The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - Stridsvagn 103 (Swedish S-Tank) - June 8th, 2004

http://afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com/stank/stank.html ^

[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.

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The Swedish S-Tank

The Swedish S-Tank was developed through both a prototype and pre-production vehicle testing program in the early 1960s and reached the armored troops in mid 1967. It is probably one of the most unique AFV designs of the modern tank era, utilizing a number of different approaches to the primary problems of firepower, protection and mobility. Even though the S-Tank has been replaced in front line service by the German produced Leopard 2, the S-Tank is destined to be remembered as one of the most interesting AFV designs of the Cold War period.



The S-Tank designers, lead by Sven Berge as the head of the tank design section of the Vehicle Division of the Swedish Army Ordnance, were interested in solving a number problems faced in AFV design sections in the world. First, they were driven to provide the lowest profile possible to decrease the probability of the AFV being sighted and hit by opponent forces. This required the removal of the traditional turret and mounting of the main weapon directly in the hull of the machine, reducing the total height to 1.9 meters. With this done, the next problem was aiming the now fixed weapon, and a complicated system of steering and suspension were developed to allow the entire vehicle to aim at a target. With a stationary gun mount in the hull, an autoloader could be fitted and the typical fourth crew member/loader could be eliminated entirely, reducing the crew to three. Finally, by placing the tank engine(s) in the front of the AFV, extra protection of the vulnerable frontal arc could be increased. The results of this planning are shown in this sketch of the prototype tank, similar in most respects to production vehicles from A to C models.



The driver/gunner's seat is located to the left in the hull with the radio operator directly behind him and facing the rear. To the right in the hull is the commander with a revolving cupola over head. His seat is slightly elevated above the other crew members to better use the cupola. The main gun tube effectively divides the fighting compartment in half, ending with the breech at the rear of the tank. Both driver/gunner and commander have controls for driving and aiming/shooting the weapons, the commander's controls over-ride the driver/gunner. The gun is manufactured by Bofors and is a L74 105mm weapon very similar to the British L7 gun fitted to the Centurion, also used by the Swedish army in limited numbers at the time. This allowed the S-Tank to use the same ammo, although its gun tube is longer and therefore provides a higher velocity for the rounds which equates to better hitting power.



It takes only 15 minutes to load the 25 rounds/bin by two soldiers, which is very quick in comparison to typical tanks of the time. The twin ammo storage bins feed the hydraulic auto-loader and the main weapon passes right through the tank, ending in the breech placed directly above and between the ammo bins. Spent casings are ejected through a small port on the back plate of the tank, which eliminates smoke buildup in the tank. The engine compartment access plates dominate the entire front armor slope (there are actually three plates to take up this space, one bolted up the center under the gun and two hinged hatches on either side). The fuel cells occupy the space outside the fighting compartment and under steel along both side sponsons.



Both driver/gunner and commander are equipped with a unique control box for steering and firing the main gun. The radio operator also has rudimentary driving controls and the S-Tank can travel backwards just as well as forwards. The entire box pivots along the vertical axis, which in turn rotates the tank by hydrostatic steering. Rotating the hand grips (motorcycle style) elevates and depresses the hydro-pneumatic suspension and thus controls elevation of the weapon through vehicle tilt. The push buttons on the control are for loading and firing the main weapon and auxiliary MGs. The gun can fire 15 rounds per minute--typically one bin is filled with HE and smoke rounds and the other with AP. A Jungner OPS-1 combination periscope and sight is used for both the driver/gunner and commander with contains a unity magnification prismatic periscope with a wide 102 degree field of vision. This is combined with a binocular sight with X6, X10 or X18 magnification. The driver/gunner periscope is fixed in position but the commander's rotates with his powered cupola and is stabilized in elevation. The cupola also mounts four periscopes and there is one for the driver/gunner and two others facing the rear for the radio operator.



The engine, or actually engines, are of two different types. On the left is a Rolls Royce K60 diesel and the Boeing 502-10MA gas turbine is on the right. Both are connected to a Volvo hydro-kinetic torque converter automatic transmission closest to us. The transmission has two forward and two reverse speeds, one of the forward selections is higher geared for road travel and the other is lower for cross country. The twin power plants were planned to allow the vehicle to cruise with the economic diesel pushing the AFV along and then, during periods of high power needs, the turbine is switched on. The gas turbine also can be used as a starting engine for the diesel during extreme cold weather and the twin engine idea also allows either one to be used during an emergency or failure of the other unit.



The diesel is a 6-cylinder opposed-piston water-cooled two-stroke unit, which was developed to a British Army requirement (used for the FV432 APC and FV433 Abbot SPG) and develops 240bhp. The gas turbine (without heat exchanger) is compact and proven, being used in quantity by the US Navy where diesel/gas turbines do most of the heavy marine work. The turbine produces 330bhp, but provides more power than a piston engine for its size and weight. The large amount of air necessary for the turbine is ducted through large access gratings for both intake and exhaust at the left of the AFV (see the drawing above) while the diesel intake and exhaust are to the right. The second production series of the S-Tank, known as 103B has the original turbine replaced by a more powerful Boeing 553, develops 490bhp and has really improved the performance of the tank. Maximum speed was increased to 50km/h. The 103C currently in use has raplaced the original diesel with a Detroit Diesel D6V-53T, providing 300bhp. Along with the new diesel came a new three step automatic gear box and other changes.

[SAMWolf]

Stridsvagn 103



Stridsvagn 103, commonly known as S-tank, was developed in the late 1950s by Bofors to meet requirements of the Swedish Army. Strv 103 is unique in that the 105 mm gunis fixed in the glacis plate and is aimed in traverse by pivoting the vehicle on its tracks, and in elevation by adjusting the hydropneumatic suspension from -10° to +12°, with driver acting as gunner. It is armed with a automatic loaded 105 mm gun firing anti-tank rounds (APFS/-DS), HE (high explosives) and smoke rounds, empty cartridges cases being autmomatically ejected from the rear. It has three 7.62 mm machine guns (two parallell with the main gun, and one on the commander's cupola), Model 58. Normal range for firing the gun is up to 2,000 m and rate of fire is 10 rounds/min.

Strv 103 weighs 39.7 tonnes and has a crew of three: commander, driver, also operating as gunner, and the radio operator, also function as driver when the tank is going in reverse. Maximum road speed is 50 kph. On-road and off road ranges are 390 and 150 km, respectively.

Strv 103 is currently equipped with a float-skirt and can be made ready for fording within 30 minutes. The driver stands on a special platform and steers with reins. After fording, the vehicle can be made ready for action again within 10 minutes.



All Strv 103s are fitted with a dozer blade, and can be fitted with mineclearing rollers at the front of the hull.

Stridsvagn 103C has recently been phased out and replaced by Stridsvagn 121 and 122 (Leopard 2).

[SAMWolf]

In the beginning of the 1950's Sweden carried out some extensive AFV trials and developments. In 1953 Sweden was able to purchase 80 Centurions (strv 81 or "tank 81") from Great Britain and therefore the development work temporarily stopped, at least concerning the tank trials. Later on Sweden purchased additional Centurions to form the entire national tank fleet. However during the late 50's Sweden decided to pick up the trials where they had left them. Due to very thorough investigations and reports about recent conflicts (the main source of course being WW2) Sweden drew its own conclusions about how a future tank concept would look like. The main idea was to reduce the tanks frontal silhouette to a minimum and to give the crew maximum protection. According to hit probability analysis that Swedish engineers did, the hit probability increased with increased height of the vehicle and that it was 100% higher/ square inch in the turret than in the hull. So the solution was get rid of the turret! Several initial trial vehicles were built, amongst others a WW2 Sherman (bought from France after the war) which featured a fixed gun and a rebuilt running gear, this prototype was used to test aiming and gun traversing using only the tracks.



The result of these trials resulted in a very complicated hydraulic suspension system wich also incorporated the elevation and traverse of the main gun.

In 1959 "Bofors" (the well known Swedish ordnance manufacturer) got the order to build two main prototypes (S1 and S2) to "stridsvagn S" as it was called, S standing for Swedish. The prototypes were delivered in 1961 and later on 10 additional test vehicles (the "0" series) were delivered. In 1964 the Swedish government decided to purchase 290 tanks, the first in the series were delivered in 1967 and the last were delivered in 1971. The tank underwent two major rebuilds, the first in the middle of the seventies (strv 103B) and the second in the middle of the eighties (strv 103C). The "C" conversion added german Diehl tracks, laser range detector, new engines and additional protection, the most visible change being the "jerry can" rack on the sides.



Its main advantage was always the excellent 105 mm (though rifled) gun. The latest ammunition to be used had penetration nearly as good as contemporary 120 mm smoothbore guns. Another good feature was that both driver/gunner and the commander could both fire and drive the tank. In effect, if the reverse driver and the gunner/driver were put out of action the commander could still both "shoot´n scoot"!

The S-Tank was supposed to have good protection and with the engines and transmission in front of the crew thus serving as additional armour it did, at least in the 60's when it first was introduced. But when the T-72 arrived it became apparent that the protection needed to be improved. A steel "fence" was added to the front armour wich had some effect but when the T-80 appeared it was apparent that the protection was inadequate, to say the least!



In fact during the beginning of the 90's Sweden managed to get hold of some T-72's. The armour development section made some live firing tests against the "S" with them and the results were horrifying. Most of the rounds penetrated the frontal armour (through the steel "fence") smashed their way through the engines and crew compartement and ended their days in the ammunition stowage compartment, in the rear of the tank. NOT a very comforting surprise.

Another main disadvantage was that you couldn´t fire with any precision on the move! And with a fixed gun you couldn´t aim your gun at the most dangerous direction while on the move. Crucial, basic needs for any modern tank.



To add on the list of disadvantages the giant hydraulic system was both hazardous and posed a very serious firethreat. It was also prone to breaking down. The MTBF was appallingly short... (Mean Time Between Failures).

Today the "S" tank is no longer in service, the last conscripts to get training did so in 1996. It was decided to scrap the tanks but only when Sweden had aquired enough new tanks.This happened in the end of the 90's when Sweden purchased Leopard 2 A4 and A5 (the "Improved"). Recently the scrapping began and now (Jan 2000) the trains, loaded with tanks, are steadily rolling to the blast-furnaces.



Data:

Combat weight: 42.5 metric tons
Length: 8.99 metres
Width: 3.63 metres
Height: 2.14 metres ( turret roof)
Crew: 3, one commander, one driver/gunner and one "reverse driver" facing backwards, behind the driver/gunner.
Ground preassure: 104 kPa
Power/ weight ratio:18.4 hp/ton
Max speed: 50 km/ hour

Engines: 1 x Detroit diesel (6V-53T) mainly used to produce power for the hydraulic system.
1 x Caterpillar diesel gas turbine engine for the propulsion of the tank.
Total hp: 780 (the piston diesel: 290 hp and the gas turbine 490 hp)
Transmission: Volvo and Bofors, 3 automatic gears. The reverse utilizes the forward gears also so it as fast in reverse as in forward gear.
Hydraulics: contains 140 litres of HIGHLY flammable and VERY toxic hydraulic oil........

Armament:
1 x 105 mm main gun (the license built British L7 gun)
2 x fixed ksp 58 (the swedish licensebuilt MAG) in the hull.
1 x ksp 58 by the commander (which he can aim and fire independently from his seat)
2 x 71 mm flaremortars ("lyran"), the "S" had no thermal imaging sights or other modern observation devices.
8 x close proximity smoke dischargers fixed on the commanders cupola. (The commanders observation cupola was hydraulically powered and he could elevate and traverse it and fire the smoke and machinegun in any direction he saw fit.)

Ammunition:
105 mm APFSDS
105 mm HE
105 mm smokerounds for the main gun (a separate magazine manhandled by the reverse driver containing 5 rounds)



The main gun used an autoloader (located in the rear) containing up to 50 rounds . This worked very well and had loading times of about 3 seconds. To change ammunition you simply pressed a button. You could also fire in "automatic" mode (when for example you wanted to fire for effect with HE rounds). Thereby the system "locked" the elevation system giving it quite good precision. 1500 7,62 rounds for the machineguns (500 in each magazine).

Additional Sources:

ipmslondon.tripod.com
www.trackpads.com
de.academyhobby.com
afvid.topcities.com
www.foreningenp5.com
www.haaland.info
w1.500.telia.com
softland.com.pl
www.ifrance.com
www.army.lt

[SAMWolf]

Sweden has never been afraid to follow its own path on defence matters, and nowhere is this more apparent than with the radical S-Tank, more officially known as the Strv 103. In essence a super self-propelled gun, the S-Tank was armed with a 105 mm gun mounted rigidly in an extraordinarily low, heavily sloped hull; in order to train the gun, the entire vehicle has to be moved both in traverse and elevation. Due to the extreme importance of mobility, the S-Tank was fitted with two engines, one an auxiliary gas turbine to provide emergency power.

[SAMWolf]

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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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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PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

What They Are Doing: We are gathering 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares from across the country and assembling the largest quilt ever produced. When completed we will take the quilt from state to state and gather even more squares.

Why They Are Doing This: We are building this quilt to rally support for the Coalition Forces in Iraq and to show the service members that they are not forgotten. We want the world to know Nothing will ever break the stitches that bind us together as a country.

Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
If you have someone in your family that sews, make it a weekend project and invite neighbors to join you.

Consider this tribute as a project for your civic group, scouts, church or townhall group.

Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

Invite some VFW posts to share your project in honor of their post.

Send us webmaster@patriotwatch.com for digital photos of in progress and finished project for various websites, OIFII.com and the media.

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Your friends at PDN

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



It's TreadHead Tuesday!


Good Morning Everyone

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

[SAMWolf]

Good night Snippy. I'm impressed by your ability to find mini-graphics of the subject tank. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

I learned from one of the greatest scroungers around. :-)

[GATOR NAVY]

1.9 meters is shorter than I am (193 cm or 6'4").

[Iris7]

I have been interested in the "S-tank" since the '70s. That hydraulic system is intriguing, in those days of no electronic elements, 100% hydraulic. I can hazily picture it's details. Too complicated, like the last piece points out.

Compact, pretty low, short (has to be to do the bogey trick of elevating and depressing the gun), 42 tons (that amazing hydraulic drive again) - more of a sturmgeshutz than a tank, of course.

Front engine is the way to go.

Turns out the armor stinks. A more normal drive train and a sturmgeshutz type traverse and elevation would have lowered the rig maybe 6 to 9 inches and would have left weight for armor. A modern Hetzer would have been more practical.

[alfa6]

Cool a thread on the ol "S" tank....

Last night shift bumperoooni for the next two weeks...YEAHHHH

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[GailA]

Good morning

Carbs, usless PC carb calories to start the day...yummy.

[The Mayor]

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. —Matthew 5:9

You can be a peacemaker if you have God's peace in your heart.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on June 08:
1625 Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered 4 satellites of Saturn
1813 David D Porter US Admiral (Civil War)
1829 Sir John Everett Millais England, painter (Order of Release)
1847 Ida Sazton McKinley 1st lady
1867 Frank Lloyd Wright Richland Center, Wisc, master builder
1914 Joseph de Pietro US, 56kg weightlifter (Olympic-gold-1948)
1916 Francis Crick codiscovered DNA's structure (Nobel 1962)
1917 Byron R (Whizzer) White Ft Collins CO, NFLer/Supreme Court Justice
1918 Robert Preston Newton MA, actor (Music Man, Mame, Last Starfighter)
1925 Barbara Pierce Bush Rye NY, 1st lady (1989- )
1925 Eddie Gaedel 3'7" St Louis Browns pinch-hitter (he walked)
1929 Jerry Stiller Bkln NY, comedian/actor (Stiller & Meara, Hairspray)
1933 Joan Rivers Brooklyn, comedian (The Late Show, Hollywood Squares)
1937 Bruce McCandless II Boston, Cap USN/astronaut (STS 41B, STS-31)
1939 Herb Adderley Phila, NFL hall of famer (Packers, Cowboys)
1940 Nancy Sinatra Jersey City, singer, her boots were made for walkin'
1944 William Royce "Boz" Scaggs Dallas Tx, rocker (Steve Miller Band)
1950 Alex Van Halen drummer (Van Halen-Jump, 1984)
1958 Keenen Ivory Wayans comedian (In Living Color)

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Deaths which occurred on June 08:
632 Mohammed prophet of Islam (Koran), dies (according to tradition)
1376 Edward "Black Prince" of Wales, son of King Edward of England, dies at 46

1809 Thomas Paine writer (Age of Reason, Common Sense), dies at 72

1845 Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.
1874 Apache Chief Cochise dies
1951 Paul Bobel, Werner Braune, Erich Naumann, Otto Ohlendorf, Oswald Pohl, W. Schallenmair & Otto Schmidt -- last Nazi war criminals hanged by Americans -- at Landsberg Fortress
1969 Robert Taylor actor (Death Valley Days), dies at 57
1979 Herb Polesie producer/playwright (20 Questions), dies at 79
1982 [Leroy] Satchel Paige, US baseball pitcher, dies at 75
2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jeff MacNally died in Baltimore, Md., at age 52.

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1963 KRAUSE ARTHUR E.---ONARGA IL.
[11/18/63 RELEASED]
1967 APODACA VICTOR J.---ENGLEWOOD CO.
1967 BUSCH JON T.---COLUMBUS OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 10/88 CONTESTED]
1967 MYERS DAVID GEPHART---STATE COLLEGE PA.
1969 HARRIS JESSIE B.---PORT CHESTER NY.
[10/20/69 RELEASED]
1972 MURPHY JOHN S. JR.---WACO TX.
[03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE AND WELL 98]

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

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On this day...
452 Italy invaded by Attila the Hun
536 St Silverius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
570 Relgion of Islam founded in Mecca
1783 Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption
1786 1st commercially-made ice cream sold (NY)
1815 39 German states unite under the Act of Confederation
1824 Washing machine patented by Noah Cushing of Quebec
1861 People of Tennessee vote to succeed from Union
1862 Valley Campaign-Battle of Cross Keys, Virginia
1869 Ives W McGaffey of Chicago patents 1st vacuum cleaner (it sucks)
1875 A Borrelly discovers asteroid #146 Lucina
1887 A Borrelly discovers asteroid #268 Adorea
1889 Start of Sherlock Holmes Adventure "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (BG)
1900 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the 6 Napoleons" (BG)
1915 William Jennings Bryan quits as Secretary of State
1917 Walt Disney graduates from Benton High School
1918 Nova Aquila, brightest nova since Kepler's nova of 1604, discovered
1923 S Belyavskij discovers asteroid #995 Sternberga
1928 1st US-to-Australia flight lands (Sir Charles Kingford)
1937 World's largest flower blooms in NY Botonical Garden, 12' calla lily
1940 Discovery of element 93, neptunium, announced
1948 "The Milton Berle Show" premiers on NBC TV
1948 John Rudder becomes 1st negro commissioned officer in US marines
1953 Cluster of 6 tornaodes touch down in Flint Michigan killing 113
1953 Segregated lunch counters in DC forbidden by Supreme Court
1959 X-15 makes 1st unpowered flight, from a B-52 at 11,500 m
1965 US troops ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam
1965 USSR launches Luna 6; missed Moon
1966 NFL & AFL announce plans to become NFC & AFC in 1970
1967 Israel attacks USS Liberty in Mediterranean, killing 34 US crewmen
1968 Don Drysdale pitches a record 58th consecutive scoreless inning
1968 Gary Puckett & The Union Gap release "Lady Will Power"
1968 James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, captured
1968 Rolling Stones release "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
1969 Mickey Mantle Day, 60,096 saw #7 retired
1969 Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor replaces Brian Jones
1972 N Chernykh discovers asteroid #3230
1975 USSR launches Venera 9 for Venus landing
1979 The Source, 1st computer public information service, goes online

1982 Reagan addresses joint session of British Parliament

1983 Charlos Vieira begins 191 hr "nonstop" cycling in Leiria, Portugal
1986 Alleged Nazi Kurt Waldheim elected pres of Austria
1990 Phil Bradley hits the 18th inside-the-park HR in Oriole history
1991 A victory parade was held in Washington, D.C., to honor the veterans of the Persian Gulf War.
1995 U.S. Marines rescued Captain Scott O'Grady, whose F16-C fighter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs on June 2.
2004 Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs

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

Swaziland, Botswana : Commonwealth Day
Massachusett : Children's Day (Sunday)
Shelby, Mich : National Asparagus Festival (Thursday)
Great Britain : Queen's official birthday (National Day)(Saturday)
National Fishing Week (Day 2)
National Humor Week (Day 3)
National Fragrance Week (Day 3)
National Bathroom Reading Week (Day 2)
Cancer in the Sun Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Chlodulph
RC : Feast of St. Medard, bishop/confessor

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Religious History
1536 Ten Articles of Religion were published by the English clergy, in support of Henry VIII's Declaration of Supremacy. The Anglican Church had begun defining its doctrinal distinctions, after breaking with Roman Catholicism.
1810 Birth of German composer Robert A. Schumann, who composed the sacred tune CANONBURY, to which is commonly sung the hymn, 'Lord Speak to Me That I May Speak.'
1942 Unevangelized Fields Mission (UFM) was incorporated in Philadelphia. Today this interdenominational mission agency works in a dozen countries in Latin America, Europe and Africa.
1973 The American Society of Missiology was founded in St. Louis. The ecumenical organization seeks to stimulate an academic interest in Christian missions, and publishes the journal 'Missiology: An International Review.'
1978 Through the voice of its president Spencer W. Kimball, the Mormon Church reversed a 148-year- long policy of spiritual discrimination against African-American leadership within the denomination.

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

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Thought for the day :
"Would that government spent our money like it was their own."

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Actual Newspaper Headlines...
Include your Children when Baking Cookies

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Why did the Chicken cross the Road...
Joseph Stalin:
I don't care. Catch it. I need its eggs to make my omelette.

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Dumb Laws...
Texas:
Criminals must give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

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A Cowboy's Guide to Life...
If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya.

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[Professional Engineer]

Hiya Sam. Interesting design concept.

[Professional Engineer]

ACK!!! I forgot to ping ya'll to #16.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning PE. Thanks for the lovely Flag-o-gram.

Hope all is well with you and family.