The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Liberation of Guam (1944) - Aug. 31, 2005

www.cr.nps.gov ^

[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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American Strategy to Liberate Guam 1944

The United States military realized that the three major islands of the Mañana Islands, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian, were necessary for B-29 airbases. From these islands, the aircraft could complete round trip air raids to Japan. Possession of these islands would also sever the Japanese aircraft ferry route to Chuuk, Palau and Woleai. In addition, Guam's Apra Harbor would serve United States interests as a submarine refueling base, a good anchorage for an advance naval base, and a major supply center for the U.S. military forces. The justification to recapture the former United States territory was also driven by the need to liberate the Chamorros.

U.S. Military map planning invasion strategies on Asan and Agat beaches (Rogers 1995:183).

Original plans called for the assault on Guam to begin on June 18, 1944. However, U.S. forces landed on Saipan on June 15th, known as D-Day. They secured the airfields on June 18th, but did not secure the whole island until July 9th, 1944. The unexpected strength of the Japanese defense and the approach of the Japanese Combined Fleet from the Philippines towards the Mariana Islands lead to the postponement of the attack on Guam.


Guam, Showing Japanese Dispositions, 21 July 1944

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander In Chief of U.S. Pacific Fleet, decided upon July 21 as the invasion day instead of the scheduled date of June 18th. The Island of Guam was one of the U.S. military's strategic target islands in the Pacific Theater of War during World War II. The code name FORAGER was assigned to the recapture and liberation of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. The code name for the recapture of Guam was STEVEDORE.


1944 pre-war military aerial photo of the Agat coastline with scattered coconut groves along the coast and cultivated coastal agricultural fields (Hunter-Anderson 1989).

In April of 1944, U.S. submarines and long-range seaplanes began photographing and conducting reconnaissance on Guam. During the United States forty-three year presence on Guam, little to no mapping or physical information was recorded. Only poor quality aerial photographs, previous island stationed personnel, and a few Chamorros who served in the U.S. Navy were the source of information to chart road systems and topography. These sources were used to produce new maps for strategic planning of the invasion. The roads were built by the Seabees (U.S. Naval Construction Battalions).


Pre-invasion aerials of Bangi Point (Agat Beach Unit) with extensive coconut groves and rice paddies in the background (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

The natural features and built infrastructure of the island were never recorded. Once the Japanese overtook and occupied the island, Navy intelligence had to rely on personnel who had previously been stationed on Guam and Chamorros who were serving in the U.S. Military for mapping field conditions. "Minor roads constructed by the enemy were not shown and in some cases there were errors in roads constructed by the U.S. Military prior to the occupation of the island by the Japanese" (Gailey 1988:60). Despite the limited knowledge of roads prior to July 21, 1944 and Japanese landmines placed along them, American troops still made use of existing roads. Landmines were often obvious and easy to deactivate. As soon as the landing beaches were secure by American troops, numerous bulldozers and tanks were brought ashore to expand the network of existing roads. Historic photographs show new roads being cut from the landing beach up the hills to expedite the transport of ammunition and supplies to advancing troops.


Japanese constructed shore barriers (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

In May, American B-29 bombers began to bomb Saipan and Guam. On June 11-12, the Fast Carrier Task Force 58 destroyed 150 Japanese planes in an air assault. From this point on, the United States dominated the skies and seas of the Mariana Islands (Rogers 1995:176). On June 18-20, the American fleet turned to approach the oncoming Japanese fleet head-on. The United States lost 130 aircraft and the Japanese lost 3 aircraft carriers and 476 planes in the Battle of the Philippine Sea known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". This left Lieutenant General Takeshi Takashina commanding the General 29th Division and Japanese forces on Guam without backup to face the oncoming invasion (Rogers 1995:176).


Japanese constructed shore barriers made of coconut logs (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

Three weeks prior to landing, extensive air raids were carried out in an attempt to secure Asan and Agat beaches, where American Armed forces were to begin their initial assault. The offensive strategy, now apparent to the Japanese, was to land on Asan and Agat beaches and unite these forces by capturing the Orote Peninsula. The Orote Peninsula was edged with 200-foot cliffs overlooking the two beaches. It also contained the only functional airfield, crucial in order to secure and cut off Japanese supplies, and to bring in additional American supplies.


Half finished Japanese gun emplacements with rebar construction (U.S. Marines Corps 1944).

A critical error occurred when both the initial U.S. Military reconnaissance team and bombers neglected to identify five coral rock outcrops along Asan and Agat beaches. They were mistaken for sand dunes covered in vegetation and were therefore not targeted by the bombings. Japanese pillboxes and bunkers were clustered in these five coral outcrops: Apaca Point, Ga'an Point, Bangi Point (on Agat Beach) and Adelup Point and Asan Point (on Asan Beach). The structures survived the intensive pre-invasion bombing, and became Japanese strongholds. These strongholds had a significant influence on the outcome of the battles fought on the Asan and Agat beaches and they remain today as reminders of these events.


Japanese defense structure with a gun emplacement recessed into the hillside. (U.S. Marine Corps 1944)

The U.S. Marines, responsible for combat, were to land on Asan and Agat beaches. Both beaches were divided up into four sections. Asan Beach, between Asan and Adelup points included (west-east) Blue, Green, Red 2, and Red 1 sections. The 3rd Marine division (Major General Allen H. Turnage, and Colonel W. Carvel Hall) would land on Asan Beach closest to Adelup point (red beach 1 and 2) and move to secure Chorito Cliff and Adelup Point. On Asan Beach closest to Asan Point, the 9th (Colonel Edward A. Craig) would land on blue beach and seize and hold the low ridges while the 21st Marines, commanded by Colonel Arthur H. Butler, would land on central green beach and drive inland and clear a way for expanding the beachhead (Roger 1995:182, Lodge 1998:38)


Japanese pillbox recessed into the earth (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

Agat Beach, often referred to as the Southern Assault Beach, was also divided into four units: (north-south) Yellow 1, Yellow 2, White 1, and White 2. Lieutenant Colonel Alan Shapley' s 4th Marines were to land far right, establish the beachhead and protect the brigade. The 305th RCT (from the 77th Army Infantry Division) were the brigade floating reserve commanded by Colonel Vincent J. Tanzola. Colonel Merlin F. Schneider's 22nd Marines would land far left, secure Agat Village and drive north towards the Orote peninsula. Beaches Yellow and White were targets of the First Provisional Marine Brigade led by Brigadier General Lemuel C. Shepherd with a back up of the 77th Army Infantry under Major General Andrew D. Bruce. Together these two forces made up the III Amphibious Corps. Once ashore, they would be under the command of Major General Roy S. Geiger of the U.S. Marine Corps (Rogers 1995:182, Lodge 1998:47-8).


LIEUTENANT GENERAL TAKESHI TAKASHINA (right), Commanding General, 29th Infantry Division, inspects defenses along Agat Beach with Colonel Tsunetaro Suenaga, Commanding Officer, 38th Infantry. (Army Photograph)

Both units were to advance inland and establish the Force Beachhead Line (FBL) along the ridges from Fonte Plateau, Mounts Alutom, Tenjo and Alifan (see invasion strategy map). The securing of the FBL would secure the American position along the entire division front. After securing the FBL, forces were to converge and isolate the Orote Peninsula and the airfield upon the peninsula, and then continue to liberate the remainder of the island.


Location of Camp Asan (CLI Team/PISO/2003).

The Japanese had the advantage of the natural topography, which lent itself to defending the beaches and Orote Peninsula. The Americans had the advantage of three-to-one superiority in numbers of soldiers. The pre-invasion bombing from April through July eliminated many of the Japanese troops.



Beginning July 17, three U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT's) spent four nights clearing underwater obstacles from the reefs in front of assault beaches. Obstacles consisted of palm log cribs filled with coral and concrete and linked with wire cable. By midnight prior to W-Day, demolition teams had eliminated 640 obstacles off-shore of Asan Beach and 300 off-shore of Agat Beach (Lodge 1998:35).

[SAMWolf]

Phase I W-Day 1944

Before dawn of July 21, 1944, three hours of incessant and deafening bombing trapped many Japanese inside their bunkers. Meanwhile the United States fleet of eleven battleships, twenty-four aircraft carriers, and 390 other ships gathered just off the western shore of Guam.



At 0829, the attack was directed at the 2000 yards of beach between Asan and Adelup points. The 3rd Marines landed on Red Beach 1, on the left flank. Being closest to Adelup Point, they soon realized that the Japanese were secured in effective defensive positions within the Adelup Point and upon Chonito Cliff, the high ground overlooking the beach. The 21st Marines assaulted Green Beach in the center with little resistence. The 9th Marine Division struck on Blue Beach, on the right flank, near Asan Point. Comprised of a little over six thousand men, they encountered the Japanese 320th Independent Infantry Battalion that was well entrenched in the caves along the limestone outcroppings. These outcroppings known as two 'devil's horns', Asan Point and Adelup Point, lie on either end of the 2,500 yard stretch of Asan Beach. Mortar and machine gun fire covered the beach from these caves and ridges. Especially debilitating was the fire coming from Adelup Point. One tunnel system, 400 yards long, connected Chorito Cliff with Adelup Point. Japanese troops could retire to positions on the back-slope of the ridge during intense shelling, and return out to the peninsula behind the U.S. Marines landing on the beach.


U.S. Marine Corps aerial photo of Agat Beach Head during the U.S. Military invasion of Guam (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

Road construction began as soon as equipment hit the shore. All the while, the invasion battle was at full tempo and the crew was often under sniper attacks. They worked 24-hours a day around a steady stream of two-way traffic. Rain, humidity and mosquitoes were a constant irritant. Engineering specifications for the highway were rigid as any built in major United States cities. Main arteries were to be four 11foot lanes, Curves were restricted to 6 degrees and grades could not exceed 6 percent. Rugged rock outcrops required extensive cuts. It was the rainy season meaning torrential downfalls reduced every road cut to muck and created as shortage of fill material. Fills exceeding 18-feet were required to cross gullies and swamps. Incredibly, in 60 days, a 12-mile, four-lane, super-highway with nine bridges was complete between Sumay and Agana.


First American Flag on Guam

The Americans realized that their worst obstacle would be the 'almost impossible' terrain facing them (Lodge 1998:40). Troops advancing toward Chorito Cliff and Bundschu Ridge took heavy losses. Four times they attempted to advance up rugged cliffs covered with sword grass. Four times they were pushed back. Climbing up the 60 degree slope required two handed climbing that made it impossible to return fire. Marines lay piled at the bottom of the ridges and the others were forced back to the beaches over and over until reaching success (Gailey 1988:95-97).


3D DIVISION ASSAULT TROOPS take cover along the Asan beaches as messengers crouch low to avoid enemy fire. (USMC 88167)

Heat of over 90 degrees, intense humidity, lack of drinking water, and motion sickness from the long confinement aboard the ships brought the efficiency rate of troops down to 75%. By mid-afternoon, many men were dropping from exhaustion. By day's end, the regiment invading Asan beach counted 231 killed or wounded. Of the 100 amphibious trucks (DUKW's) available, thirty-six were lost during the landing and immediate assault phase on Asan Beach.


Post invasion photo of Agat Beach Unit with damaged vegetation (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

At Agat, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade approached the beach, pushing in against Japanese troops from the 38th Infantry Regiment. Japanese troops were anchored in at Mt Alifan, Bangi, Apaca Point, and Ga'an Point. Defense structures and artillery were securely hidden within these rock outcroppings. In addition to Bangi Point and Apaca Point on either end, Ga'an Point was centered on Agat Beach and held effective fire power over north and south sections. These outcroppings supported the Japanese strategy to attack the enemy before they got a foothold on solid ground. The reef at Agat was much wider than Asan. Debilitating mortar and artillery fire poured down on American troops and amphibious vehicles as soon as they reached the reef edge. Japanese troops had a 75mm gun and 37mm gun mounted in concrete bunkers. Seventy-five marines were killed in the first wave, before they even reached the beach (Gailey 1998:97-99).


Asan Invasion Beach, with damaged rice paddies and coconut groves in the foreground and the U.S. War Ships in the background (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

The first wave landed at 0829 and brutal mortar and artillery fire continued to reign down on the troops. In addition to the poor condition of the combat troops, there was a shortage of supplies, ammunition and water. Evacuation of the wounded was difficult without enough Landing Vehicle Transports (LVT's) and DUKW's. A direct mortar hit eliminated all medical personnel and supplies on Yellow Beach. In addition to these problems, General Shepard had no communication with the regimental CP's (command post) until after noon and was unable to call in the reserves until late in the day (Gailey 1998:101).


Historic photo of one of the first American flags to fly over Guam since 10 December 1940. Planted by U.S. Marines 8 minutes after they hit Agat Beach destroying vegetation along the beach heads on July 21, 1944 (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

At 1400, the 2nd Battalion was ordered into Agat Beach. No LVT's could be spared to transport troops across the reef and into shore. They had to wade the 400 yards across coral heads and through shell craters while under direct enemy fire. Many soldiers, carrying as much as 50 pounds of equipment on their backs, slipped into water over their heads soaking vital communication equipment. The 2/305th unloaded and had to wade in at nightfall, narrowly escaping landing in enemy territory. By the end of the first day, casualties numbered 455, and the wounded over 536. Twenty-four, or more than one in eight LTV's were disabled (Gailey 1997:108).



Although the U.S. Marines had established themselves at each beachhead, their positions on Guam were less than secure since each beach was only a narrow strip of low ground encircled by outcrops, ridges and mountains. The Japanese were still controlling the strategic high ground with the ability to fire on almost any part of the beaches. However, lack of coordination and lack of any concentrated effort to create a breakthrough at a strategic point while they had the advantage was a critical mistake. "A careful look at the Japanese response to the relatively slight Marine gains during W-Day show that the decisions made by General Takashina and his subordinates during the afternoon of W-Day determined the outcome of the battle for Guam" (Gailey 1998:103).


Pontoon Barge Off Guam

On W-Day, two non-combat units followed the combat troops, the U.S. Navy Seabees and a civil affairs group. The Seabees immediately set to work repairing and building roads, airstrips, and necessary installations. The multilane highway (Marine Drive) was constructed during this time. During the expansion of existing roads as well as building new roads, road cuts and removal of vegetation was necessary to achieve the construction goals. The Civil Affairs unit began running protective compounds for the vast amount of aged and sick Chamorro refugees brought back to the beachheads by combat marines. Camp Asan is believed to have served as the barracks and headquarters for the Seabees Island Command Troop. The camp consisted of approximately 40 quonset huts and outbuildings located between Asan Point and Asan River. The camp was in place by early 1945 and occupied until 1947.


American soldiers searching rice paddies and damaged coconut groves for enemy troops in Asan (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

Three days after W-Day, (24 July) the Southern Landing Force had its beachhead firmly established. The steep cliffs and ridges surrounding both Asan and Agat beaches again took their toll on the troops. Weighed down with the intense heat and humidity, and lacking adequate drinking water, the troops advanced on the ridges that sometimes required two handed climbing through razor sharp sword grass. The cliffs were so steep that supplies were sent up on ropes. Advancement over the ridges often required repeated efforts and caused significant losses (Gailey 1998:97).



After four days of continuous battle, the enemy was surrounded on the Orote Peninsula. The Army 77th Division had secured most of the FBL. Defense responsibility for the beach from Agat Village to Ga'an Point rested upon the 9th Defense Battalion. The Army 7th AAA (Automatic Weapons) Battalion guarded the coastline from Ga'an to Bangi Point (Lodge 1998:69-70).

[SAMWolf]

Phase II 1944

On July 28th the airstrip on Orote Peninsula was secured, and by July 30th, Apra Harbor was secure and ready to accept vessels. Phase I — to secure the FBL, was complete. It had been a tough 10 days of struggle, but for the first time the men could rest and regroup. The 3rd Marine Division sent scouts to the front to determine enemy positions and numbers. The remaining men had a first chance, since W-Day to wash, shave and get into fresh clothes. These two days also were spent completing unloading operations. Once complete, the riflemen of the 3rd Marines were able to return to their units and the 19th Marines assumed control of the shore party activities.


Jungle Trail Scouted by Marine Tanks and infantry

On July 31, one of the patrol units liberated the first large group of Chamorros and was then told of another concentration camp near As Inan (east coast of Guam). The patrol unit reached that compound and freed 2,000 Chamorros. Soldiers willingly gave their rations and cigarettes to the undernourished men and women who were almost overcome with joy at once again seeing Americans. Men of the 77th Division soon forgot the long, tiresome cross-island march. The full realization of the expression: "liberation of enslaved peoples", came to the troops (Lodge 1998:130).

Second Period of American Liberation 1944

Chamorros were brought from the Japanese concentration camps to U.S. refugee camps at the site of Old Agat Village. Facilities were sparse and consisted of old tents and crude shacks for housing. Guamanians clustered about sharing mess lines and water lines with the U.S. Marines until a civilian kitchen and mess line were set up. The first night housed over 700 refugees. By August 5, there were over 6,689 seeking protection from the Japanese soldiers (Apple 1980). At the peak, 18,000 Chamorros were housed. By August 3, many began returning to their homes and ranches (livestock), arms and carts full of food (GMP 1983:17).


MARINES watch tensely as a flamethrower blasts an enemy dugout in the advance inland on Guam. (USMC 88067)

Immediately following W-Day American Seabees moved onto Asan Beach and began to build Camp Asan. It served as the island command troops headquarters for the Seabees. This facility, at Asan Beach, would come to serve many purposes over time.


1944 photo of the Bordallo family at the Agat refugee camp after fleeing a concentration camp in Manengon Valley (Rogers 1995).

After the fighting ceased, 18,000 Chamorros were counted as compared to the 23,915 counted by the Japanese in January 1944. These people were encouraged to return to their homes and farms to once again produce food for the civilian population. Because many lands were now within military possession for airfields, firing ranges, training areas, campsites and supply depots, it became necessary for the military to establish new villages. The new village of Agat was built just south of the old Santa Rita village site. Chamorros were paid as labor crews to help rebuild their villages, schools, and churches. Americans also extended efforts to re-establish the copra and other industries. Fishing, forbidden under Japanese rule, was again encouraged (Lodge 1998:163). Aerial seeding of a legume (tangen-tangen) was accomplished by the U. S. Navy to reduce soil erosion especially on steep slopes and ridges.



President Truman signed the Organic Act of Guam on August 1, 1950 (made effective on July 21, the six year anniversary of Liberation Day in 1944). The act stated that Guam, like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands belongs to the United States as unincorporated territories. The Organic Act of Guam, gave Guamanians American citizenship and a civilian government. Unincorporated territories are extended no promise of statehood or status equal to statehood and have no voting rights in the U.S. presidential elections.

Additional Sources:

history.amedd.army.mil
www.bluejacket.com
www.caltrap.org
www.guam.net
www.forties.net
www.army.mil

[SAMWolf]

National Park Service and the National Register

In 1950, the U.S. Department of the Interior replaced the Navy Department as the federal agency responsible for Guam. Within this year Governor Manuel F. L. Guerrero, Office of Territories, requested the Department of the Interior visit Guam to determine any historically significant properties that should be set aside as park lands. It was determined that there was land significant to WWII, but no formal arrangements were made for a park. In the 1960's, the request was repeated and in response, War in the Pacific National Park was proposed to Congress. However, Congress did not accept the proposal until August 18, 1978 (GMP 1983).


Guamanian Women in Refugee Camp

Both Asan and Agat beaches are in close proximity to the villages of Asan and Agat. Both units of land were used for a variety of uses after the war. Asan Beach was first the site of the Seabees Island Command Troop Headquarters, then became Camp Asan, for the Civil Service from 1945-47. This complex became a Navy hospital for the Vietnam War, in the mid 1960's and was abandoned by 1972. It was then used to house Vietnamese refugees in 1975. It was a park owned by the Government of Guam when it was proposed to Congress, and in 1978 became part of War in the Pacific National Historic Park.


Typical village constructed by the military government to house Guamanians displaced by the war (this photo is of Sinajana village located north east of Agat Village) (U.S. Marine Corps 1944).

War in the Pacific National Historical Park was listed in the National Register on August 18, 1978. The Agat Invasion Beach was listed in the National Register on March 4,1975. The Asan Invasion Beach was listed on the National Register on February 14, 1979.

[SAMWolf]

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

Please click on the banner above and check out this newly created (and still under construction) website created by FReeper Coop!

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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.

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

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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.

Veterans Wall of Honor

Blue Stars for a Safe Return

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



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

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[snippy_about_it]

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Good Wednesday Morning Everyone.

If you want to be added to our ping list, let us know.

[Valin]

Teaser
1936 Marva Collins, innovative educator who started Chicago's one-room school, Westside Preparatory, was born

National Trail Mix Day
/Teaser


And now good night all

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

Today is norton Update Day. Be sure to update your anti-virus software.

[alfa6]

Bump for the Hump day edition of the Freeper Foxhole.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[The Mayor]

August 31, 2005

The Only One

Read:
Psalm 34

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. —1 Peter 3:12

Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles 1-3

As a teacher with many years of experience in high school and college classrooms, I have observed many kinds of students. One in particular is what I call the "just me and the teacher" student. This pupil has a kind of one-on-one conversation with the teacher—almost as if no one else were in the class. The teacher's rhetorical questions, for instance, result in verbal answers from this student—oblivious to anyone else's reaction. While the class is filled with other pupils, this one seems to think it's "just me and the teacher."

As I watched one of these students recently and saw him command the teacher's attention, I thought, He's on to something. He has the focus we all need to have when we pray.

The thought that millions of other Christians are talking to God as we pray should never cause us to feel that we are less important. No, as we talk to our everywhere-present, all-knowing, all-powerful God, we can be confident that He is giving us His full attention. David said, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him" (Psalm 34:6). God directs single-minded attention toward our praise, our requests, and our concerns.

When you pray, to Him you are the only one. —Dave Branon

So lift up your heart to the heavens;
There's a loving and kind Father there
Who offers release—comfort and peace—
In the silent communion of prayer. —Anon.

Though millions are bending God's ear in prayer, He listens to each individually.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Jesus' Blueprint For Prayer
Praying With Confidence

[E.G.C.]

Folks, be sure to click on my screename and then "In Forum" to read my thoughts on a sbuject that I'm about to post.

[texianyankee]

Good Wednesday morning to everyone. I am at work but my mind is on the disaster along the gulf coast.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[Professional Engineer]

Good mornin gladies. The Flag still there-o-Gram.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 31:
0012 Caligula (Gaius Caesar), 3rd Roman emperor (37-41 AD)
0161 Lucius A A Coomodus, emperor of Rome (180-91)
1811 Goode Bryan, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1885
1822 Fitz John Porter, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1901
1823 Galusha Aaron Grow, MC (Union), died in 1907
1828 George Leonard Andrews, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1870 Maria Montessori Italy, educator (spontaneous response)
1880 Queen Mother Wilhelmina Netherlands (1890-1948)
1885 DuBose Heyward novelist (Porgy)
1889 A Provost Idell father of modern volleyball
1897 Frederic March Wisc, actor (Dr Jeckyll-Acad Awards 1932/1946)
1903 Arthur Godfrey radio, TV host (Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout)
1903 Sir Bernard Lovell England, radio astronomer, founded Jodrell Bank
1908 William Saroyan US, novelist/playwright (Time of Your Life)
1914 Richard Basehart Zanesville Oh, actor (Voyage to Bottom of Sea)
1916 Daniel Schorr "journalist" (CBS, PBS Pravda)
1918 Alan Jay Lerner lyricist composer (Lerner & Leowe-My Fair Lady)
1924 Buddy (Leonard) Hackett Bkln, comedian (God's Little Acre, Music Man)
1928 James Coburn Laurel Nebr, actor (Our Man Flint, Magnificent Seven, Cross of Iron)
1931 Dan Rather news anchor (cBS News)
1935 Eldridge Cleaver Black Panther
1935 Frank Robinson baseball player/manager (MVP 1961-NL 1966-AL)
1936 Marva Collins, innovative educator who started Chicago's one-room school, Westside Preparatory.
1945 Itzhak Perlman Tel Aviv Israel, violinist/polio victim
1945 Leonid I Popov cosmonaut (Soyuz 35, 40, T-7)
1945 Van Morrison Belfast, singer (Gloria, Moondance)
1949 Richard Gere Phila Pa, actor (Breathless, Cotton Club)
1958 Edwin C Moses track star (hurdler, Olympic-gold-1984)
1959 Rachel Dennison Knoxville Tn, actress (Doralee Rhodes-9 to 5)
1970 Debbie Gibson Brooklyn NY, singer (Only in My Dreams)
1977 Paul Garber helped establish Air & Space Museum in Washington DC

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Deaths which occurred on August 31:
1057 Leofric husband of Lady Godiva, dies
1218 Al-Malik ab-Adil/Saphadin/Saif al-Din), brother of Salah ad-Din (Saladin)
1422 Henry V, King of England (1413-22)/France (1416-19)
1688 John Bunyan preacher/novelist/author of "Pilgrim's Progress,", dies
1862 George William Taylor, US Union brig-general, dies in battle
1888 Mary Ann Nicholls a 42-year-old prostitute, was found stabbed to death in London, 1st of at least five murders by Jack the Ripper
1942 Von Bismarck, German major general, (Africa Corps), dies in battle
1944 Killinger, German ambassador to Romania, commits suicide
1964 Carole Coleman singer (Face the Music), dies at 42
1964 Rocky Marciano former heavyweight champ, dies in a plane crash
1968 Dennis O'Keefe actor (Suspicion), dies at 60
1979 Sally Rand, stripper, dies at 75
1997 Diana Spencer, princess of England, dies in car crash in Paris at 36 (Britain goes insane)
2002 Lionel Hampton (94), American jazz icon, (vibraphone) dies

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Take A Moment To Remember
GWOT Casualties

Iraq
A GOOD DAY



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A GOOD DAY


http://icasualties.org/oif/
Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White
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Go here and I'll stop nagging.
http://soldiersangels.org/heroes/index.php

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August 31, 2005
FLOOD AID UPDATE: Here are some places you can donate to hurricane Katrina relief:
http://instapundit.com/archives/025235.php
If you help out I guarantee you'lll feel REAL GOOD, your gas mileage will improve, your children will behave better and the dog will stop having...accidents in the house.

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On this day...
1385 English King Richard the Second invades Scotland with a force estimated at 80-thousand men.
1521 Cortes captures the city of Tenochtitlan, Mexico, and sets it on fire.
1535 Pope Paul II deposed & excommunicated King Henry VIII
1778 British kill 17 Stockbridge indians in the Bronx during Revolution
1802 Captain Merriwether Lewis leaves Pittsburgh to meet up with Captain William Clark and begin their trek to the Pacific Ocean.
1842 US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress
1864 Atlanta Campaign-Battle of Jonesborough
1864 General George B. McClellan nominated for president by Democrats. (I guess somethings never change)

1865 Federal government estimates the American Civil War had cost about eight-billion dollars. Human costs have been estimated at more than one-million killed or wounded.

1881 1st US tennis championships (Newport, RI)
1886 1st major earthquake recorded in eastern US, at Charleston, SC
1887 Thomas A Edison patents Kinetoscope, (produces moving pictures)
1889 Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure "Cardboard Box" (BG)
1894 Phillies Billy Hamilton steals 7 bases
1895 1st pro football game (QB John Brallier paid $10 & won 12-0)
1902 Split skirt 1st worn by Mrs Adolph Landeburg (horse rider)
1903 A Packard automobile completed a 52-day journey from San Francisco to New York, becoming the first car to cross the nation under its own power.
1903 Joe McGinnity wins his 3rd doubleheader of the month
1907 England, Russia & France form the Triple Entente
1919 Communist Labor Party of America formed in Chicago by John Reed. His motto "Workers of the world unite!" (you have nothing to lose by your freedom)
1919 Petlyura's Ukranian Army kills 35 members of a Jewish defense group
1934 1st football all star game-Bears tie collegians 0-0 in Chicago
1935 1st national skeet championship (Indianapolis)
1935 FDR signs an act prohibiting export of US arms to belligerents
1939 Japanese invasion army driven out of Mongolia by Soviet army

1939 Staged "Polish" assault on radio station in Gleiwitz by Nazis dressed as Poles to "provoke" war, excuse for Gerrmany to invade Poland tomorrow to start World War II

1941 Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee & Molly debuts on NBC
1949 Six of the 16 surviving Union veterans of the Civil War attend the last-ever encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1950 Dodger Gil Hodges hits 4 HRs & a single in a game vs Braves
1951 The 1st Marine Division begins its attack on Bloody Ridge in Korea. The four-day battle results in 2,700 Marine casualties.
1954 Census Bureau established
1954 Hurricane Carol (1st major named storm) hits New England, 70 die
1955 1st microwave TV station operated (Lufkin, Tx)
1955 1st sun-powered automobile demonstrated, Chicago, Ill
1957 Malaya (Malaysia) gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1960 Agricultural Hall of Fame established
1962 Trinidad & Tobago gain independence from Britain (National Day)
1965 House of Reps joins Senate establish Dept of Housing & Urban Develop (Oh Joy!)
1968 6,000 die in 7.8 quake destroys 60,000 buildings in NE Iran
1968 Private Eye magazine reports a John Lennon & Yoko Ono album will have a picture of them nude on the cover
1970 US defeats German FR for tennis' Davis Cup
1970 Peter Yarrow (Peter Paul & Mary) arrested for taking "immoral liberties" with girl, 14
1971 Dave Scott becomes 1st person to drive a car on the Moon
1972 Olga Korbut, USSR, wins olympic gold medal in gymnastics
1973 1st heavyweight championship fight in Japan (Foreman beats Roman)
1977 Aleksandr Fedotov sets aircraft alt rec of 38.26 km (125,524')
1978 Symbionese Liberation Army founders William & Emily Harris plead guilty to 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst
1979 Comet Howard-Koomur-Michels collides with the Sun
1979 Donald McHenry named to succeed Andrew Young as UN ambassador

1980 Poland's Solidarity labor union founded

1983 Edwin Moses of USA sets the 400m hurdle record (47.02) in Koblenz
1985 "Prakas" sets trotting mile record of 1:53.4 at Du Quoin, Ill
1985 Night Stalker suspect that terrorized S Calif captured in East LA
(http://www.crimelibrary.com/ramirez/)
1987 Curtis Strange sets golf's earning for the year record ($697,385)
1988 5-day power blackout of downtown Seattle begins
1991 Kyrgyzstan The Land of "Tien Shan" (Heavenly Mountains) Uzbekistan and Kirghizia declared their independence, raising to 10 the number of republics seeking to secede and leaving only five republics with membership in the Soviet Union.
1992: White separatist Randy Weaver surrenders to authorities in Naples Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents (Weaver's wife & son, and a deputy U.S. marshal, were killed during the seige)
1994: The Irish Republican Army declares a cease-fire
1994: After a half-century, Russia officially ends its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics
1997: Diana, the Princess of Wales, is killed in an automobile accident (milllions go insane)
2000 President Clinton vetos a bill that would have gradually repealed inheritance taxes, saying it would have benefited the wealthiest Americans while threatening the nation's financial well-being.
2000 Computer scientists create a robot to design and build other robots almost entirely without human help.
2001 Scientists at Lucent Tech. achieved superconductivity with carbon-60 (buckyballs) at minus 249 degrees by combining the carbon molecules with compounds of chloroform and bromoform.
2002 Israeli soldiers arrest Hasan Yousef, the Islamic militant group Hamas' top political leader.
2002 10,000 people march from a township of tin shacks and open sewers to the glittering venue of a U.N. development summit to protest that world leaders are not doing enough to fight poverty. (Pardon me, would you happen to have any grey Poupon?)
2004 Tropical Storm Gaston floods Richmond and other parts of central Virginia with a foot or more of rain. Five people were killed.

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

Afghanistan : Pashtunistan Day
Afghanistan : Jeshyn-Afghan Day/Independence Day (1920)
Malaysia : Malaysia Day (1957)
Trinidad & Tobago : Independence Day (1962)
US : Festal Day/Order of the Eastern Star (Robert Morris' birthday)
National Trail Mix Day
National Golf Month

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Religious Observances
Ang : Commem of Aidan, bishop of Lindisfarne, monastic founder
RC : Comm of St Raymund Nonnatus, cardinal, ransomer of captives
Luth : Commemoration of John Bunyan, teacher

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Religious History
1688 Death of English Puritan clergyman and writer John Bunyan, 69. Imprisoned several times between 1660 and 1672, Bunyan used these periods of isolation to pen his two literary masterpieces, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666) and Pilgrim's Progress (1678).
1757 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.'
1824 Birth of Anna B. Warner, American hymnwriter. She never married, but lived with her sister Susan in New York state. In 1860, a novel they co-authored contained a poem which became one of the most beloved of all children's hymns: I Know.'
1861 Birth of Jesse Brown Pounds, American hymnwriter. During her lifetime she published nine books, 50 cantatas and over 400 religious song texts. Three of her hymns remain popular today: "Anywhere With Jesus," "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" and "The Way of the Cross Leads Home."
1870 Birth of Maria Montessori, Italian educator. She developed a theory of teaching which emphasized a reinforcement of initiative, and a freedom of movement for the child. Her theory of elementary education has since been named, appropriately, the "Montessori Method."

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

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Farmer Gets 700 Replies to Cornfield Ad


CANANDAIGUA, New York (AP) - A farmer who planted his own personal ad in a cornfield has received more than 700 replies, but he's only been in touch with the writer of one.
Western New York cattle-and-crops farmer Pieter DeHond, a 41-year-old divorced father of two, planted a lovelorn message in his cow pasture using 50-foot (15-meter) letters made from corn stalks.
It said "S.W.F Got-2 (love symbol) Farm'n" (Single White Female Got to Love Farming). Since it was planted in May, the cornfield ad has generated media attention as far away as South Africa.

One California woman answering DeHond's ad had a pizza delivered to his farmhouse door along with a note that included her first name and phone number.
"That seemed like a nice thing to do," said DeHond, adding that he called to thank her.
Since then, they've exchanged calls and letters.
"A very attractive woman" is how DeHond described his new friend to his hometown newspaper the Daily Messenger of Canandaigua. He added they may eventually arrange to meet.

Meanwhile, DeHond said he's keeping all the letters and newspaper clippings in a box, "so 20 years from now I can look back and laugh and say, 'Look what I stirred up.'"

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Thought for the day :
"I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is—I could be just as proud for half the money."
Arthur Godfrey

[stand watie]

GM, snippy, et.al.

PRAY for our poor folks in the southland.

free dixie,sw

[Samwise]

Hey, foxholers! These are great. Click on the link.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1474304/posts

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Those are good! Thanks for the link.

[snippy_about_it]

Neat flag-o-gram, thank PE.

[snippy_about_it]

Beautiful wolf image, thanks.