The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare - Oct. 22nd, 2003

AcePilots.com ^

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday"
Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different veteran each Wednesday. The "ordinary" Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who participated in the events in our Country's history. We hope to present events as seen through their eyes. To give you a glimpse into the life of those who sacrificed for all of us - Our Veterans.

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Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare
First U.S. Navy Ace,
Medal of Honor Recipient
Savior of USS Lexington,
First Hellcat Night-Fighter

Edward H. O'Hare was born on March 13, 1914 in St. Louis, the son of "E.J." O'Hare, a wealthy businessman and attorney. His parents sent him to Western Military Academy (WMA) at age 13, where he pursued an interest in marksmanship, becoming president of the rifle club. In 1932, he graduated from WMA, and in 1933 went on to the US Naval Academy. Many of his classmates from both schools died in WWII. Upon his graduation from Annapolis he received choice duty on the USS New Mexico (BB-40). While he was interested in aviation, all new officers had to spend two years in surface ships, before specializing in aviation or submarines. Thus in 1939 he started flight training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, learning the basics on N3N-1 and Stearman NS-1 biplane trainers.

Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare

In November, his father was gunned down by Al Capone's gunmen, most likely because he had given the government information useful in its prosecution of Capone. The gangland-style murder made big headlines, and the newspapers printed numerous speculations on the circumstances of the murder. Many of these were less than flattering and implied that E.J. was involved with the mob. (Ewing & Lundstrom's excellent biography, Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare, covers these events in great detail.) Returning to Pensacola after the funeral, young O'Hare moved up to flying more advanced biplanes like the Vought O3U, the Corsair SU, and the Vought SBU-1 scout bomber (top speed 205 mph). In early 1940, he completed the required flying in patrol planes and advanced land planes.

Pre-War Carrier Flying

When he finished his naval aviation training in May, he was assigned to VF-3, the USS Saratoga's Fighting Squadron. The CO was Warren Harvey; the great John "Jimmy" Thach was XO at this time, later succeeding Harvey as CO. VF-3 was flying the Grumman F3F-1 biplane and the newer Brewster F2A-1. In July, 1940, Ed O'Hare made his first carrier landing, "just about the most exciting thing a pilot can do in peacetime." Jimmy Thach used to knock the new pilots down a notch by outflying them. He would let a rookie gain an altitude advantage, and then, while reading a newspaper or eating an apple, he would out-maneuver him and get on his tail. But when he tried this on O'Hare, he couldn't gain an advantage. Duly impressed with O'Hare's impressive flying abilities, Thach closely mentored the promising young pilot.



In early 1941, VF-3 transferred to Enterprise, while Saratoga underwent a major refit at Bremerton. While the 'Big E' was at San Diego, Warner Brothers filmed the early Technicolor movie Dive Bomber on it, featuring Errol Flynn, Ralph Bellamy, and Fred MacMurray.

July was an important time for Ed O'Hare. He met his future wife, Rita (proposing to her the first time he met her) and also made his first flight in a Wildcat. He and Rita married six weeks later, and for a honeymoon, they sailed to Hawaii in separate ships, Butch on Enterprise and Rita in a passenger liner.

Saving the Lexington

On February 20, 1942, Butch O'Hare demonstrated in real life, and when it counted most, the fighting skills he had mastered. The carrier Lexington had been assigned the dangerous task of penetrating enemy-held waters north of New Ireland. From there her planes were to make a strike at Japanese shipping in the harbor at Rabaul. Unfortunately, while still 400 miles from Rabaul, the Lexington was discovered by a giant four-engine Kawanishi flying boat. Lieutenant Commander John Thach, skipper of the Lexington's Wildcat fighters, shot down the Japanese "Snooper," but not before it had radioed the carrier's position. That afternoon Commander Thach led six Wildcats into the air to intercept nine twin-engine enemy bombers. In a determined attack each of the Wildcats destroyed a bomber and damaged two more. The ship's anti-aircraft guns finished off the rest. In the meantime, nine more Japanese bombers were reported on the way. Six Wildcats, one of them piloted by Butch O'Hare, roared off the Lexington's deck to stop them. O'Hare and his wingman spotted the V formation of bombers first and dived to try to head them off. The other F4F pilots were too far away to reach most of the enemy planes before they released their bombs. As if this weren't bad enough, O'Hare's wingman discovered his guns were jammed. He was forced to turn away. Butch O'Hare stood alone between the Lexington and the bombers.


Lieutenant Edward H. ("Butch") O'Hare, USN, (left)
and
Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach, USN.
Shaking hands in front of a Grumman F4F "Wildcat" fighter plane at an Oahu air base,
circa April-May 1942.
Both men were assigned to Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3),
of which Thach was Commanding Officer.

O'Hare didn't hesitate. Full throttle, he roared into the enemy formation. While tracers from the concentrated fire of the nine bombers streaked around him, he took careful aim at the starboard engine of the last plane in the V and squeezed his trigger. Slugs from the Wildcats six .50-caliber guns ripped into the Japanese bomber's wing and the engine literally jumped out of its mountings. The bomber spun crazily toward the sea as O'Hare's guns tore up another enemy plane. Then he ducked to the other side of the formation and smashed the port engine of the last Japanese plane there.

One by one he attacked the oncoming bombers until five had been downed. Commander Thach later reported that at one point he saw three of the bombers falling in flames at the same time. By now Thach and the other pilots had joined the fight. This was lucky because O'Hare was out of ammunition. The Wildcats took care of several more bombers and Lexington managed to evade the few bombs that were released. It was an amazing example of daring and shooting skill. Afterward Thach figured out that Butch O'Hare had used only sixty rounds of ammunition for each plane he destroyed. He had probably saved his ship. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and awarded the highest decoration of his country, the Congressional Medal of Honor.



With his Medal of Honor presentation, bond tours, and other commitments, Butch was out of combat from early 1942 until late 1943. On October 10, 1943, he flew with VF-6 in the air strikes against Wake Island. On this mission Alex Vraciu, the future ace, was Butch's section leader. Both O'Hare and Vraciu scored that day.

Night Fighting

In November, 1943, the Americans landed in the Gilberts (Tarawa and Makin), and the carriers were covering the landings. Equipped with the new F6F Hellcats, the US fighter pilots owned the skies, and could protect the Navy's warships from Japanese aircraft. From their bases in the Marianas, the Japanese quickly developed tactics to send torpedo-armed Bettys on night missions against the US carriers. In late November they launched these low-altitude strikes almost nightly, in a deadly attempt to get at Enterprise and other American ships.

Ed O'Hare, now Enterprise Commander - Air Group (CAG), was deeply involved in developing ad hoc counter-tactics, the first carrier-based night fighter operations of the US Navy. As the primitive radars were very bulky, they were carried on the Enterprise, on the fairly large TBF Avengers, but not on the smaller and faster Hellcats. The plan required the ship's Fighter Director Officer (FDO) to spot the incoming Bettys at a distance and send the Avengers and Hellcats toward them. The radar-equipped Avengers would then lead the Hellcats into position behind the incoming Bettys, close enough for the Hellcat pilots to spot visually the Bettys blue exhaust flames. Finally, the Hellcats would close in and shoot down the torpedo-carrying bombers. All the planes on both sides would be flying at low level. The plan was experimental, complicated, risky, and necessary - if the Bettys were to be thwarted.


F6F Hellcats

The night of November 27, 1943 was the first combat test of the plan, following an earlier mission that hadn't contacted the Japs. The 'Black Panthers', as the night fighters were dubbed, included two sections of three planes. Both included two Hellcats and one Avenger. Butch led his section from his F6F, Warren Skon flew on his wing; Lt. Cdr. Phillips piloted the TBF with radarman Hazen Rand and gunner Alvin Kernan crewing the plane. (Alvin Kernan's memoirs of his experiences as an enlisted man on US Navy carrier during WWII, Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's World War II Odyssey, describe this night in detail, from the perspective of the man who fired the Avenger's gun seconds before Butch disappeared. (The book also happens to be the best-written narrative of WWII naval aviation that I've read in a long time. I recommend it highly. But it's now out-of-print.)

The night's events were complicated and confusing: the Hellcats had trouble finding the Avenger, the FDO had difficulty putting any of them on the targets, and it was all new to everyone. Phillips, in his lightly armed Avenger, found some of the attacking Japanese bombers and surprisingly, shot two of them down. Following that brief action, in the dark, with nothing to be seen but the flaming gasoline from the downed Bettys burning on the water (for over an hour?), the O'Hare and Skon got into position behind the Avenger. About that time, the Avenger identified a Betty behind the Hellcats. Kernan fired at it. Moments later, O'Hare failed to respond to the radio; he had gone down.


TBF Avenger

What happened? There are three possible explanations:

1. Friendly fire, i.e. Kernan mistakenly shot O'Hare down.
2. The Japanese bomber shot O'Hare down, in a quick, lucky burst that killed Butch instantly without heavily damaging the Hellcat.
3. When Kernan opened up, O'Hare took evasive action, the Hellcat's wingtip touched a wave and dipped into the ocean.

There is no definitive answer. In his recent, thoroughly-researched biography of O'Hare, the respected author John Lundstrom inclines toward the second explanation (Butch was shot down by the Betty), but concludes that O'Hare died in a "freak occurrence in a dangerous and complicated operation."

For their roles in protecting the carrier and in carrying out the Navy's first combat night-fighting mission, Phillips, Rand, and Kernan were awarded Navy Crosses. (Cynics ever since have concluded that the Navy, having to choose between courts-martial or medals for the Avenger crew, opted for the latter, not wanting to admit that its biggest hero had been brought down by friendly fire.)

Having read Lundstrom's book, Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Edward O'Hare, and Kernan's memoirs, Crossing the Line: A Bluejacket's World War II Odyssey, I'm inclined to accept Lundstrom's most likely explanation, and also his general conclusion. Both books are very well-written , and I recommend them to readers interested in this topic, not merely for the events of November 27, 1943.

Thanks to FReeper Diver Dave for the idea and info for this Thread

[Jen]

Our computer(Dell Dimension 4500S) Froze on us yesterday. Right after I clicked on Disconnect in the internet icon in the system tray.

My Dell did something similar last night and I had to turn off the power strip to get it to shut down. I'll make sure all my updates are updated right away. :)

Good morning!

[hardhead]

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters-in-Arms: I have just added an interesting link to G. I. MEMORIES for Korat RTAFB, Thailand.  If you served there during the Vietnam era, this is your chance to re-live some memories of the time.

[Jen]

But Butch O'Hare was Easy Eddie's son.

Like son, like father? Finally?

Great thread today Sam and Snippy! I don't pop in each day to tell you thank you for all your hard work for the Foxhole - but I hope you know I'm around lurking and enjoying the threads. THANKS for all you do for our troops and veterans!!! {{{{{Hugs}}}}}

[Jen]

Thanks to FReeper Diver Dave for the idea and info for this Thread

Just saw this part. THANKS Dave!!! Great man. Great story. Great work Sam and Dave.

[snippy_about_it]

Hugs back atcha and good morning. Butch was a much better man than his father. I wonder what he would have been like if he had the chance to live. :(

[Jen]

What a fantastic eagle and flag graphic. Thanks for posting it Radu.

Great to see you this morning. Morning?!?! What is that? What are you doing up this early? And what am I doing up this early??? ;-)

[Jen]

Butch was a much better man than his father.

Absolutely. Please ping me if you find any info about Butch's mother and the influence she had in his life.

[snippy_about_it]

Will do. ;)

[snippy_about_it]

Looks like he was raised by his father.

***
His parents were divorce and the father kept the children.

But where Edward J. O'Hare may have been the personification of the corrupt lawyer, he was a doting father whose love for his offspring knew no bounds. His daughters were raised as if they were some kind of Irish-American Princesses. And for his son, Butch, there was nothing that he would not and could not do.

Educationally, it was only the best schools of the day for Butch. Recreationally, the senior O'Hare always found time to spend time with his son, whether it was at a sporting event or a poetry reading or a theatrical production or just shooting cans off the back fence with a six- shot .38.

In conversation, the senior O'Hare's favorite phrase seemed to be, "My son, Butch…"

When Butch was about to graduate from high school, he told his father of his burning ambition to go to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. If money had been the only problem, Eddie would have dipped into his pocket and sent the boy off to Maryland without a second thought. But, then as now, entry into Annapolis required the blessing of a would-be midshipman's local representative in Congress.

At the time, Al Capone was hot and getting hotter. It was known that the Feds were closing in on him with a unique new form of prosecution based on violations of the Federal income tax statutes. It was also widely known that Capone and Butch O'Hare's dad were deeply involved in a variety of joint enterprises, some criminal and some only quasi-so. What O'Hare knew about Capone's day-to-day criminal activities was the stuff that the typical Federal prosecutor's dreams are made of.

To make that dream a reality, all that was needed was the timely intervention of a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter who was in the odd position of being both a personal friend of Eddie O'Hare and the best buddy of one of the key people on the prosecution team. The reporter, John Rogers by name, knew that O'Hare wanted very badly to get his young son into Annapolis.

Rogers first went to his pal on the Capone prosecution team, who took the pitch up the line to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, who then went to Congress with the plan, which then found its way over to Annapolis, with the word coming back down to Eddie that Butch was in - if only the senior O'Hare would tell everything the Feds wanted to know about Scarface Al Capone.

He did. The Feds made excellent use of the information. Capone went down for 11 years, with the first two years being served behind the bars of the Federal penitentiary in Atlanta, and the rest spent locked up on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

In 1937, the year that Butch O'Hare graduated from Annapolis, his father received a piece of mail from an ex-con who had been in Alcatraz with Capone. In simple, declarative sentences, the note read: "Capone is mad. He is enraged. He will kill you."

The senior O'Hare, still President of Sportsman's Park Race Track and a millionaire lawyer with enough horse-racing interests, dog-racing deals, real-estate interests and stock transactions to keep an army of accountants on overtime, began to seem a little nervous, a little distracted, his friends said.

However, Ursula Sue Granata, sister of a Mob-tied State Representative and Eddie O'Hare's seven-year fiancee, denied that he was showing signs of any kind of strain or nervousness. "He entertained ten or twelve friends at a dinner party in the Illinois Athletic Club," she said. "Contrary to some things I have read, I didn't see the least indication that he was nervous," Miss Granata declared.

Eddie and Sue, who were long an item in the gossip columns, never seemed able to get their relationship formalized because his earlier divorce from Butch's mother kept all the Catholic priests in the area from officiating. However, they were hopeful that by about the spring of 1940, their request for a dispensation from the Vatican would come through and they would then be able to marry.

But before that happy day would come, Alphonse Capone, regarded by many as the father of organized crime in America, was due to be released from Alcatraz.

On November 8, 1939, or about 27 months before Lt. Butch O'Hare would save the U.S.S. Lexington, Edward J. O'Hare was seen cleaning and loading a Spanish-made .32-caliber semi-automatic pistol in his office at Sportsman's Park. Although he was known to own several firearms, he was never known to carry a gun.

He left his office that afternoon, got into his black 1939 Lincoln coupe and drove away from the track, heading first north on Cicero and then northeast on Ogden, toward Downtown Chicago. As Eddie O'Hare approached the intersection of Ogden and Rockwell, a car roared up beside him and two shotgun-wielding murderers opened fire with repeated blasts of big- game slugs. The slugs tore through the glass and metal of the Lincoln's door, killing Eddie instantly.

As the Lincoln crashed into a post at the side of the roadway, the killers continued east on Ogden, where they soon became lost in other traffic. As might be expected, they were never found.

In addition to the gun that Eddie O'Hare never had a chance to use, police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning snippy, SAM, everyone in the FOXHOLE!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

[Jen]

Wow, I'm surprised by that story. Thanks for the ping Snippy.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on October 22:
1811 Franz Liszt Raiding, Hungary, romantic composer/virtuoso pianist
1845 Sarah Bernhardt France, silent film actress (Camille, Queen Elizabeth)
1870 Ivan Bunin Russia, poet/novelist (Gentleman from SF-Nobel 1933)
1880 Joe Carr Ohio, NFL hall of famer/NFL president (1921-39)
1885 Giovanni Martinelli Montagnana Italy, opera singer (NY Met)
1887 John Reed journalist who reported on Mexican, Russian revolutions
1896 Charles Glenn King biochemist (discovered vitamin C)
1898 Damaso Alonso Spanish poet (Hijos de la ira)
1905 Constance Bennett actress (Easiest Way, Ladies in Love)
1905 Karl Jansky discovered cosmic radio emissions in 1932
1906 Sidney Kingsley author (Darkness at Noon)
1907 Jimmie Foxx baseball HR hitter (Detroit Tigers)
1915 Harry Hickox Big Springs Tx, (Herb-Please Don't Eat the Daisies)
1916 Sid Miller Shenandoah Pa, actor (Donald O'Connor Texaco Show)
1917 Joan Fontaine Tokyo Japan, actress (Gunga Din, Ivanhoe, Rebecca)
1919 Doris Lessing novelist (Golden Notebook)
1920 Mitzi Green NYC, actress (Little Orphan Annie, So This is Hollywood)
1920 Timothy Leary Harvard prof, LSD taker
1922 John Chafee (Sen-R-RI)
1923 Pete Pihos NFL end (Phil Eagles)
1925 Robert Rauschenberg US, painter (Gloria)
1929 Dory Previn pop singer (Love Be My Cover)
1933 Donald H Peterson Winona Mississippi, Col USAF/astronaut (STS 6)
1934 Donald McIntyre Auckland NZ, Bass-Baritone (Wotan-Das Rheingold)
1935 Judy Devlin Hashman 10 time badminton champ (1957-67)
1938 Christopher Lloyd Stamford Ct, actor (Taxi, Back to the Future)
1938 Derek Jacobi London England, actor (Lanner-Strauss Family)
1939 Tony Roberts NYC, actor (Annie Hall, Edge of Night, Lucie Arnaz Show)
1942 Annette Funicello Utica NY, actress (Mickey Mouse Club)
1943 Catherine Deneuve [Dorleac], Paris, actress (Repulsion, Hunger)
1943 Paul Zukofsky Brooklyn NY, violinist (Cappricio)
1945 Leslie West [Weinstein] rocker (Mountain-Mississippi Queen)
1947 Lee Meredith [Judith Lee Sauls], River Edge NJ, actress (Producers)
1948 John Peterson US, Middleweight (Olympic-gold-1976)
1952 Jeff Goldblum Pitts Pa, actor (The Fly, Thank God it's Friday)
1952 Patti Davis aka Patricia Ann Reagan, 1st daughter (House of Secrets)
1961 Barbara Potter Ct, tennis player (changed shirt on Wimbledon Court)
1961 Leonard Marshall NFL defensive end (NY Giants)
1963 Brian Boitano US, figure skater (Olympic-gold-1988)
1963 Cherie Witter Everett Wash, playmate (February, 1985)
1966 Valeria Golino Naples Italy, actress (Rain Man, Little Flames)
1980 Michael Fishman actor (DJ-Roseanne)
1985 Zachary Walker Hanson Tulsa OK, drummer-Hanson, (MMMBop)

---

Deaths which occurred on October 22:
0741 Charles (the Hammer) Martel, ruler of the Franks, dies at 63
1565 Jean Grolier de Servi‚res French bibliophile, dies
1906 Paul Cezanne, French painter, dies at 67
1932 Anna Dickinson dies just a week shy of her 90th birthday
1934 Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd shot dead by FBI in Ohio
1975 Arnold Toynbee, English historian/cultural sociologist, dies at 86
1979 Jesse Bishop murderer, dies in Nevada gas chamber
1984 Napoleon Whiting actor (Silas-Big Valley), dies at 75
1986 Ivor Francis actor (Dusty's Trail), dies at 68
1992 Red Barber, sportscaster (Dodgers, Yankees), dies at 84
1994 Harold Horace Hopkins, inventor (Endoscope), dies at 75

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1964 TOWERY HERMAN---FT BRAGG NC.
[REMAINS RECOVERED ID 10/27/64]
1965 CHERRY FRED V.---SUFFOLK VA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1965 MANN ROBERT LEE---LAFAYETTE IN.
[FIREBALL NO RADIO CONTACT]
1965 MC EWEN JAMES ARTHUR---WASHINGTON PA.
[FIREBALL NO RADIO CONTACT]
1965 WEGER JOHN JR.---SAN FERNANDO CA.
[FIREBALL NO RADIO CONTACT]
1966 HARRIS HAROLD L.---DURHAM NC.
1966 KLENERT WILLIAM BLUE---BELLMORE NY.
[03/18/77 SRV RETURNED REMAINS TO PCOM]
1966 KOLSTAD THOMAS CARL---PARKVILLE MN.
[03/18/77 SRV RETURNED REMAINS TO PCOM]
1966 MC BRIDE EARL PAUL---VOLANT PA.
1967 DOOLEY JAMES E.---MANCHESTER CENTER VT.
1971 GARRETT MAURICE E. JR.---MERCER PA.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
4004 -BC- Universe created at 8:00 PM, according to the Anglican archbishop James Ussher 1650
1746 Princeton University (NJ) received its charter
1797 Andr‚-Jacques Garnerin makes 1st parachute jump from balloon (Paris)
1824 The Tennessee Legislature adjourns ending Davy Crockett's state political career
1836 Sam Houston inaugurated as 1st elected pres of Republic of Texas
1861 1st telegraph line linking West & East coasts completed
1862 Union troops push 5,000 confederates out of Maysbille, Ark., at the Second Battle of Pea Ridge
1862 Confederate troops reconquer Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
1875 Sons of the American Revolution organized
1883 1st NY Horse Show held (Madison Sq Garden)
1883 Original Metropolitan Opera House (NYC) grand opening (Faust)
1906 3000 blacks demonstrate & riot in Phila
1918 The cities of Baltimore and Washington run out of coffins during the "Spanish Inflenza" epidemic.
1922 Lucerne Street in the Bronx named
1922 Parsifal Place laid out in Bronx, named for knight in Wagner's Opera
1928 Pres Hoover speaks of "American system of rugged individualism"
1936 1st commercial flight from mainland to Hawaii
1938 Chester Carlson invents the photocopier. He tries to sell the machine to IBM, RCA, Kodak and others, but they see no use for a gadget that makes nothing but copies.
1939 1st TV NFL game-Eagles vs Dodgers
1949 200 killed in train derailment near Nowy Dwor Poland
1950 LA Rams beat Baltimore Colts 70-27
1953 Laos gains full independence from France
1954 West Germany joins North Atlantic Treaty Organization
1955 The prototype of the F-105 Thunder Chief makes its maiden flight
1962 JFK imposes naval blockade on Cuba, beginning missile crisis
1962 Pacific Science Center opens at Seattle Center
1964 EMI rejects audition by "High Numbers," they go on to become The Who
1963 225,000 students boycott Chicago schools in Freedom Day protest
1964 Jean Paul Satre declines the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1966 USSR launches Luna 12 for orbit around Moon
1968 Apollo 7 returns to Earth
1969 KAPN-AM in Santa Barbara CA changes call letters to KDB-AM
1972 Oakland A's 1st championship; beat Reds, 4 games to 3 in 69th World Series
1972 Operation Linebacker I, the bombing of North Vietnam with B-52 bombers, ends.
1973 Security Council Resolution 338-cease fire to the Yom Kippur War
1974 Yanks trade Bobby Murcer to Giants for Bobby Bonds
1975 Cin Reds beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 72nd World Series
1975 Soviet spacecraft Venera 9 soft-lands on Venus
1975 World Football League disbands
1976 Rick Barry (SF), begins then longest NBA free throw streak of 60
1977 International Sun-Earth Explorers 1 & 2 launched into Earth orbit
1978 Laugh-in's Judy Carne arrested at Gatwick Airport for drug possession
1979 Deposed Shah of Iran arrives in NY for medical treatment
1979 Walt Disney World's 100-millionth guest
1980 New South Korean constitution comes into effect
1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization decertified
1981 US national debt tops $1 trillion
1984 NFL quarterback Ken Stabler retires
1984 Paul McCartney releases "Give My Regards to Broad Street" soundtrack
1988 Elton John sells out MSG for a record 26th time
1988 Supreme Ct Justice Sandra Day O'Connor OK after breast cancer surgery
1991 General Motors announces 9 month loss of $2.2 billion
1994 Statue of Sam Houston unveiled in Texas

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

India, Mauritius, Singapore : Deepavali Day
Japan : Jidai Matsuri/Festival of the Eras (1895)
Puerto Rico : Veterans Day
Vatican City : National Day
US : Mother-in-Law's Day (Sunday)
US some states : Veterans Day (Monday)
US : Francis E Willard Day-temperance day (Friday)
National Forrest Products Week (Day 4)
National Copycat Day
National Pharmacy Week (Day 4)
National day to be a copycat
Gourmet Adventures Month
Country Music Month
National Sarcastics' Awareness Month

---

Religious Observances
Christ : SS Philip, bishop of Heraclea, & his companions, martyrs
RC : Commemoration of St Theodoret, priest/martyr

---

Religious History
_451 During the Fifth Session of the Council of Chalcedon, the final form of the Chalcedonian Creed was drafted. It became the Early Church's highest and most enduring "definition" of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
1844 The "Great Disappointment" began when this latest date, set for the return of Christ by religious leader William Miller, passed without event. Over 100,000 disillusioned followers returned to their former churches, or abandoned the Christian faith altogether.
1899 American Presbyterian missionary James B. Rodgers, 34, baptized his first Filipino converts to the Christian faith, thus inaugurating the beginning of Philippine Protestant churches.
1952 The complete Jewish Torah was published in English for the first time. A collection of oral and written commentary (dating 200 BC to AD 500) on the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah comprises the basic religious code of Judaism.
1966 Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth declared in a letter: 'God makes no mistakes.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

---

You might be a Minnesotan if...
you were proud when you turned 12 and got a pair of "5 bucklers" for your birthday.

---

Murphys Law of the day...(Agnes Allen's Law)
Almost anything is easier to get into than out of.

---

Amazing fact #200,987,725.5...
Elizabeth I of England suffered from anthophobia, a fear of roses.

[skeeter]

Thanks SAM. I'll never get tired of visiting the Foxhole.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks hardhead for keeping us informed of your updates.

[snippy_about_it]

National day to be a copycat

1938 Chester Carlson invents the photocopier. He tries to sell the machine to IBM, RCA, Kodak and others, but they see no use for a gadget that makes nothing but copies.

Hmmm. I wonder...are these two historical events related. :)

[snippy_about_it]

I'll never get tired of visiting the Foxhole.

Good morning skeeter, good to see you "fall in" today.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather, feeling better this morning?

[Valin]

Man! Nothing gets by you does it? :-)

[Samwise]

Yipes. Whatta story.

Morning, snippy.

[snippy_about_it]

Morning Samwise.