will be an effort to have "The Birdcage" place on the national historic registry.
"These were incredibly dedicated people, who had a real appreciation of the dangers in the world," O'Brien said. "To anybody who participated in the Cold War it was very, very real. I think these people were heroes."
10.101st Airborne Division, 2/502 Airborne Infantry Battalion and 1st Brigade Headquarters, to-wit: (a) Infantry Platoon Leader, Company B, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Airborne Infantry; (b) Battalion S-1 (Personnel Officer - Staff); (c) Brigade S-2 (Intelligence Officer - Staff);(d) Assistant S-2 to Major Joe Hicks in Vietnam; (e) S-1 and S-2 for Task Force Hanson [CO - Major Mark Hanson]in charge of securing Route 19 between Quinhon and An Khe. Total of 25 military parachute jumps (3 or 4 in Vietnam) from a total of 13 types of aircraft and helicopters. 5 jumps short of required 30 for "Senior Wings." Other qualifications for Senior Wings were already in place, namely, (a) graduate of Jumpmaster School; (b) required night jumps; (c) required heavy equipment jumps [80 lb PAE bag hooked to front; and unhooked 50' before landed on a lanyard; woe be if you did not get it unhooked in time!!];(c) jumpmastering required number of jumps; (d) 24 months on jump status [I had 18 months, but might have gotten a waiver]; (e) 30 jumps.
11. Bronco and wild bull rodeo riding at amatuer night at fairgrounds, Fort Campbell, Kentucky in the summer of 1964. The horse took off bucking like it was shot from a gun while the bull bucked but turned in tight circles plus bucking. On neither lasted long!!
12. Jumpmaster School, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 1964.
13. Vietnam (Central Highlands, II Corps) with 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division from July to November, 1965.
14. Vietnam: (a) Combat Infantryman's Badge; (b) Bronze Star; (c) Certicate of Merit, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division; (d) Vietnam Service Medal; (e) Vietnamese Parachute Wings, all in 1965.
15. Steamboat Classic Running Races
steamboatclassic.org/, Peoria, Illinois from 1971 to the present (missed a few years). Always a finisher.Generally, run the 4 mile race; but have run the 9 miler through Glen Oak Park 3 or 4 times, primarily when I was in shape for the triathlons). Most recent run was June 9, 2001 with daughters (Devan - 35.09; Kristan - 36.17 and TS - 38.57 - Wait until next year!!). In 2002 - TS - 40.53, but did not walk or drink water!! In 2003 - TS - 41.21, walked some but no water stops. Next year plan to break 37!; 2005 - TS - 41.03 - no stops or water;
16. Bloomington-Normal Triathalon, Bloomington, Illinois, Finisher, 1982.
17. Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (28.4 miles), New York, New York, 1983 and 1984 (learned of event through reading June or July issue, 1983, of Sports Illustrated which told of initial event in August; spearheading it was legendary swimmer and New Yorker, Drury Gallagher; only about 20 swimmers each year, an illustrious group; heavily "covered" by the NY media; interesting experience). Did not finish. Start was behind Gracie Mansion (Mayor's home)which is located at "Hell's Gate", being the confluence of 3 rivers (Long Island Sound; East River; Harlem River). Strong current to overcome starting out; then swim up the Harlem River under many bridges; then past Spuyten Duyvil to Hudson River; swim down the Hudson River, under the George Washington Bridge, past electric power stations and a number of piers (one year required to avoid the incoming QE2!)past the World Trade Towers; cold water coming up from the Hudson depths; tide changing and soon preventing continued forward progress. Both years reached Battery Park at about 20 miles (7am to 5pm)and about one football field distance from making turn by Ferry Landing at base of Manhattan Island (and then with the very swift current down the East River). Pulled from the water, due to the fact that unable to swim against the current (swimming but going nowhere), 8 miles short of the finish. Despite preventative shots of all types, got sick following the swim both years.
18. Alcatraz Challenge Triathlon (formerly known as the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon), San Francisco, CA, July, 1983, finisher, (accompanied by daughter Devan, afterwhich we visited California Universities)(Run by Joe Oakes, Dave Horning, Sally Bailey, Peter Butler, John Alper, George Collins, Buck Swannack, a great group of people).Course was: Take boat out to Alcatraz; jump in maybe 300 feet offshore; swim to Alcatraz shore; dive in and swim the 1.25 miles to Aquatic Park; change; pick up bicycle for 25 miles ride across Golden Gate Bridge; through Sausalito ("Remember, you must stop at all red lights, or the police might arrest you."); to scenic Mill Valley; climb a 45 degree set of railroad ties in the "mountain" maybe 100 feet; and start on a beautiful and scenic 7.5 mile trek along the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean ending up at Stinson Beach on the Pacific Ocean; and turning around for the return run. Finisher (but, when I rolled in smiling, Devan brought me back to earth: "Wow, where have you been? I sure have been waiting a long time!").
19. Chicago Marathon, Chicago, Illinois, September, 1983. Completed 13 miles (with Wife and Kids watching).Lost concentration on mission at hand.
20. Freedom Marathon, Allerton Park, Monticello, Illinois, Fall, 1983.Completed 20 miles (small field of 200 excellent runners; took no family specators this time).
21. Chicago Bud Lite Triathlon, Chicago, Illinois, 1984. Finisher. Course: 1 mile swim in Lake Michigan, starting behind Shed Acquarium [they subsequently changed this route after a drowning in one of the races along the boulders on the edge] ;along causeway East; around Adler Planaterium and out of water on other side; to bicycles and ride along Lake Michigan up and back for 25 miles; then run down to Science and Industry Museum and back for 5 miles (then a unauthorized dip again in Lake Michigan, which felt great). Accompanied son Trace, Justin Wheeler and their friend Brad who also participated. Nice event.
22. Chicago Marathon, Chicago, Illinois, October, 1984. Finisher!!Course: through downtown Chicago (always appreciate the ice cubes given out by the Greeks in "Greektown" at the 7 mile marker; thank you again for the very timely, creative and perfect help!) and then along scenic lakefront up to Belmont Park and back, ending up at Grant Park.
23.Liberty to Liberty Triathlon, New York City/Philadelphia, July, 1986. Finisher. Course (Designer and Organizer: Dave Horning, later to transition from a star athelete into an organizer of triathlons and similar athletic events, based in California):Into the water from the Statute of Liberty; swim past Ellis Island (water refreshing; some jellyfish; got kicked in the nose by another swimmer, which served to really motivate me!)and to Liberty Park, maybe 1.25 miles; then onto bikes for 110 mile ride through very scenic and hilly (the map indicated it was "downhill" to Philadelphia!!) New Jersey and crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River [this would be just south of where George Washington crossed the Delaware, from Valley Forge when he beat the Prussians at Trenton, NJ] on into Philadelphia; then for 5 miles to the Liberty Bell. Flew home from Philadelphia.
24. Ironman Triathalon World Championship (10th Anniversary), 1988, Kona, Hawaii, partial finisher of 2 (swimming and bicycling) of the 3(marathon) legs. Submitted application in March ($150 refundable entry fee) for five years in the "entry lottery", and finally chosen at age 49.Arrived 3 days early to acclimate and practice Pacific Ocean open water swimming and bicycling/running the volcanic road coarse.Recall about 3,000 entrants and observing family members in attendance; from all over world, maybe 50 countries including for first time Soviet Union; very impressive night-before dinner outside and program, very wholesome and family orientated; good sportsmanship emphasized; up early on race day; to waterfront; remember observing this Native American from Utah maybe 6'4", shoulder length hair,say 240 lbs [obviously, he really stood out in the crowd!]; visited with him, he had just been across the street at a restauant for a big breakfast of steak and eggs (!), very relaxed since this was about his 8th or 9th time at the Ironman; being nervous (incidently, my number was 250) with all these superb athletes around, chose to drift toward back of crowd as they waited to start the swim; once started, remember this Asian female drafting on my feet, so I changed position; swim was 2.4 miles, parallelling shore in refreshing Pacific Ocean water [rolling, versus choppy, waves of maybe 4', enough to give me a sort of woosey, semi-seasick feeling], initially could see bottom but then could not (taxi driver on way to airport later said that 30' great white shark had been seen cruising the same area a month before!, true?); proceeded to large cabin cruiser turned right (toward sea); swam to another cabin cruiser and turned right and headed back to swim finish line; can easily get off course in open water swimming; and did; heading out to sea, before saw that I was no longer in the "crowd"; so altered course (having wasted time and energy); finished within time limit, I recall it was around 9am, or so; moved to stationed bicycle; changed; and started on the 112 mile (round-trip) ride out in the sun along a blacktop 2 lane highway trough volcanic territory; some hills which were challenging; at the end went up a long hill and turned around at the top; on the return leg, remember hitting 40 mph on the bike going down the hill; much of the return was sort of without many other bicycles around, they being faster and ahead of me; remember toward the "end" so tired and sore that put bicycle down and laying exhausted on the dirt; but finally starting out again; reached bicycle finish line at 5:45pm; it was almost deserted, with the observer informing me that the time bar was 5:30pm [just 15 minutes late, but that was it, tough luck Tim!]! I was told that I could try the 26.3 miles marathon, but that officially I was disqualified. I started out running (hobbling - with the tops of my thighs burning), but quit after about 1 mile. Needless, to say, I was very disappointed. Back in Peoria, I did find that my rear bicycle tire was bent, it costing $70 to straighten it. But in the end, no excuses, remember!
25. Polar Bear Club, Illinois River, Chillicothe, IL, 1989 and 1990. The second year Trace Swain and nephew J.R. Davis accompanied me. Remember, it is all mental!Also, if you do it, keep moving your limbs or you will get frost bitten.
An article on cold water swimming (Dec. 2005) which requires conditioning the body to cold water, something that I did not do sufficiently for my English Channel attempt. I still get cold when I recall my training for it at Dover, England the week before and the three hours in the Channel on my failed attempt. Anyway, here is an interesting article:
Man breaks world records with Antarctic swim
How can a person wearing only Speedo trunks survive the icy sea?
British swimmer Lewis Pugh this week broke two world records, for the most southerly swim ever undertaken in the ocean, and the longest-duration polar swim ever completed. In completing the two feats, he battled temperatures that would kill you or me in minutes. So what does he have that we mortals don't?
On 14 December, Pugh swam a kilometre in the seas off the Antarctic Peninsula at a latitude of 65º South, some of the world's coldest waters, where the sea's saltiness allows temperatures to dip to just below 0 ºC without freezing. The feat, which took 18 minutes and 10 seconds, required him not only to maintain a safe body temperature throughout the ordeal, but also to stave off the crippling effects of the body's natural reaction to icy water.
Two days later, he swam a mile off the nearby Deception Island, spending 30 minutes and 30 seconds in the water - longer than any other polar swimmer. Physiologist Tim Noakes of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, who accompanied Pugh on the trip, said: "I did not believe it possible to swim for 30 and a half minutes in 2-3 ºC water in just Speedo trunks."
"Normal people would probably be dead within a minute because of the cold-shock reflex," says James Butcher of British medical journal The Lancet1, which profiled Pugh ahead of his record attempt. Less than a second after hitting the water, the lungs constrict, causing an untrained person to hyperventilate, taking up to 60 gasping breaths per minute. Heart rate and blood pressure also skyrocket as the heart panics in response to the shock. Pugh says he felt "screaming pain" all over his body as soon as he dived in.
"It's an exaggerated fight-or-flight response," explains exercise physiologist Michael Tipton of the University of Portsmouth, UK. The paralysing effect of this response means that, in icy water, the body becomes its own worst enemy; not that this is typically a problem. "In our normal day-to-day experience, we don't tend to fall into cold water," Tipton points out.
Cold shower
Fortunately for Pugh, overcoming the response is fairly easy. "Anybody can develop a habituation to the cold," says Tipton. "You can do it with as little as five or six 5-minute immersions."
Tipton and his colleagues have found that, with enough exposure to cold water, volunteers can even be trained not to shiver, allowing muscles to work more effectively. In the weeks leading up to his swim, Pugh took frequent cold showers as well as training in icy water.
Of course, preventing the body from shutting down is just half the battle - Pugh and his support team also had to ensure that his body temperature remained above 35 ºC, which is generally regarded as the cut-off point for hypothermia. "The thing that keeps him going is the ability to produce large amounts of heat," Tipton says.
The thing that keeps him going is the ability to produce large amounts of heat.
Michael Tipton
University of Portsmouth
Pugh is aided in this by what Noakes calls 'anticipatory thermogenesis'. Just the sight of icy water is enough to send his body temperature ratcheting up to 38 ºC, giving him a head-start against the ravages to come.
"Mental imagery can have a profound effect on physical responses," says Tipton. The same thing happens on a smaller scale when the average person anticipates giving a speech, for example, as their body releases stress hormones and ups its metabolic rate.
Fit or fat
Once in the water, the best way to maintain body heat is to produce a lot of it through frantic swimming, and to stay well insulated. The best long-distance swimmers tend to have a combination of these "fitness and fatness" factors, Tipton says.
Women tend to be relatively better than men at outdoor swimming, because their tendency to have more fat over their leg and arm muscles keeps them better insulated. This is important during active swimming, when blood is pumped into the arms and legs and so can accelerate heat loss. The previous record-holder for polar swimming is US female Lynne Cox, who has attributed her success in part to her 36% body fat (most women have a percentage in the 20s).
But thinner men and women can gain back an advantage by being fit. "If you see a thin outdoor swimmer, the chances are they're really fast," says Tipton. Pugh falls into this category. Besides his record as the only person to have swum at both ends of the Earth, he is also the fastest man to swim around South Africa's Robben Island, completing the circuit in just three hours and 42 minutes in 2004.
26. Jogging in -70, -52, etc. degrees "wind chill." Remember it is all mental, but also be sure to dress so that no skin is exposed!
27. Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin, 6 hour and 15 minutes "open water" swim, Saturday, June 7, 1997,[finisher] with the accompaning observer boat being rowed by my University of Wisconsin graduate daughter, Kristan, an excellent swimmer in her own right. We rented a boat, boarded it about 6 a.m. and moved out the channel through the fog, the lake being deserted that Saturday morning. Difficult slipping into the chilly water with just a Speedo swimsuit, goggles and a swimming hat. Once acclimated, not so bad. The Channel Swimming Association had a requirement that all swimmers had to have swum at least a 6 hour, open water [i.e. non-pool] non-stop swim prior to swimming the English Channel. However, there is no comparison between the waves, coldness, choppiness, ship traffic and water between these two bodies of water.
28. English Channel swim (attempt - lasted 3 hrs), Dover, England, July 8, 1997. The shortest distance is about 21 miles. Swims generally are from England to France, but some swim from France to England [Note:610 individuals have successfully swam across the English Channel, fewer than have climbed Mount Everest or flown in space, per Swim Magazine, March/ April, 2001].I traveled to Dover with my daughter Kristan [flew to Gatwick and took train to Dover], my official observer and assistant. We stayed at a bed and breakfast [VICTORIA GUEST HOUSE, Hosts: Bill and Audrey Hamblin, 1 Laureston Place, Dover, KENT CT161QX England email:(WHam101496@aol.com; very friendly, beautiful view of Dover, reasonable prices; number of French tourists; since Marcia Cleveland wrote her book "Dover Solo", which featured Victoria Guest House as the place to stay for Channel swimmers, Bill reports that they have been overwhelmed with swimmers seeking reservations.] for about one week prior to the attempt. The purpose was to acclimate to the water by swimming in Dover Harbor, which is over 1 mile wide and very cold (once a seal was observed swimming with the 10 or so of us practicing). We would swim daily acclimating to the Channel. I remember the first time I dove into the water from the rock-pebble beach, I was so cold as to totally shock my system for about 60 seconds, and then it became tolerable, but never comfortable. It was always cold and uncomfortable. The lady coach was Allison Streeter's mother (Allison, a young stockbroker from London had the record of some 33 Channel crossings); her mother chain-smoked, but was a very good and tough coach; she basically had about 10 or so Englishmen and women (some had completed the Channel) who she was trying to help prepare to conquer the Channel [I believe she saw all the Americans and other foreigners coming to England to swim the Channel and felt that an effort should be made to help the English have a crack at it too; for the most part they were young people who were either locals or would come out from London for the weekend practices]; her workouts (which I only partially followed, since I was going to be trying the swim shortly, while the others were about 30 days or so away from their attempts) were very hard, sort of like a slave driver or an excellent coach; I remember one female British swimmer, Loretta Riscombe-Burton, who had had no trouble swimming the Channel from France to England, and later that summer (1997) successfully swam the Manhattan Island Swim (28.3 miles); in fact she really helped me learn the ropes, when I was first swimming from one end of the harbor to the other end (at both ends were the large Channel ships and ferries), and not realizing that there were currents at work; and I was drifting "out to sea" until she swam over and told me to angle toward the shore to compensate for the strong current; no trouble after that. My boat captain was Mike Orem [SEACRAFT, The Hermitage, 12 Vale Square, Ramsgate, KENT CT119BX England; Fax: 01843-589990; Mike and his sons were featured in the TV movie entitled: "Spencer's Crossing" about an American family attempting a Channel relay swim recently], a very experienced sea captain who had accompanied many many Channel swimmers - including Alison Streeter many successful crossing (once time she cut her foot on the propeller, but continued to "again" successfully complete her crossing); the boat captain was relied upon to pick the best time to go, chosing the best time based on the tides, which were extremely important; the English Channel is always changing, he observed that one can start out with calmness, but end up with rough seas and vise versa;Kristan and I were notified about 7pm that it was a "go" and that we were to meet at the docks to board the accompanying boat (Mike was accompanying another swimmer; so his son,Lance Orem,with a strong Cockney accent, also an experienced captain, would be accompanying me;and we were to leave our hotel about 11pm by taxi to the docks (with our supply of gallons of water, fruit juice, flashlight, sweat suit, towels, etc)so that we could leave 1a.m.; also on board was the official Channel Swimming Assoication Observer; and Nick Adams, a young Englishman, maybe 22 or so, who had swam the Channel at age 16 and later swam it both ways non-stop (I believe Nick set some records in his amazing swims) [he was going to spend the next year in a swim-related job in Australia]; a nice looking tall slender lad, who did not fit the mold of a chunky (heat-retention) type of swimmer;once we departed, it was about a 30 minutes boat ride South from Dover along the coast, past Shakespere Beach where most swims started, on to Abbott Beach where I was to start due to the fact that I was a slower swimmer and thus the angle for making the tides differed;I exited the back of the boat at about 3 a.m., in total darkness, except for the flashlights, and down the rear ladder into the Channel and then swam for about 100 feet toward the (English) beach to satisfy the rules that the swimmer was starting from the beach/land. Then I dove into the chilly water, but the adrendalin was pumping; the water was about 58 degrees; the only thing I had on was silicon swimcap (loaned to me by a Channel swimmer as being warmer than the one I had); swim goggles (which leaked!); some "Channel Mud" on my shoulders, under my arms, between by thighs [which in time wore off];2 tight Speedo swimsuits; and a red floating light pinned to my cap so that I could be located/tracked in the dark water by the boat observer;I swam on the left side of the boat; swam a strong steady crawl stroke under pressure to reach out into the Channel prior to the normal North/South tide change; sort of angling to the North or the Left; and then would angle back to the South/Right; it was uncomfortably cold; the sunrise would be on my left; the seas were rough (4' to 5' constant waves) due to both the weather and the large ship traffic, including ferries between England and France; feeding was done from the boat with the swimmer not be permitted to touch anybody; liquid fuel (on a pole with a paper cup at the end for the swimmer) and maybe a banana; the feedings were to be on the hour; I swam maybe 25' from the boat (Kristan later observed that I should have tucked in closer to the boat so that it could shelter some of the rough seas, and I think that she is right); always aware of the boats propellers and not wanting to be hit by them like Alison was; it was very hard going; I knew that due to my slowness as a swimmer, I was looking at from 18 to 21 hours (the pros can do it in 11 hours); my left leg was going numb, although it might have worked out; I swam for about 3 hours, getting out around 3 miles to the main channel of the Channel, it never letting up, but being just constantly rough seas;and finally said "To Hell with it" and voluntarily quit. On the same day, an excellent Venezuelan female swimmer named Corinna, maybe age 35, was going to be the first from that country to conquer the Channel, and she almost did; just short of the coast of France, she was pulled from the water by Captain Mike Orem when she suffered hypothermia [Note:In 1999, Corinna returned and became the first Venezuelan to conquer the Channel. That same year a young Mexican swimmer died in her attempt at swimming the Channel.].Lessons learned: the English Channel is very rough to conquer for a swimmer due to the coldness of the water and the roughness of the water. Certainly, one who is serious about being successful should practice in the Great Lakes, and learn to handle the rough seas, both mentally and physically (more than just being "cork-like and bobbing with the waves" but being able to make headway for hours on end).
[Note: Source: Swim Magazine (Jane Moore, M.D., Tacoma, WA)March/ April, 2001: "Hypothermia:Sudden immersion in very cold water causes a "reflex gasp." The gasp is followed by an increase in the rate and depth of breathing (hyperventilation). The heart rate increases and blood vessels in the skin and muscles constrict. This is called the "cold shock response."
There are reports of death in untrained persons who inhale water during the gasp of the cold shock response. As the body temperature drops, larger amounts of oxygen are required to do the same amount of work. For this reason, some swimmers may not be able to maintain the energy output to complete planned swims. Cooling causes muscle stiffness and loss of coordination, and movements become jerky and uncoordinated. This response may impair swimming performance enough to cause drowning....A person can adapt to the cold, particularly when repeatedly exposed to old water, which improves the body's ability to tolerate the cold. This adaptation results from changes in metabolic processes and hormone production. The body's control centers adapt to repeated exposures to cold water..."; Swim Magazine, May/June 2001, Letters to the Editor - "Staying Functional in Cold Water - I have just read Dr. Jane Moore's excellent article. The most important things you can do to stay functional in cold water are to wear silicone ear plugs and either a neoprene hood or crepe rubber cap. This was impressed on me by Penny Dean when I began doing long cold water swims 20 years ago. I am 69 years old and still swim year-round in the ocean off Newport Beach, Calif. I swim for about one hour and stay quite comfortable by wearing ear plugs and a neoprene hood when the water temperature is below 60 degrees and a rubber cap when the water is above 60. It is remarkable how your body handles cold water when you keep that "10-pound computer" atop your body covered and also keep the cold water from getting into your ear canal. I also have the advantage of a subcutaneous wetsuit that I have built up from swimming in cold water for so many years. Frank Reynolds, Santa Ana, California."]
29. Half Dome Mountain, Yosmite National Park, California, July 26, 1999.Finisher! Special thanks goes to my "guide and leader", Richard G.Hagerty, Modesto, CA [real estate developer, 12-time Baja Race-driver, mountain-climber, world-class missionary for good causes, etc.]and his wife Teresa, daughter Janeen, foster son Juan who led our party to the summit. This was not a "rock climb" with pitons and ropes and such "technical equipment", but rather a hike up the mountain with the final 400' up the round/smooth face (coming from the rear)ascent at maybe a 45 degree angle, using the steel cable installed by the Park Service each Spring [later removed in the Fall], with wooden 2" by 4" "steps" positioned about every 10'. The actual "top" of Half Dome is spectacular, being about the size of maybe 3 football fields. This is from a postcard entitled "I Made it to the Top! Half Dome Yosemite" that I mailed to friends and relatives following the adventure:"When our family visited Yosemite in the summer of 1982, I heard about the Half Dome hike/climb. Then in 1998, I received a photo Christmas card from my friend Dick Hagerty [Modesto, CA land developer; both were on TSA/NAB together] showing his family atop Half Dome. After writing to him, he suggested that I might want to join them on the planned 1999 re-hike. On Sunday, 7.25.99, Dick, his wife Teresa, daughter Janeen and her friend Sonja, foster son Juan, and I set off on the 17 mile (round trip) hike to and up Half Dome [8,842' high; being 4,733' above Yosemite Valley]. Carrying packs, we trudged up the "Stairmaster" alongside Nevada Falls through Little Yosemite Valley, on John Muir Trial, camping on a broad saddle-formation 2 miles east of Half Dome. Three large brown bears (say, 800!!)visited us, but our food was in a "bear canister." On Monday, 7.26.99, at 7:30am, we resumed our hike, up a "steady, unrelenting climb", up the steep/open "Devil's Staircase" to the base of the Dome's steel cables. From there we donned gloves (no safety ropes used!) for the 400' and 45 degree "spooky" ascent up the cables to the top. Once atop, we roamed the 13 acres (or, 17 football fields) of rock and very carefully peered over both the precipice (2,000' face) and the "rolling" face of Half Dome. Then down the Dome and back to the Valley. What an adventure. I highly recommend it to all my friends...."
30. Big Shoulders Classic [5K and 2.5K], Chicago, IL, Lake Michigan, 10th Anniversary Event http://www.bigshoulders.org/, Sunday, September 10, 2000,finished. My daughter Kristan and I swam the 2.5 k [1.55 miles]event. Approximately 300 entrants, most swimming the 5 K [National Championship sanctioned for 1st year]. The water was about 68 degrees, fairly smooth, outward bound current to contend with, Chicago Park District life guard boats stationed as guides to remain on course. Some rain, but nice overcast day. Kristan's official time was 57:38 and mine was 1:15:33 [www.bigshoulders.org/]. In sum, recommend event to swimmers, but reminded that open water swimming is not as "efficient" as pool swimming and thus time and energy consumed as the swimmer is constantly "correcting" his or her trajectory toward the objective.
31.Pikes Peak, 14,109' summit, Saturday, October 21, 2000, finisher, via Crags Trail [trailhead: 10,100']. Under the guidance/leadership of Dr. Jim Heiberger [who has summited 51 of the 54 of Colorado "Fourteeners", and who practices Family Medicine in Colorado Springs] and our daughter Kristan [who summited via the Barr Trail [trailhead: 6,700'] 3 weeks previously] and Jack Heiberger [teacher and outdoorsman living in Woodland Park, CO (8,500'), both Heibergers long-time neighbors from The Knolls]. From Colorado's Fourteeners From Hikes to Climbs (author: Gerry Roach): "Pikes Peak is the easternmost fourteener in the United States and needs little introduction. It soars west of Colorado Springs metropolitan area and is often the first peak seen when approaching the Rocky Mountains from the east. Its colorful history has been recounted many times. Pikes is the southern Front Range's monarch and the highest peak in El Paso County. Pikes has the largest elevation gain in Colorado. The peak rises a staggering 7,800 vertical feet above downtown Manitou Springs in a horizontal distance of 7.25 miles. No other Colorado peak can match that! Each year, thousands [600,000+] of people reach Pikes' summit by road, rail, and trail. People run, roll, bike, hike, ski, camp, stamp, stomp, and sell Pikes. 'America the Beautiful' was written on the summit."
The climb was rigorous for someone from Peoria [659']. Shortness of breath and soreness of legs was experienced. No altitude sickness was experienced due to taking Diamox for altitude sickness. We started about 8:15am and summited about 1:30pm.
32. Pikes Pike, 6.2001 then to Mt. Rainier in 2001 (Ingraham Flats 11,100' stopped short of 14,410' summit; will try again; skipped 2002; plan for 2003;
33. Hustle Up the Hancock, 2.23.2003, Finisher (35:10 min; 1,840 out of 1,964 climbers). The Marathon of Stair Climbs is a 1,000-foot vertical climb up 1,632 stairs to the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center, Chicago, Illinois. Rated one of the best stair climbs in the world, it is also one of the most challenging athletic events in the region as you climb to the top of the 12th highest building in the world.
www.lungchicago.org/get/hustle.asp
34. Mt. Frazier, Montana, summitted, May 25, 2003, 8,315' [elevation gain of 2,915']. Home of Montana's largest (800lb) grizzly bear, which was released there on May 24th. Climbing team consisted of Steve Taylor, Gregg Smith, Todd Lepard, Doug Palagi, Eric Fowell and Tim Swain, all planning to summit Mt. Rainier on June 21, 2003. On May 21st, TS climbed Mt. Senteniel, Missoula, Montana, on which the "M" is located behind the University of Montana.
33. Go Vertical Chicgo - Sears Tower, 11.13.2005, Finisher (42.48 min; 980 out of 1,093 climbers #1. NYC 13.26 min; #1093. Downers Grove 1:44:40 min). The longest indoor stair climb in the world. 2,109 steps from the lobby to the Sears Tower Skydeck on the 103rd floor, 1,353 feet up from street level. Sears Tower is 1,450 feet and 110 stories tall. It has been the tallest building in the US since it opened in 1973; and for 25 years, was the undisputed tallest building in the world; currently, tallest building in Western Hemisphere.
Thinking and planning.
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