The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Forgotten Regiments of the Korean War - (1950-1951)

As the 3/34th dug in at new positions, Company L was sent forward to rescue some troops of the regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) platoon who had been left behind when that unit had fought its way out of an ambush. Then the 3/34th began withdrawing, as Lovless had ordered. Major Dunn, who had been with Company L, was surprised at the withdrawal. He came into the regimental CP and said that the battalion was leaving one of the best defensive positions he had seen. Martin directed Dunn to "put them back on that position," but he failed to tell him that the 3/34th had been withdrawn on regimental orders, because NKPA troops had been spotted on both of its flanks.

A confused 3/34th was turned around again and began moving north out of Chonan. Suddenly, the lead elements were fired upon, to which they reacted by deploying and returning fire. Then the battalion suddenly began to withdraw through the town. Martin ordered it back in to defend Chonan, but by then Dunn had been wounded and taken prisoner, while the battalion S3, Major Boone Seegers, who was also hit, had bled to death.

On the following day, July 8, the 34th fought advancing troops of the NKPA 4th Division's 16th and 18th Infantry regiments, backed by T-34/85 tanks of the 105th Armored Brigade. During the fight for Chonan, the Americans set one T-34 tank afire with five grenades and used rocket launchers to destroy two others. Colonel Martin joined a tank-hunter team, but he was killed by the tank they were hunting. The executive officer, Lt. Col. Robert L. "Pappy" Wadlington, assumed command of the 34th.

The regiment had lost two commanders in two days, along with the operations officers of the regiment and of the 3rd Battalion. A number of other senior officers were also gone. Moreover, the two battalions of the 34th had been placed in no-win situations, as at Pyongtaek and Chonan.

At about 5 p.m. on July 12, the NKPA attacked the 1/34th near Kongju. The battalion held until about 2:30 a.m. on the 13th, then silently withdrew, concealed in the shadow of a hill.

On July 13, the 34th and 19th Infantry regiments, plus the divisional recon company and the I&R platoon, defended a 34-mile-long line on the Kum River, the first major obstacle to the NKPA's advance since they had crossed the Han River farther north. The 34th's 3rd Battalion was on the river, and the 1st was at Yongsong, about two miles to the south.

An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 troops of the NKPA 4th Division, backed by 20 tanks of the 105th Brigade's 793rd Tank Battalion, were poised to attack the 34th Regiment at Kongju, while roughly the same number of men from the NKPA 3rd Infantry Division prepared to take on the 19th. American front-line strength along the Kum was not more than 2,000 men.

Communications within the 3/34th were poor. Telephone wire was almost unobtainable, and most radios lacked replacement batteries. All three rifle companies of the battalion were distributed along a two-mile river front. That night the 40 exhausted men of Company K were evacuated to Taejon, leaving about 104 men in the remaining two units to carry on the defense.

On the 14th, while North Korean mortar and artillery fire fell on the battalion, an estimated 500 soldiers of the NKPA 16th Regiment crossed the Kum River about two miles to the south. Believing his position untenable, the Company L commander, 1st Lt. Archie L. Stith, withdrew his unit around 11 a.m. Stith then left to find the battalion CP, which he finally located 20 miles south of Konju, and reported his decision to the new battalion commander, Major Newton W. Lantron--who summarily relieved him of command and threatened to court-martial him.

Buddies aid a wounded man of the 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division after a battle

The NKPA 16th Infantry also attacked the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion (FAB). At least two of the battalion's howitzers were destroyed by North Korean mortar fire. The men were unable to get the other eight guns out, so they disabled them.

Ayres' 1/34th was ordered to the 63rd FAB positions to "save any men or equipment in the area," but was told to return at dark. His men met intense small-arms and machine-gun fire from high ground overlooking the artillery position. After locating a few wounded men and some jeeps in operating condition, he withdrew the battalion to Nonsan at nightfall.

Company I had stayed in its Kum River position. Except for shelling, the NKPA left the unit alone. It was withdrawn at 9:30 p.m.

On July 19, the 1/34th Infantry was positioned along the Kapchon River west of Taejon, astride the Kongju Road. The 2/19th Infantry, south of the 1/34th, was also on the Kapchon, defending the Nonsan Road.

At daylight on July 20, the NKPA 4th Division's 5th Infantry Regiment struck the 1/34th with infantry and six to eight tanks, forcing Company B northward. Company A held until about 11 a.m., when it withdrew toward Taejon. The battalion CP was attacked at 4 a.m. and forced to displace an hour later.

40th Corps tries to encircle US 24th Infantry Division, April 24, 1951

The 2/19th Infantry was also attacked. Since the 1/34th had apparently withdrawn, the 2/19th commander began withdrawing his battalion. By 10 a.m., both battalions had pulled out, opening the way to Taejon.

In the battle for Taejon, rocket-launcher teams from several units including the 3/34th (which had been deployed to the rear of the 1st Battalion and on the northern road into Taejon) knocked out eight T-34 tanks. However, a counterattack into the gap between the 1st Battalion and 2/19th Infantry by elements of the 3/34th Infantry shortly after daylight was thwarted by six North Korean tanks and a battalion of the 5th Infantry.

Elements of the 34th Infantry, remnants of the division's artillery battalions, the division recon company, engineer battalion and part of the 19th Infantry tried to defend Taejon, but they were overwhelmed and forced to withdraw through enemy fire. It was a rout. Company L, 34th Infantry, which remained in the city as a rear guard, lost 107 out of 153 men.

The 34th lost at least 530 men out of its total strength of 1,549 present at Taejon. Leadership losses in the regiment since entering combat included four regimental commanders and two operations officers in just over two weeks. The 1st Battalion lost its executive officer on July 20, and the 3/34th lost two battalion commanders (Lantron was taken prisoner on July 20) and its operations officer. The division commander, General Dean, was also missing in action. It was later learned that he, too, had been taken prisoner.

Men from Company D, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division clean their weapons after spending 38 days on the front

On July 29, the 34th was dug in near Kochang. The regiment had no switchboard and was short of mortars, rocket launchers and machine guns. Its commander, Colonel Charles E. Beauchamp (appointed just before the struggle for Taejon), wanted to pull his regiment back three miles, but the new division commander, Brig. Gen. John H. Church, ordered him to stand fast. Two NKPA attacks at 5 a.m. cut off Company I of the 3/34th and pushed the 1/34th out of position. Beauchamp halted the battalion on the road. The 1st Battalion later rescued all but one platoon of the cut-off unit. That same afternoon the 34th withdrew some 15 miles to the east.

At the beginning of August, the 24th Division deployed behind the Naktong River on a 40-mile front, with the 34th, 21st and ROK (Republic of Korea) 17th Infantry regiments on line from south to north. The 34th's sector was some 34,000 yards, along which were deployed the 493 remaining troops of the 3rd Battalion. The 515 troops of the 1/34th waited in reserve at Kang-ni, about two miles from the river. The 34th numbered 1,402 men, less than half the authorized regimental strength. All three rifle companies of the 3/34th were scattered in small enclaves and outposts along the river. The regiment was critically short of vehicles, 4.2-inch mortars and Browning automatic rifles, the mainstays of Korean Warera rifle squads.

On August 4, elements of the North Korean 16th Infantry Regiment staged an assault across the Naktong between Companies I and L, 3/34 Infantry, and overwhelmed most of their positions. NKPA troops drove about five miles into the 24th Division sector, precipitating the First Battle of the Naktong Bulge, which eventually involved the entire 24th Division, the U.S. 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, the newly arrived 9th Infantry Regiment and 1/23rd Infantry (both from the 2nd Infantry Division) and the 2/27th Infantry. The struggle lasted until August 19.

The 34th Infantry gave its all. Company K stayed on its 7,500-yard front along the Naktong alone until ordered out on about August 14. At the outset, the 1/34th launched a counterattack, but part of Company C was trapped in a grist mill, where the men valiantly held out until rescued. Captain Albert F. Alfonso, with remnants of Companies A, C and L, held a small perimeter at the nose of the bulge until ordered out on the night of August 8-9. Elements of the regiment took part in a number of counterattacks between August 6 and 18.

The 34th made its last attack on the 18th, during which Company C was reduced to 37 men and Company A to 61. Company L lost more than 20 men in a few minutes to a counterattack. When it was relieved by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division on August 25, the 24th Division numbered 10,600 men--8,000 short of full strength. Only 184 of the original regimental strength of 1,898 men remained in the 34th Infantry.

On August 27, Lt. Gen. Walton Walker, U.S. Eighth Army commander in Korea, dissolved the 34th, converting the 1/34th into the 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry, and the 3/34th into the 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry. The 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) became the 2nd Division's third regiment. General Church preferred having the 5th fully manned to rebuilding the 34th. He then reassigned the men of the 34th to give his other two regiments their authorized third battalions. The 34th was reconstituted in Japan and later served again in Korea.

A machine gun crew of Co. A, 24th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, turns its gun on Chinese Communists in a village across the Han River from Songnimbong, Korea. 21 Feb 1951.

While confusion in its command structure bedeviled the 34th Infantry, the 24th, commanded by Colonel Horton V. White, suffered because of an additional factor--segregation. Many of the black regiment's white officers held prejudices that affected both their leadership and their later evaluations of the 24th's troops.

The regiment experienced its first significant action in Korea when its 3rd Battalion, under Lt. Col. Samuel Pierce, Jr., tried to retake the town of Yechon on July 19, 1950. Darkness intervened in the attack, but the 3rd seized the town on the following day with little trouble. Taking Yechon was unimportant in itself, but it greatly boosted regimental morale, since that was the first town retaken by U.S. troops since the war began. Yechon was turned over to troops of the ROK Capital Division's 28th Regiment, who later lost it during an enemy counterattack.

On August 6, Company L was ambushed near the town of Sobuk with a fury and suddenness that left the unit in disarray. Company M was struck that night. During that fight, machine-gunner Pfc William Thompson gave his life to stop the enemy and save many of his comrades, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Pfc William Thompson

Meanwhile, a task force built around Company I and a platoon of another segregated unit, the black 77th Engineer Combat Company (ECC), was ambushed on its way to contact U.S. forces near Chindong-ni. At least 12 men were killed and an unknown number wounded, and seven or eight members of the 77th ECC were missing. The unit's commander, Captain Charles M. Bussey, later rescued those men in a daring foray.

That day, too, a sick Colonel White was relieved of command by 57-year-old Colonel Arthur S. Champeny, and Colonel Pierce of the 3/24th was wounded in action. Lt. Col. John T. Corley, a highly respected officer, took command of the 3/24th on August 9. On the 12th, his battalion attacked through the rugged mountains just south of Sobuk-san (Hill 738), an area of high, very steep, narrow-topped ridges and deep valleys. By the 13th, it was stalled by terrain and a stubborn enemy. A long, bloody struggle for control of some of those ridges went on from mid-August until the breakout from the perimeter in late September.

On August 15, the 24th Infantry held the center of the 25th Division's Pusan perimeter line. In the north, its positions were on relatively low ground, but as they went south, the line extended along ever steeper and more rugged ridges. The line included Battle Mountain (also known as Hill 665, Old Baldy, Napalm Hill or Bloody Knob), the Rocky Crags and Pil-bong (Hill 743) and extended to a point about 4,000 yards short of Sobuk-san (a k a Bloody Sobuk). A force of ROK troops was placed on Sobuk. From Sobuk, the ridges gradually became smaller as they neared Korea's southern coast, where the 5th RCT was located.

There were no trails or roads up either Battle Mountain or Pil-bong. It took climbers in good condition two to three hours to ascend Pil-bong, and three or four hours to climb Battle Mountain. Supply bearers needed six hours for a Battle Mountain round trip.

Maintaining wire communications was a nightmare. North Korean patrols constantly cut the wire, then ambushed wiremen trying to find the break. Evacuation of the wounded was even more difficult. It took six men to carry a stretcher off the mountain, often accompanied by an aid man and escorted by riflemen for protection. When it rained, the terrain was almost impossible to negotiate. That demoralizing situation would improve later in the war, when helicopters were introduced to evacuate the wounded.

On August 18, elements of the NKPA 6th Division attacked the 2/24th on Battle Mountain, overrunning Company E, and on the 19th they attacked the 1/24th, driving Company C from its position. Company A held on. According to Lt. Col. Roy Appleman, author of the Army's official history, the attack on the 18th tore a hole "nearly a mile wide in the line north of Pilbong," which the enemy could exploit.

The NKPA did not exploit the gap, but they attacked the 1/24th on the 20th, again driving Company C from its position. The 3rd Battalion counterattacked, regaining most of the lost ground. In that assault, 2nd Lt. Ted Swett served as the ninth platoon leader that the 3rd Platoon of Company L had had so far in the war. He was wounded on the 21st, and it took six hours to carry him down the mountain. That same morning, Companies I and L retook lost ground but were again driven off by an estimated two-battalion NKPA assault.

The struggle for Battle Mountain went on through the rest of August. At times, according to an Army historian, individuals in the front-line units of the 24th pulled out of position without orders, or "bugged out" in Korean War terminology. No doubt some men did bug out, but most of the troops stayed, fought and died, inflicting heavy casualties on the North Koreans. The 24th's own battle losses were severe, and division reserves were scarce. At one point, the 77th ECC and ROK troops were committed to the bloody defensive battle. The summit of Battle Mountain changed hands 19 times between August 15 and August 31, according to calculations of the Intelligence sergeant of 1st Battalion. The 24th regiment suffered 500 battle casualties in August. In that month, too, the 3/34th had three different battalion commanders.

The 2nd Battalion held 6,000 yards of the regiment's right on hills west and southwest of Haman. Company F held 1,300 yards on the right. Next was Company G, also on a 1,300-yard frontage. Company E, to the left of G, held twice the frontage of either of the other two units, but one platoon was positioned by itself 1,300 to 1,400 yards south of the bulk of Company E.

Pfc. Clarence Whitmore, voice radio operator, 24th Infantry Regiment, reads the latest news while enjoying chow during lull in battle, near Sangju, Korea. August 9, 1950.

On August 31, the NKPA launched a general offensive against the 24th and the neighboring 35th Infantry regiments of the 25th Division. Clay Blair, in The Forgotten War, writes that the enemy attacked the 24th and 35th with two regiments each. The main thrust at the 24th, by elements of the North Korean 6th and 7th Infantry divisions, came against the 2nd Battalion. The battalion line was soon penetrated. Remnants of Company F pulled back, while Company G was fragmented early on, and the bulk of Company E was also displaced. According to the Army's official history, there were several instances of 24th soldiers' bugging out during that action. Some were later substantiated, but others proved to be false.

The 2nd Battalion rear area was chaotic, teeming with North Korean soldiers as well as men from the overrun units, mortarmen, medics, engineers, headquarters personnel, military policemen, vehicles from those units, the artillery, etc. Because of the chaos in the battalion's rear, including at the battalion CP, it seemed that no one was in charge.

The entire 24th Regiment has been condemned ever since for its perfomance at that time, but two factors contributed to the situation. First, less than three rifle companies of the battalion were struck by overwhelming numbers of North Korean troops. Second, as was the case with the 34th Infantry, some unit leadership in the 2/24th failed. The battalion CP was destroyed, and the battalion commander lost control almost from the beginning. The regimental CP also was forced to displace, contributing significantly to the loss of command and control. With the breakdown in leadership came a breakdown among the troops.

The NKPA attack on the 35th Infantry, on a broader front, penetrated the center of its line, held by 300 ROK policemen. Soon hundreds of North Koreans were also in the 35th's rear areas. The 27th Infantry counterattacked and with elements of the 24th and 35th battled NKPA troops in the rear areas for more than a week, finally wiping them out. More than 2,000 North Korean dead were buried behind the lines.

On September 6, Colonel Champeny was wounded and replaced by Colonel Corley. On September 14, an estimated 400 to 500 North Koreans stormed Companies I and L of the 24th Infantry on Pil-bong. The companies repulsed several attacks, but finally control broke down. Company L was reduced to about 40 men. The other members of the company had either been wounded or killed or had left without orders. Major Melvin R. Blair, the new battalion commander, took charge, but he was wounded in the leg by a North Korean sniper while trying to hold the summit. An American attempt to retake Pil-bong on the 16th failed. A task force of two infantry companies and more than a company of engineers, supported by the recon company and the 3/24's heavy weapons company, launched another counterassault, but that also failed.

Additional Sources:

www.korea50.mil
history.searchbeat.com
www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil
www.rt66.com
www.army.mil
www.sfbctc.org
www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil
www.korteng.com
www.medalofhonor.com

The landing at Inchon by U.S. and ROK forces on September 15 finally compelled the North Koreans to withdraw from the Pusan perimeter. The 24th Infantry was divided into Task Forces Blair and Corley (named for their commanders), and they, along with several from other commands, began pursuing the enemy on September 27. By October 1, 1950, the NKPA troops were fleeing back across the 38th parallel.

All-black 24th Infantry Regiment, 1899.

The 25th Division remained in South Korea until ordered north in late November to participate in the Chongchon operation. Later in November, overwhelming assaults by Chinese troops forced the U.S. Eighth Army to withdraw. On November 29, the Chinese 40th Army flanked the 24th Infantry's line north of the Chongchon River in North Korea, forcing the neighboring 9th Regiment of the 2nd Division to withdraw.

On November 30, the 3/24th was at Kunu-ri, on the division's open right flank, with Chinese troops behind it. With the help of air support, the battalion extricated itself, losing one soldier killed, 30 wounded and 109 missing. Overall, the 24th Infantry lost one-fifth of its officers and one-third of its enlisted men in the withdrawal across the Chongchon. Colonel Corley blamed the disarray of the 3rd Battalion on its commander, Lt. Col. Melvin E. Blair, whom he summarily relieved.

The Eighth Army's withdrawal did not cease until the force was well below the 39th parallel. But by early March 1951, the American and ROK troops were again ready for a full-scale offensive.

On March 6, the 25th Division advanced across the Han River. The 1/24th did well, moving over difficult terrain against an entrenched enemy. The 3rd Battalion initially also performed well, executing a hastily devised river crossing and advancing through rough country against well dug-in Chinese troops, far from the 1st Battalion. While climbing up steep terrain, however, the 1/24th reportedly collapsed under Chinese fire and withdrew in disorder. When the division commander learned of that action, his confidence in the 24th plummeted.

Although the 24th performed well in the attack north of the Han and the subsequent general withdrawal of the Eighth Army after the Chinese spring offensive of 1951, its reputation was somewhat tarnished. But it again performed well in the Army's drive back north in May and June 1951.

In August, the regiment's new commander, Colonel William D. Gillis, prodded by the division commander, closely examined the 24th's record in Korea. Determining that leadership had been the problem, he relieved a number of officers.

After the change in command, Company F conducted a valiant bayonet and grenade charge on September 15. However, the positive performance of Company F was ignored by higher commands and the news media. By October 1, 1951, the 24th had passed into history.

The 24th and its black members were tagged with every stereotypical racial slur possible--blacks were afraid of the dark, wouldn't fight, were undependable, hated whites, resented white leadership, were disloyal, etc. Racial prejudice and stereotypical notions also affected how some white officers in the regiment handled their charges. The 24th had an inordinately high turnover of senior NCO and officer leadership at the company level, and had seven regimental commanders in 14 months, when other regiments in Korea had two to four. Three changes were made in the first two months. The 1st Battalion saw three different commanders in the first three months, while the 2nd and 3rd battalions had five each in the same period. Continuity of leadership, purpose and command cannot be attained when commanders change so rapidly.

The 34th had also suffered from a rapid turnover of senior leadership--four different regimental commanders within two weeks. Its 1st Battalion also had three commanders in the same period. The long withdrawals from Pyongtaek and Ansong, the confusion at Chonan, the disaster on the Kum River and the debacle at Taejon--all were blamed in varying degrees on the 34th Infantry and its leadership. Colonel Beauchamp of the 34th was in overall command at Taejon, yet he and his executive officer, Colonel Wadlington--along with General Dean, who was also there and not in command--were all out of Beauchamp's CP at the same time, but none of them told anyone there where they were going, how long they expected to be absent or how to handle an emergency.

The 24th and 34th Infantry regiments acquired bad reputations in Korea, but to a large extent both units were victims of the perceptions, prejudices and expedients of the time. They were also fighting against a tough, well-trained enemy that the U.S. military had seriously underestimated at the time they were committed to the fighting. Besides hard lessons in leadership learned by both regiments, the 24th's experience demonstrated that integration within the U.S. Army was long overdue.

Showcasing America's finest, and those who betray them!

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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.

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

We here at Blue Stars For A Safe Return are working hard to honor all of our military, past and present, and their families. Inlcuding the veterans, and POW/MIA's. I feel that not enough is done to recognize the past efforts of the veterans, and remember those who have never been found.

I realized that our Veterans have no "official" seal, so we created one as part of that recognition. To see what it looks like and the Star that we have dedicated to you, the Veteran, please check out our site.

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004

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

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Good Thursday Morning Everyone.

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Morning everyone, shall we monkey around??

Back at work bump for the Thursday Freeper Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

Interesting history from the Korean War. Hard to believe all the incompetent commanders, the lack of weapons, communication, etc. And who paid the highest price? - The grunts. GRRRRR!

Not totally understanding all the different Regiments, Companies, Battalions etc and how they are all connected. Guess I need a flow chart or something.

Guess we had it rather simple aboard a ship. The two shops I worked in were in R-1 Division, which was one of five Divisions in the Repair Dept. The Repair Dept. fell under the blanket of the CO - A Captain. The Ship was part of COMCRUDESPAC (Commander Cruiser Destroyer Force Pacific Fleet). Confused? I remember you saying Roger tried to 'splain the Rate/Rank thing to you. Anyway, enjoy your day. Thanks for The Foxhole.

Hello all.
Watched Overthere again last night. Much better then the first. Was not real impressed with the how they knocked EOD. No critical misrepresentations though.

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

August 4, 2005

Is Evolution A Fact?

Read:
Genesis 2:1-7, Hebrews 11:1-3

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. —Hebrews 11:3

Bible In One Year: 2 Kings 22-25

cover The theory of evolution is not without its problems. One scientist says this about life starting on its own: "Amino acids would have to be arranged in an exact sequence to form a protein . . . just like the letters in a sentence. Mere laws of chemistry and physics cannot do that. The probability of a protein forming by chance would be 10⁶⁴ [10 with 64 zeros after it] to 1!"

Many people assume the theory of evolution to be true. But can it be scientifically proven? Something is considered scientifically true only if it can be repeatedly verified under laboratory conditions. The claim that life sprang up on its own out of a long impersonal process cannot pass this test of truth. That is why evolution remains only a theory.

So if you're ever tempted to doubt the Genesis account of the creation story, consider the alternative. The odds against even a simple protein creating itself are astronomical. How much more reasonable to believe God and His Word: "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Hebrews 11:3).

Isn't it more reasonable to believe that God designed and created the universe? (Genesis 1:1). —Dennis Fisher

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful—
The Lord God made them all. —Alexander

All creation points to the almighty Creator.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Celebrating The Wonder Of Creation
Dinosaurs & The Bible

Good Thursday mornin' to y'all......It was 76 degrees at 6am this morning as I drove to work - sorta muggy. Taking off from work tomorrow. Lotsa things to do....one important thing being...well, just read below. By the way, if you know of anyone else within the neighborhood, I hope they will consider donating too....

Blood Drives To Help Troops

American Legion aims to collect 350 pints for deployed soldiers

By ARENA WELCH

Eagle Staff Writer

Because an ample supply of blood for medical emergencies is vital to deployed troops, American Legion Post No. 159 in Bryan will hold two blood drives this week to support military personnel.

The drives, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will benefit the Robertson Blood Center at Fort Hood.

American Legion members hope to collect 350 pints of blood - one for each soldier deployed from the Brazos Valley. All of the donated blood goes directly into the military blood supply, and most will continue on to medical facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, organizers said.

David Marion, blood drive coordinator for Post No. 159, said this is a tangible way for residents to show they support the troops.

"'Support the troops' is not just a slogan in the Brazos Valley," he said. "We actually step forward and do something. Thursday and Friday, that something is to give the gift of life."

Marion, a Vietnam War veteran, said about 98 percent of wounded soldiers survive today because of medical help, including the blood supply.

"I've been shot at, and I know what it's about," he said. "This is the least we can do. I've put many a man on a MedEvac helicopter, and we didn't all make it out, but we're bringing them back now."

Residents who may not have been able to donate blood in the past may be eligible to donate now, Marion said.

He encouraged everyone able to donate to stop by the drives at 101 Waco St. in Bryan from noon to 5:30 p.m. Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday to participate in a blood screening.

For more information, call the post at 778-1936.

Link

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on August 04:
1755 Nicolas-Jacque Conte inventor (modern pencil)
1792 Percy Bysshe Shelley England, romantic poet (Adonais)
1823 Oliver Perry Morton (Gov-Ind)
1839 Walter Pater London England, writer (Plato & Platoism)
1859 Knut Hamsun Norway, writer/Nazi (Hunger-Nobel 1920)
1870 Sir Harry Lauder Scotland, comedian/singer (Romin in the Gloamin)
1897 Joseph Calleia Malta, actor (Jungle Book, Gilda, Touch of Evil)
1901 Louis Armstrong New Orleans, Jazz musician & bandleader, "Hello Dolly" - oldest musician in Billboard history to have a Number One song
1900 Arturo Umberto Illia pres of Argentina (1963-66)
1909 Glenn Cunningham US middle distance runner in the 1930's
1910 William Howard Schuman NYC, composer (American Festival Overture)
1912 Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat, born. (credited with saving nearly 100,000 Budapest Jews during World War II. Killed by the Soviets)
1915 Irving Fields NYC, pianist (Ilona Massey Show)
1920 Helen Thomas UPI journalist/centerfold model (starts press conferences)
1921 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Montreal Canadien (MVP-1947)
1934 Dallas Green baseball manager (Phillies, Yankees)
1939 Frankie Ford Gretna La, rock vocalist (Sea Cruise)
1943 Michael J McCulley San Diego Calif, Cmdr USN/astronaut (STS-34)
1943 Rodney Stuart Pattison British yachtsman (Olympics)
1943 Tina Cole Hollywood, singer (King Cousins)/actress (Katie-My 3 Sons)
1944 Richard Belzer, comedian, actor Det. John Munch "Homicide: Life on the Street" / "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
1945 Fred Hansen US, pole vaulter (Olympic-gold-1964)
1946 Maureen Cox Starkey 1st wife of Beatle Ringo Starr
1952 Bobby Buntrock Denver Colo, actor (Harold Baxter-Hazel)
1955 Andrew M Allen Phila Pa, Captain USMC/astronaut (sk: STS-46)
1955 Charles D "Sam" Gemar Yankton SD, army/astronaut (STS 38, 48)
1955 Billy Bob Thornton Hot Springs, Ark. US. actor, 'Sling Blade','A Family Thing'
1958 Mary Decker Tabb Slaney NJ, olympic track star (Mile record 4:16.71)
1960 Robbin Crosby heavy metal rocker (Ratt-Round & Round)
1962 Roger Clemens Dayton Ohio, Boston Red Sox pitcher (Cy Young, MVP)
1965 Crystal Chappell Silver Spring Md, actress (Carly-Days of our Lives)

Deaths which occurred on August 04:
1060 Henry I, King of France (1027..60), dies at 52
1265 Simon de Montfort English baron, dies in battle
1891 George Washington Williams dies at 41 in Blackpool England
1892 Andrew & Abby Borden, axed to death in Mass (by Lizzie Borden?)
1938 Pearl White, US actress/stunt woman (Perils of Pauline), dies
1973 Eddie "lockjaw" Condon jazz guitarist (Eddie Condon's Floor Show), dies at 68
1981 Melvyn Douglas actor, dies at 80
1984 Edmon Ryan actor, dies at 79 of a heart attack
1984 Mary Miles Minter silent screen star, dies at 82 of heart failure
1984 Walter Burke actor, dies at 75 of emphysema
1997 Jeanne Calment (122), dies in a retirement home in Arles France.

GWOT Casualties

Iraq
04-Aug-2004 3 | US: 2 | UK: 1 | Other: 0
UK Private Christopher Gordon Rayment Al Amarah - Maysan Non-hostile - accident
US Lance Corporal Joseph L. Nice Al Qaim (near, nr. Syrian border) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire
US Gunnery Sergeant Elia P. Fontecchio Al Qaim (near, nr. Syrian border) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Afghanistan
A Good Day

http://icasualties.org/oif/
Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White
//////////
Go here and I'll stop nagging.
http://www.taps.org/
(subtle hint SEND MONEY)

On this day...
1181 Supernova seen in Cassiopia
1265 King Henry III puts down a revolt of English barons lead by Simon de Montfort.
1578 Battle of Alcazarquivir, Morrocans defeat Portuguese

1693 Dom Perignon invents champagne

1735 Jury acquits John Zenger (NY Weekly Journal) charged with seditious libel by royal governor of NY (victory for Freedom of press)
1753 George Washington becomes a master mason
1777 Retired British cavalry officer Philip Astley establishes 1st circus

1790 US Coast Guard founded as Revenue Cutter Service (Happy Birthday Coasties!)

1830 Plans for the city of Chicago laid out
1855 John Bartlett, (Cambridge bookseller), publishes the 1st edition of "Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations." (And you can quote me on that.)
1864 Land & naval action new Brazos Santiago, Texas
1881 122ø F, Seville, Spain (European record)(more proof of global warming)
1884 Thomas Stevens arrives in Boston after 104 days from SF in the 1st bicycle trip to cross the US. Continues around world (2 yrs 9 mos) on a trip financed with articles for "Outing and the Wheelman" magazine.
1892 Sunday school teacher Lizzie Borden arrested in Fall River, Mass
(Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.)
1903 Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto of Venice elected Pope Pius X
1910 A's Jack Coombs & White Sox Ed Walsh pitch a 16 inn scoreless tie

1914 Germany declares war on Belgium; Britain declares war on Germany (By Nov. 1918 and the end of the Great War, the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires ceased to exist. At least, 8.5 million men were dead; 16 million wounded)
(Now THAT'S a quagmire!)

1916 US agrees to buy Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million
1925 US marines leave Nicaragua after 13-year occupation
1927 Peace Bridge between US & Canada opened
1929 60,000 SA and SS storm troopers march in Munich
1934 NY Giants Mel Ott sets record of 6 runs in game & beats Phillies 21-4
1942 The 1st train with Jews departs Mechelen, Belgium, to Auschwitz
1944 T. D. Dean (RAF) becomes the first pilot to destroy a V-1 buzz bomb when he tipped the pilotless craft's wing, sending it off course.
1944 Anne Frank, 15, (Diary of Anne Frank) is arrested by Nazis (Died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the spring of 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated.)
1945 Golfer Byron Nelson records most tournament wins (18) in a season
1945 Red Sox Tom McBride is 3rd to get 6 RBIs in an inning (4th)
1948 5 day southern filibuster succeeds in maintaining poll tax
1948 A 5 day democrat filibuster succeeds in maintaining the poll tax.
1949 The NBL & NBAA merge into the National Basketball Association
1953 Vic Raschi sets pitcher record by driving in 7 runs & wins 15-0
1956 1st motorcycle rode over 200 mph (Wilhelm Herz-210 mph)
1956 Elvis Presley releases "Hound Dog."
1960 Rocket propelled USAF research aircraft sets record at 2,150 MPH
1961 108ø F, Spokane, WA
1964 Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman & James Chaney found buried inside an earthen dam in Mississippi
1967 British pirate radio station Radio 355 goes off the air
1967 Shortwave group ANARC's 1st convention (Chicago)
1968 100,000 attend Newport Pop Festival, Costa Mesa, Calif
1969 Willie Stargell is 1st to hit a HR outside of Dodger Stadium
1970 Jim Morrison arrested for drunkenness
1971 US launches 1st satellite into lunar orbit from manned spacecraft
1974 Crawford-Butler Act allows Puerto Ricans to elect own governor
1977 Pres Carter establishes Dept of Energy
1981 Columbia mated with SRBs & external tank for STS-2 mission
1981 Oliver North is assigned to White House duty
1982 NY Met Joel Youngblood singles in Chicago day game, then singles for Expos in Philadelphia night game. (He was traded in between)
1984 Carl Lewis wins gold medal in 100-meter dash at LA Summer Olympics
1984 Cliff Johnson sets a record with his 19th pinch hit HR
1984 Prince's "Purple Rain," album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 24 weeks
1984 Republic of Upper Volta becomes Bourkina Fasso (National Day)
1985 Calif Angel Rod Carew gets his 3,000th hit
1985 Phil Rizzuto Day, Yanks retire #10
1985 White Sox Tom Seaver is 17th to win #300, beating Yankees

1987 FCC vote 4-0 to rescind fairness doctrine for broadcasters (Talk radio takes off)

1988 Congress votes $20,000 to each Japanese-American interned in WW II
1988 Hertz car rental will pay out $23 million in consumer fraud case
1989 Blue Jays Dave Steib's perfect game broken up in 9th with 2 outs by NY Yankee Roberto Kelly
1990 European community proposes a boycott of Iraq
1996 26th Olympic Summer games close in Atlanta, Georgia
2001 Thousands of admirers turned out in London to celebrate the 101st birthday of Britain's Queen Mother
2003 California Governor Gray Davis asks the state Supreme Court to delay his Oct. 7 recall election until the following March. The recall went ahead as originally scheduled.

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

Norway : Peer Gynt Festival Days
Trinidad & Tobago : Discovery Day (1498)
US : U.S. Coast Guard Day (1790)
National Mustard Day
Virgin Islands : Nicole Robin Day
Arizona, Michigan : American Family Day - - - - - ( Sunday )
Italy : Joust of the Quintana (1st Sunday) - - - - - ( Sunday )
US : National Smile Week begins (Day 4)
Grasmere England : Rush-Bearing Day - - - - - ( Saturday )
National Picnic Month

Religious Observances
Old RC : Feast of St Dominic, confessor
RC : Memorial of St John Mary Vianney, patron of priests

Religious History
1874 Methodist clergyman John H. Vincent (1832-1920) and Ohio manufacturer Lewis Miller established the Chautauqua Assembly in northwest New York state a summer retreat center combining recreational activities with the training of Sunday School teachers and other church workers.
1879 Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical "Aeterni patris," which urged the study of "true" philosophy, especially that of Thomas Aquinas. The injunction led to a great revival of both Thomist studies and scholastic philosophy.
1884 Birth of Sigmund O.P. Mowinckel, Norwegian Old Testament scholar. Associated from 1917-54 with Oslo University, his most influential work was done in the Psalms. In 1951 he published "The Psalms in Israel's Worship" (1963).
1892 English medical missionary Wilfred T. Grenfell, 26, first arrived in Labrador, Newfoundland. For 42 years he labored among the fisherfolk, helping build hospitals and orphanages as well as churches.
1959 Swedish Christian and U.N. Secretary General Dago Hammarskald observed in his journal (Markings): 'We encounter a world where each man is a cosmos, of whose riches we can only catch glimpses.'

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

HOW TO TELL WHAT YOUR MATE IS SAYING

EVER feel like you and your spouse are speaking two different languages? That's because you are, says a leading psychiatrist.

Researcher Dr. Wilfred Winky is the author of the new book What The Heck Are You Talking About?, which sheds new light on the communication problems plaguing couples today.

Here is a sample of Winky's conclusions:

•We need. = I want.
•It's your decision. = The correct decision should be obvious because I already explained it to you.
•Do what you want. = You'll pay for this later.
•This kitchen is so inconvenient. = I want a new house.
•I'm not upset. = Of course I'm upset, you jackass.
• I'll be ready in a minute. = Kick off your shoes and find a good game on TV.
•We have to learn to communicate. = Just agree with me.
•Is my butt fat? = Tell me I'm beautiful.
•I'm hungry. = I'm hungry. (alternatively no sex for you)
•I'm sleepy. = I'm sleepy.(alternatively no sex for you)
•I'm tired. = I'm tired. (alternatively no sex for you)
•Do you want to go to a movie? = I'd like to have sex with you.
•Can I take you to dinner? = I'd like to have sex with you.
•May I have this dance? = I'd like to have sex with you.
•I love you. = Let's have sex now.
•I'm bored. = Let's have sex now.
•Let's talk. = I am trying to impress you by showing you what a deep person I am so you will have sex with me.
•Will you marry me? = Lets have sex....NOW

Thought for the day :
"There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them."
Louis Armstrong

1920 Helen Thomas UPI journalist/centerfold model (starts press conferences)

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Please - No Pictures.

That was Carlos my evil twin that did that.

that's my story and I'm stickin with it.

MORNGING GLORY FOLKS!

Quite a read . . . I guess this was one of those stories of the Korean War that received little notice. But not here. Great work.

BTW, I'll probably get flamed, but did anybody watch "Over There" last night?

Watched Overthere again last night.

Roger that . . . what did you think of the how they scripted the soldiers reaction to working with an American Arab soldier? He sure had some good intel on how to size up suicide car bombers.

No cable here. All I know about this show comes from the MilBloggers, and they are...less than thrilled with it.

Your take?

Is Evolution A Fact?

Read:Genesis 2:1-7, Hebrews 11:1-3

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. —Hebrews 11:3

Bible In One Year: 2 Kings 22-25

Read:
Genesis 2:1-7, Hebrews 11:1-3