The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Brigadier General Robinson Risner - Feb. 15th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

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.


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Korean War Ace and Vietnam POW


Robinson Risner

In 1973, Americans welcomed home their returning Vietnam prisoners of war. Among those heroes walked Lieutenant Colonel Robinson "Robbie" Risner. During 33 years of service, he fought in three wars and on two separate occasions received the Air Force's highest award, the Air Force Cross.

Robbie Risner was born in Arkansas in 1925, grew up in Oklahoma and joined the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II in 1943. He completed pilot training in 1943 and earned his wings in May, 1944. He eagerly awaited a combat posting. Disappointed, he was assigned to Panama flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Bell P-39 Airacobra.


P38 Lightning


Bell P39 Cobra

Following WWII, he served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard flying the North American F-51 Mustang until his recall to active duty during the Korean War.


F51 Mustang

Eager to contribute, Captain Risner volunteered for duty as a photo-reconnaissance pilot, but after arriving in Korea in May 1952, he wangled an assignment in the North American F-86 Sabre with the famous 336th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, based at Kimpo. He shot down his first MiG on August 5, 1952, and then scored again on September 9, September 15, and twice on September 21, making him the 20th American ace of the conflict.

The Best Pilot

On October 22, 1952, he was flying escort for some fighter-bombers; to screen them, he had to fly across the Yalu, right above the big Chinese air base at Antung. He immediately encountered four MiGs that turned and flew deeper into China. Staying with them anyway, Risner fired at extreme range at the tail-end Charlie and shattered his canopy glass. As the MiG pilot twisted and dodged, Risner caught his plane with another burst. Almost down on the deck, the Communist flier started a split-S, and to Risner's amazement pulled out of it in a dry river bed.



Risner pursued through the MiG's jet wash and dust that it kicked up. Through more tortuous maneuvers, Risner could barely stay with the enemy plane. Risner himself described the chase in Eric Hammel's Aces in Combat, Volume 5:

"He was not in very good shape, but he was a great pilot - and he was fighting like a cornered rat! He chopped the throttle and threw his speed brakes out. I coasted up, afraid that I'd overshoot him. I did a roll over the top of him, and when I came down on the other side, I was right on his wing tip. We were both at Idle with our speed brakes out, just coasting.

He looked over at me, raised his hand, and shook his fist. I thought 'This is like a movie. This can't be happening!' He had on a leather helmet and I could see the stitching in it."

The MiG then swung around and led Risner right into Tak Tung Kau airfield, 35 miles inside China. He zoomed down the airstrip, making 300 knots and with his landing gear up. Risner waited until the right moment and then hammered him, blasting off part of the wing; the MiG touched the ground and blew apart. It was Risner's sixth kill.



The Push

As Risner and his wingman, Lt. Joe Logan, were leaving the Chinese airfield, the flak caught Joe's fuel tank. Jet fuel and hydraulic fluid spewed out from the wounded Sabre. Robinson instantly decided to try an unprecedented and untried maneuver; he would push the crippled fighter with his, about 60 miles to the UN rescue base on the island of Cho Do.

He radioed Joe to shut down his engine. He carefully inserted the nose of his F-86 into the exhaust of Logan's plane and tired to keep the two planes together. The turbulence kept bouncing and separating the two jets, but Risner was able to re-establish contact and guide the powerless plane out over the sea.

Near Cho Do, Lt. Logan bailed out, after radioing to Risner, "I'll see you at the base tonight." Risner stayed in radio contact with the rescue helicopter. Joe, a strong swimmer, landed close to shore, and the chopper tried to blow him in with the rotors. Tragically, Joe Logan didn't make it; he became tangled in his parachute lines and drowned.

Risner shot down two more MiGs, for a total of eight, before he left Korea in mid-1953.

Vietnam POW



Risner stayed in the Air Force, commanding fighter squadrons based in Germany and the United States. A 22-year fighter veteran, he now was leading Republic F-105 Thunderchief strikes out of Thailand against targets in North Vietnam, which resulted in his appearance on the cover of TIME magazine. While flying a ROLLING THUNDER mission on 16 September 1965, he was shot down and taken prisoner. Because of the TIME magazine article, the North Vietnamese believed they had an important American officer, whom they were determined to break through torture and solitary confinement.



Throughout his seven and one-half year ordeal, Risner's personal valor, loyalty, adherence to the Code of Conduct, and faith in God and country were rallying points for him and his fellow prisoners. Following repatriation in 1973, he qualified as combat ready in the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and was later assigned as Commander, 832rd Air Division flying the McDonnell Douglas F-111 Aardvark at Cannon AFB, New Mexico.

He chronicled his combat and captivity experiences in his book, The Passing of the Night:My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese. , which he dedicated to the youth of America.

After his return the United States, he was promoted to Brigadier General. He retired from the Air Force in 1976. He lives in Texas with his wife Dot.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

BRIGADIER GENERAL ROBINSON RISNER



Brigadier General Robinson Risner was Commander of the 832d Air Division with headquarters at Cannon Air Force Base, N. Mex.

General Risner was born in Mammoth Spring, Ark., on Jan. 16, 1925, and graduated from Central High School in Tulsa, Okla., in 1942.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in April 1943 and attended flight training at Williams Field, Ariz., where he was awarded his pilot wings and a commission as second lieutenant in May 1944. He attended transition training and then flew P-38 and P-39 aircraft with the 30th Fighter Squadron in Panama. He was relieved from active duty in August 1946 and became a member of the Oklahoma Air National Guard as an F-51 pilot.



General Risner was recalled to active duty in February 1951 and assigned to the 185th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Will Rogers Field in Oklahoma City, Okla. He received training with the 185th Squadron in RF-80s at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.



In May 1952 General Risner was assigned to the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Wing, at Kimpo, Korea. While assigned to the 336th Squadron, he flew more than 100 combat missions in F-86s against Mig-15s over North Korea. He is credited with eight enemy aircraft destroyed and became the 20th jet ace during the Korean War.



General Risner was reassigned to the 50th Fighter Bomber Wing at Clovis Air Force Base, N. Mex., in March 1953 and became operations officer of the 81st Fighter Bomber Squadron. He flew F-86s with the 50th Wing to activate Hahn Air Base, Germany, where he became Commander of the 81st Fighter Bomber Squadron in November 1954.



In July 1956 he was transferred to George Air Force Base, Calif., as operations officer of the 413th Fighter Wing. Subsequently he served as Commander of the 34th Fighter Day Squadron, also at George Air Force Base.

During his tour of duty at George Air Force Base, General Risner was selected to fly the Charles A. Lindberg Commemoration Flight from New York to Paris. Flying the F-100, he set a transatlantic speed record, covering the distance in 6 hours and 38 minutes.



From August 1960 to July 1961, he attended the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He next served on the Joint Staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, in Hawaii.



In August 1964 General Risner was assigned as Commander of the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, where he flew the F-105 Thunderchief. While on temporary duty with the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, he was shot down over North Vietnam in April 1965 and was rescued. General Risner was returned to duty and in September 1965 was shot down again over North Vietnam and captured.


"Hanoi Hilton" North Vietnamese POW camp in Hanoi 23 Dec 72

While held prisoner in Hanoi, General Risner served first as the Senior Ranking Officer and later as Vice Commander of the 4th Allied Prisoner-of-War Wing. He was repatriated in February 1973 and in July 1973 assigned to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., where he became combat ready in the F-4.

General Risner was transferred to Cannon Air Force Base, N. Mex., as Commander of the 832d Air Division in February 1974, and flew the F-lll.

In November 1974, General Risner was initiated into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for his achievements.



His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Cross with one oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal with V device and one oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon with two combat V devices and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. He is a command pilot.

He was promoted to the grade of brigadier general effective May 8, 1974, with date of rank May 5, 1974. He retired Aug. 1, 1976.

The Air Force honored retired Brig. Gen. Risner with a statue at the Air Force Academy.


Retired Brig. Gen. Robinson Risner, in uniform, accepts congratulations following the unveiling of the statue in his honor at the Air Force Academy Friday, Nov. 16, 2001. The statue, located in the Academy's "Air Garden", is nine feet tall and is a larger version of the Risner Trophy, an award presented to the Air Force's outstanding fighter pilot each year...by Kevin Kreck

Unveiled November 16, 2001, the 9-foot bronze statue also pays tribute to Risner’s seven-plus years as a POW in Vietnam. Risner was shot down and captured Sept. 16, 1965 and held until Feb. 12, 1973.



The statue’s height, taller than any on academy grounds, is based on something Risner once said after being released from solitary confinement. Risner had organized a church service for his fellow POWs — a forbidden act. After the service, his captors led him away for more punishment. As they were escorting him, the 46 POWs remaining in the room began singing “The Star Spangled Banner” to show their support. After his release from captivity, Risner was asked how he felt when the men began singing.

“I felt like I was 9 feet tall and could go bear hunting with a switch,” he said.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

www.acepilots.com/korea_risner.html
Robinson Risner, The Passing of the Night: My Seven Years as a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese
Valor Article, When Push Came to Shove
Sabre Pilots Association - see Sabre Jet Classics, on-line magazine
Eric Hammel's Aces in Combat, Volume 5 - a fine anthology,
with stories by Korean War aces Fischer, DeLong, Kasler, and Risner; also many WWII stories

[snippy_about_it]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

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[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Sunday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[snippy_about_it]

Good Morning Sam.

[U S Army EOD]

Man am I confused, I have been told by the democrats that National Guard pilots shirk their duties.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[Iris7]

Being a prisoner of the North Vietnamese for over seven and a half years while keeping your honor intact is a mighty fine achievement. Pretty darn amazing he survived at all. By Grace, through Faith.

Reading his bio I wonder if he ever got a college degree. Doesn't look like it. Nowadays no degree, no nothing. Misplaced official priorities, that. A degree does not make a gentleman. Either a man is, or he isn't.

[The Mayor]

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

For a new start, ask God for a new heart.

Brig. Gen. Risner, what a fantastic life he lead,another true Hero, God Bless him..

[snippy_about_it]

Man am I confused, I have been told by the democrats that National Guard pilots shirk their duties.

LOL! That's what the dimwits are saying as they continue to lead their sheeple down the path to accepting a socialist form of government.

I sure wish they'd wake up and see the truth of their leaders as we do. They are only out to better themselves and ruin what little is left of our constitution. /rant

Wow, you got me going this morning. Now I'm awake!

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. We're half way through February, spring can't be far off!

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[snippy_about_it]

Either a man is, or he isn't.

Amen to that Iris7.

Good morning, it's good to see you as always.

I was prompted to look up more about him this morning and found this news article. He is responding to a letter that slams the POW's upon their return saying it was all rehearsed and political. He has a very good response.

It is a little long so I'll just post the link here along with his closing of the letter.

" Most of us felt that the President was personally responsible for getting us out “with honor.” Maybe “with honor” isn’t too meaningful to some but we would have stayed a lot longer rather than come home without it. " LINK

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor. I stumbled upon General Risner's name quite by accident and wanted to share his story here.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning feather.

[Valin]

On This Day In history


Birthdates which occurred on February 15:
0037 Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar Nero emperor of Rome (54-68)
1368 Sigismund Nürnberg Germany, Holy Roman emperor (1410-37)
1483 Babur founder of Mughal dynasty in India (1526-30
1497 Philipp Melanchthon Germany, Protestant reformer
1519 Pedro Menéndez de Aviles explored Florida - founded St Augustine FL
1564 Galileo Galilei Pisa, Italy, astronomer/physicist
1705 Charles A Vanloo French painter
1710 Louis XV the Well-Beloved Versailles, King of France (1715-74)
1726 Abraham Clark farmer/lawyer, signed Declaration of Independence
1748 Jeremy Bentham London England, philosopher/originator (Utilitarian)
1795 Charles Niellon Belgian brigade general (10 day campaign)
1797 Henry Engelhard Steinway piano maker (Steinway)
1803 John Augustus Sutter Swiss/US colonist of California gold rush fame (New Helvetia CA, Sutter Mill)
1809 Cyrus Hall McCormick inventor (Mechanical reaper)
1819 Christopher Sholes Mooresburg PA, inventor (typewriter)
1835 Alexander Stuart Webb Major General (Union Army), died in 1911
1858 William Pickering Boston, astronomer (9th & 10th moons of Saturn)
1861 Alfred North Whitehead English mathematician/philosopher (Adventures of Ideas)
1874 Ernest H Shackleton Kilkee Ireland, explorer (Endurance, Antarctica)
1882 John Barrymore [Blythe], Philadelphia PA, actor (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, The Tempest, Beloved Rogue)
1886 Sax Rohmer England, author (Dr Fu Manchu)
1892 James Forrestal US, banker/Secretary of Navy
1894 Oswaldo Aranha Brazil, lawyer/statesman (1st President of UN)
1907 Cesar Romero New York NY, actor (Joker-Batman, Ocean's 11, The Thin Man)
1911 Leonard Woodcock labor leader (UAW)
1914 Arthur Sydney Martin spy catcher
1914 Kevin McCarthy Seattle WA, actor (Invasion of Body Snatchers, Howling)
1922 Herman Kahn New Jersey, writer (Thinking About the Unthinkable)
1923 Yelena Bonner Moscow, soviet dissident/wife of Andre Sakharov
1927 Harvey Korman Chicago IL, actor (Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles)
1929 James Schlesinger US Secretary of Defense (1973-75)
1931 [Patricia] Claire Bloom London, actress (Charly, Look Back in Anger)
1934 Niklaus Wirth Switzerland, computer programmer/inventor (PASCAL)
1935 Roger B Chaffee Grand Rapids MI, Lieutenant Commander USN/astronaut
1935 Susan Brownmiller Brooklyn NY, feminist author (Against Our Wills)
1944 Aleksandr A Serebrov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-7, T-8, TM-8, TM-17)
1947 Rusty Hamer Tenafly NJ, actor (Rusty-Make Room for Daddy)
1951 Melissa Manchester Bronx NY, singer (Don't Cry Out Loud)
1951 Jane Seymour [Joyce Frankenberg], Middlesex England, actress (Dr Quinn, East of Eden, Lassiter)
1954 Matt Groening cartoonist (Life in Hell, Simpsons)
1964 Chris Farley actor (Saturday Night Live, Wayne's World, Coneheads)
1971 Renee O'Connor actress, (Xena Warrior Princess)

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Deaths which occurred on February 15:
1145 Lucius II [Gherardo Caccianemici], Italian Pope (1144-45), dies
1152 Konrad III Roman-German King (1138-1152), dies at about 58
1503 Henry Deane Archbishop of Canterbury (1501-03), dies
1600 José the Acosta Spanish missionary (Peru), dies at 59
1637 Ferdinand II King of Bohemia/Hungary/German Emperor (1619-37), dies at 58
1820 William Ellery US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 92
1831 Henry Maudslay inventor (metal lathe), dies
1849 Pierre F Verhulst Belgian mathematician (logistic curve), dies at 44
1905 Lewis Wallace US diplomat/soldier/Gov. NM./writer (Ben Hur), dies at 77
1943 Thomas "Fats" Waller US jazz pianist (Hot Chocolate), dies at 38
1965 Nat King Cole singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa), dies at 45
1968 Little Walter rocker, dies at 37
1973 Wally Cox actor (Mr Peepers, Hollywood Squares), dies at 48
1975 Julian Huxley biologist, dies
1979 Mehdi Rahimi Iran General/military Governor of Tehran, executed
1981 Mike Bloomfield rocker (Paul Butterfield Blues Band), dies of drug overdose at 36
1984 Ethel Merman singer/actress (Kid Million), dies in her sleep at 76
1988 Neil R[onald] Jones science fiction writer (Space War, Twin Worlds), dies at 78
1995 Joseph Ortiz French-Algerian extremist/rebel, dies at 77
1996 McLean Stevenson actor (MASH, Hello Larry), dies at 66
1996 Tommy Rettig actor (Lassie)/computer programmer (Clipper), dies at 54
1998 Martha Gelhorn female war correspondents, dies at 89

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 MAUTERER OSCAR---CHARLOTTESVILLE VA.
[EJECTED]
1968 CARPENTER JOE V.---MAYSVILLE KY.
[08/09/68 RELEASED HANOI, DECEASED OCT 82]
1968 WRITER LAWRENCE D.---OLYMPIA WA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 NIEDECKEN WILLIAM CLINTON---CORPUS CHRISTI TX
1969 WALSH RICHARD A.---ST PAUL MN.
1971 CREAR WILLIS C.---BIRMINGHAM AL.
"EXPLODE, NO SURV OBS"]
1971 CRONE DONALD E.---WHITTIER CA.
["EXPLODE, NO SURV OBS"]
1971 FIVELSON BARRY F.---EVANSTON IL.
["EXPLODE, NO SURV OBS"]
1971 LEONARD MARVIN M.---GRAND RAPIDS MI.
["EXPLODED, NO SURV OBS"]
1971 POWERS JOHN L.---MAC KAY ID.
["EXPLODED, NO SURV OBS"]
1971 TAYLOR JAMES H.---OROVILLE CA.
["EXPLODED, NO SURV OBS"]

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

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On this day...
399BC Philosopher Socrates sentenced to death
1145 Bernardo elected Pope Eugene III
1386 Duke Philip the Stout forms Council of Flanders
1637 Ferdinand III succeeds Ferdinand II as Holy Roman Emperor
1689 German Parliament declares war on France
1764 St Louis founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclade Ligue
1768 1st mustard manufactured in America advertised, Philadelphia
1799 1st US printed ballots authorized, Pennsylvania
1804 New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery
1842 1st adhesive postage stamps in US (private delivery company), New York NY
1851 Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom rescuing a fugitive slave
1861 Ft Point completed & garrisoned (but has never fired cannon in anger)
1862 Grant's major assault on Ft Donelson TN
1869 Charges of Treason against Jefferson Davis are dropped
1870 Ground broken for Northern Pacific Railway near Duluth MN
1879 Congress authorizes women lawyers to practice before the Supreme Court
1895 23 cm (9") of snow falls on New Orleans
1898 USS Maine blows up in Havana harbor, cause unknown-258 sailors die
1903 1st Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris & Rose Michtom
1906 British Labour Party organizes
1913 1st avant-garde art show in America opens in New York NY
1918 1st WWI US army troop ship torpedoed & sunk by Germany, off Ireland
1918 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania adopt the Gregorian calendar
1919 American Legion organizes in Paris
1926 Contract air mail service begins in US
1931 1st Dracula movie released
1932 US bobsled team member Eddie Eagan becomes only athlete to win gold in both Summer & Winter Olympics (1920 boxing gold)
1932 George Burns & Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on "Guy Lombardo Show"
1933 President-elect Franklin Roosevelt survives assassination attempt
1933 Karl Radek praises invincible force of German communist party
1936 -60º F (-51º C), Parshall ND (state record)
1936 Sonja Henie, Norway, wins 3rd consecutive Olympics figure skating gold
1936 Hitler announces building of Volkswagens
1939 German battleship Bismarck was launched
1939 Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" premieres in New York NY
1941 Duke Ellington 1st records "Take the A Train"
1942 Singapore surrenders to the Japanese
1943 Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by allied air raid
1948 Mao Zedong's army occupies Yenan
1949 Dmitri Shostakovich's "Song of the Woods" premieres in Leningrad
1950 Walt Disney's "Cinderella" released
1954 1st bevatron in operation-Berkeley CA
1955 1st pilot plant to produce man-made diamonds announced
1956 Pirates & Kansas City A's cancel an exhibition game in Birmingham AL, because of local ordinance barring black from playing against white
1957 Andrei A Gromyko succeeds Dmitri Shepilov as Soviet foreign minister
1961 Entire US figure skating team of 18, dies in Belgian Sabena 707 crash
1964 Beatles' "Meet the Beatles!" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 11 weeks
1964 Bill Bradley scores 51 points for Princeton
1965 Canada replaces the Union Jack flag with the Maple Leaf
1967 1st anti-bootleg recording laws enacted
1967 Longest dream (REM sleep) on record, Bill Carskadon, Chicago (2:23)
1971 After 1200 years Britain abandons 12-shilling system for decimal
1973 Friendsville Academy (Tennessee) ends 138-game basketball losing streak
1978 Escaped mass murderer Ted Bundy recaptured, Pensacola FL
1978 Leon Spinks beats Muhammad Ali in 15 for world heavyweight crown
1979 Temple City Kazoo Orchestra appears on Mike Douglas Show
1981 Rocket-powered ice sled attains 399 kph, Lake George NY
1987 ABC-TV begins broadcasting "Amerika" mini-series
1989 Soviet military occupation of Afghánistán ends
1992 100th episode of "Cops" airs on the Fox Network
1992 Jeffrey Dahmer found sane & guilty of killing 15 boys
1995 Population of People's Republic of China hits 1.2 billion
1998 Daytona 500 race; Dale Earnhardt wins

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

Massachusetts : Spanish-American War Memorial Day (1898)
US : Battleship Day, Remember the Maine (1898)
US : Presidents' Day (formerly Washington's Birthday)-legal holiday (Monday)
US : Pancake Week Begins
US : Condom Week (Day 2)
US : Visiting Nurse Week Begins
Grapefruit Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Georgia (St Georgette)
Orthodox : Meeting of the Lord/Purification of the Virgin
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of Sts Faustinus & Jovita, martyrs
Anglican : Commemoration of Thomas Bray, priest/missionary

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Religious History
1386 King Jagiello of Lithuania was baptized into the Christian faith. Lithuania being the last heathen nation in Europe, Jagiello's conversion finalized the Macedonian Vision in Acts 16:9, leading St. Paul to begin taking the Gospel to Europe.
1762 Anglican hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'We serve a gracious Master who knows how to overrule even our mistakes to His glory and our own advantage.'
1860 Wheaton College was chartered in Illinois under Methodist sponsorship. (The following year the school passed into Congregational control. Today, Wheaton is non-denominational.)
1930 Death of Franklin L. Sheppard, 78. He served on the editorial committee of the 1911 edition of the Presbyterian Hymnal, but is better remembered for composing the hymn tune TERRA BEATA, to which "This Is My Father's World" is most commonly sung.
1986 Living Bibles International moved to its present headquarters in Naperville, IL. Founded in 1968 by Ken Taylor, editor of the Living Bible, LBI is an interdenominational Bible distributing agency, working in 45 countries.

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

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Thought for the day :
"Chili represents your three stages of matter: solid, liquid, and eventually gas."

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Question of the day...
What is the difference between a "slim chance" and a "fat chance"?

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Murphys Law of the day...(Principle of Displaced Hassle)
To beat the bureaucracy, make your problem their problem.

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Amazing Fact #39,750...
The mask used by Micheal Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Snippy.

Another Commie goes down to a National Guard slacker < /sarcasm>

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

The Air National Guard in Vietnam

(June 2000) - Air National Guard units began flying supply missions to Vietnam in 1965, and the Air Guard was mobilized twice during the Vietnam War.

Eleven squadrons were called up in January 1968 in response to the seizing of the U.S. Navy ship Pueblo by North Korea, and two tactical fighter squadrons were, the 166th (Ohio) and the 127th (Kansas) were sent to South Korea.

In May 1968 one aeromedical airservice group and two tactical fighter groups were federalized.

Four tactical fighter squadrons--the 120th (Colorado), 174th (Iowa), 188th (New Mexico), and 136th (New York)--deployed to Vietnam. And although not a Guard unit, the Guard can claim credit for a fifth squadron, the 3755th: 85 percent of this tactical fighter squadron's personnel were Air Guard volunteers from New Jersey and the District of Columbia.

The Air Force commander in Vietnam, testifying before a Senate committee, summed up the combat record of these five squadrons:

"I had ... five F-100 Air National Guard squadrons ... Those were the five best F-100 squadrons in the field. The aircrews were a little older, but they were more experienced, and the maintenance people were also more experienced than the regular units. They had done the same work on the weapon system for years, and they had stability that a regular unit doesn't have."

In addition, a large number of combat-veteran active Air Force pilots joined the Air National Guard after Vietnam. This group includes Shepperd and Maj. Gen. E. Gordon Stump, Michigan adjutant general and NGAUS president.

A little background on Senator John Kerry's ANG "slackers"