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Posted on 02/13/2006 8:35:48 PM PST by alfa6
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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THE VALENTINE TANK  Based on the A10 Cruiser tank, the Valentine was privately designed by the Vickers-Armstrong corporation (hence its lack of an "A" designation) and was submitted to the War Office on February 14, 1938. Like many other projects, the Valentine was rushed into production following the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. Several versions exist concerning the source of the name Valentine. The most popular one says that the design was presented to the War Office at St. Valentine's Day (February 14). Some sources, however, claim that the exact date the design was submitted was February 10. According to other version, the tank was called Valentine in honor of Sir John Valentine Carden, the man who led the development of the A10 and many other Vickers vehicles. Yet another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The War Office was initially deterred by the size of the turret and the crew compartment. However, concerned by the situation in Europe, it finally approved the design in April 1939. The vehicle reached trials in May 1940, which coincided with the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. The trials were successfull and the vehicle was rushed into production as Infantry Tank III Valentine. The Valentine remained in production until April 1944, becoming Britain's most mass produced tank during the war with 6855 units manufactured in the UK (by Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon) and further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training).  The Valentine was Britain's most mass produced tank during the war, having manufactured 6855 and a further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training). In Soviet service, they were quite popular due to their small size, reliability, and generally good armour protection. In Soviet service, the Valentine was used from the Battle of Moscow until the end of the war. It was employed mostly on the southern fronts, both because of the proximity to the Persian supply route and in order to avoid using the tank in very cold climate. Although criticized for its speed and its weak gun, the Valentine was liked due to its small size, reliability and generally good armour protection. The Valentine was something of an oddity, having the weight and size of a cruiser tank, but the armour and speed of an infantry tank. Though its armour was still weaker than the Matilda and, due to its weaker engine, it shared the same top speed, its high reliability and lower cost kept it in the war. ![](http://www.dad.incomingwormhole.com/Valentine/valentine_mk_iii_01.jpg") By 1944, in the European Theater of Operations the Valentine was almost competely replaced in the frontline units by the Churchill and the US-made Sherman. In the Pacific the tank was employed in limited numbers at least until May 1945. There were 12 variants of the Valentine as follows:     |
A sheep in beagle's clothing?
Okers.
(Hey, it was somewhat before my time.. *chuckle*)
Hi miss Feather.
So, the real question today is: Does Msdrby get a new toaster or a new vacuum cleaner?
Well, which one is needed most??
Could be both, eh??
heheh! Too funny!
maybe a new paint job or new carpet cleANER?
peanut butter sandwich + bittygirl + stairs = ??? (not as bad as it sounds)
BTW, She is still toting around the remainder of the sandwich. We are off to do some clean up and buy some dog food, then K4K, and finally armoire recon.
Daisy says that there is a unfinished furniture place going out of business in Garland.
1. Missouri is known as the "Show Me State".
2. The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me."
3. The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
4. The most destructive tornado on record occurred in Annapolis. In 3 hours, it tore through the town on March 18, 1925 leaving a 980-foot wide trail of demolished buildings, uprooted trees, and overturned cars. It left 823 people dead and almost 3,000 injured.
5. At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea.
6. Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.
7. Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in the union, bordered by 8 states.
8. The state animal is the Mule.
9. St. Louis; is also called, "The Gateway to the West" and "Home of the Blues".
10. Warsaw holds the state record for the low temperature of -40 degrees on February 13, 1905.
11. Warsaw holds the state record for the high temperature recorded, 118 degrees on July 14, 1954.
12. State bird--native Bluebird March 30, 1927
13. State insect--honey bee July 3, 1985
14. Mozarkite was adopted as the official state rock on July 21, 1967, by the 74th General Assembly.
15. On July 21, 1967, the mineral galena was adopted as the official mineral of Missouri.
16. The crinoid became the state's official fossil on June 16, 1989, after a group of Lee's Summit school students worked through the legislative process to promote it as a state symbol.
17. On June 20, 1955, the flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida L.) became Missouri's official tree.
18. The "Missouri Waltz" became the state song under an act adopted by the General Assembly on June 30, 1949
19. The present Capitol completed in 1917 and occupied the following year is the third Capitol in Jefferson City and the sixth in Missouri history. The first seat of state government was housed in the Mansion House, Third and Vine Streets, St. Louis; the second was in the Missouri Hotel, Maine and Morgan Streets, also in St. Louis. St. Charles was designated as temporary capital of the state in 1821 and remained the seat of government until 1826 when Jefferson City became the permanent capital city.
20. The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.
21. Kansas City has more miles of boulevards than Paris and more fountains than any city except Rome.
22. Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any metro area with more than 1 million residents.
23. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nationwide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.
24. Saint Louis University received a formal charter from the state of Missouri in 1832, making it the oldest University west of the Mississippi.
25. In 1889, Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.
26. The tallest man in documented medical history was Robert Pershing Wadlow from St. Louis. He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall
27. Creve Coeur's name means broken heart in French, comes from nearby Creve Coeur Lake. Legend has it that an Indian princess fell in love with a French fur trapper, but the love was not returned. According to the story, she then leapt from a ledge overlooking Creve Coeur Lake; the lake then formed itself into a broken heart.
28. The most powerful earthquake to strike the United States occurred in 1811, centered in New Madrid, Missouri. The quake shook more than one million square miles, and was felt as far as 1,000 miles away.
29. Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation.
30. During Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the presidency, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat named Valentine Tapley from Pike County, Missouri, swore that he would never shave again if Abe were elected. Tapley kept his word and his chin whiskers went unshorn from November 1860 until he died in 1910, attaining a length of twelve feet six inches.
31. President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, May 8, 1884.
32. The first train of the Atlantic-Pacific Railway, which became the St.Louis-San Francisco Railway, or "Frisco," arrived in 1870.
33. Callaway County was organized on November 25, 1820 and named for Captain James Callaway who was killed in a fight with Indians near Loutre Creek.
34. Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes"
35. Situated within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population, Branson and the Tri-Lakes area serves up to 65,000 visitors daily. Branson has been a "rubber tire" destination with the vast majority of tourists arriving by vehicles, RVs and tour buses. Branson has also become one of America’s top motor coach vacation destinations with an estimated 4,000 buses arriving each year.
36. Charleston holds the Dogwood-Azalea Festival annually on the 3rd weekend of April. "Charleston becomes a blooming wonderland."
37. Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.
38. Missouri's oldest community, Saint Genevieve, was founded as early as 1735.
39. In 1812 Missouri was organized as a territory and later admitted the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.
40. In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves.
41. Hermann, Missouri is a storybook German village with a rich wine-making and riverboat history that is proudly displayed in area museums. Built in 1836 as the "New Fatherland" for German settlers, the town has achieved national recognition because of its quality wines and distinctive heritage.
42. Auguste Chouteau founded Saint Louis in 1764.
43. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls, writer of Little House on the Prairie grew up in Missouri.
44. "Madonna of the Trail" monument in Lexington tells the story of the brave women who helped conquer the west and is one of 12 placed in every state crossed by the National Old Trails Road, the route of early settlers from Maryland to California.
45. Soybeans bring in the most cash for Missourians as a crop.
46. Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October.
47. On Sucker Day in Nixa, Missouri, school closes officially and the little town swells to a throng of 15,000 hungry folks. All craving a taste of the much maligned but delicious bottom dweller fish loathed by almost everyone else.
48. Point of highest elevation: Taum Sauk Mountain, 540 meters (1,772 feet)
49. State folk dance: square dance
50. State musical instrument: fiddle
I dare you to go after #30 and #47. Wait, make that I "double dog" dare you. =)
xoxoxox
"the largest brewery on a single site is the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado. In 1993, Coors brewed 595 million gallons of beer
See also:
"Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, the world's largest brewery on a single site, along with Elkton, Virginia and Memphis, Tennessee" http://solutions.ihs.com/intermat/news-coors.jsp
In addition to being the largest brewery, Coors has the world's largest aluminum can manufacturing plant, with a capacity of more than 5 billion cans annually." http://www.win.net/optimator/bf4.htm
Of course, we'll probably all end up drinking Chinese beer from Wal Mart.
"According to Zhujiang Beer Cooperation, it will invest 400 million RMB to build a new brewery in Zhongshan City, that will produce 200,000-tons of beer annually. The first phase of the construction project will kick off next month, and should be complete and operational by June of 2006.
"It is expected that the final phase of construction will be finished in 2008. The Zhujiang Beer Company will boast the largest beer producing center in the world capable of producing 1.5 million-tons per year." http://www.newsgd.com/citiesandtowns/zhongshan/news/200509130034.htm
A couple of other intersting facts about the Gateway Arch.
The insurance companies predicted that the construction would result in 6 to 10 deaths. Actual deaths 0.
To place the keystone in the top of the arch the St. Louis Fire Department was employed. The sun was causing the legs of the Arch to distort from the heat. The Fire Dept used several of it's pumpers and aerials to spray water on the legs so that the keystone would fit.
The Arch was erected by using cranes that crawled up the legs. As each section was installed the crane would move up so that the next section could be installed.
Throought the legs of the Arch vcan be seen the old Busch Stadium which was torn down after the playoffs last fall to make room for a new stadium. 
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Thanks, very interesting how they erected that thing.
Just think, they can't build anything in Buffalo.
What is the rarest bird in Buffalo?
The sky crane.
BTW I have a son-in-law from Buffalo, I iwll have to ask him about the "skycrane" he he he Regards
alfa6 ;>}
"..the earth was horribly torn to pieces - the surface of hundreds of acres, was, from time to time, covered over, in various depths, by the sand which issued from the fissures, which were made in great numbers all over this country, some of which closed up immediately after they had vomited forth their sand and water..."
Eye witness writing the day of the quake:.
"There was a great shaking of the earth this morning. Tables and chairs turned over and knocked around - all of us knocked out of bed. The roar I thught would leave us deaf if we lived. It was not a storm. when you could hear, all you cold hear was screams from people and animals. It was the worst thing that I have ever wittnesed. It was still dark and you could not see nothng. I thought the shaking and the loud roaring sound would never stop. You could not hold onto nothing neither man or woman was strong enough - the shaking would knock you lose like knocking hicror nuts out of a tree. I don't know how we lived through it. None of us was killed - we was all banged up and some of us knocked out for awile and blood was every where."
They say thirty feet tall groundwaves. Just like shaking a rug. Mile after mile of every tree knocked down. The whole business was pretty amazing.
There is a fully restored, I mean fully restored, Tiger at the RTR. Armor fans owe themselves to visit
Fifty (50) pages with multiple photos per page.
Also ask your nephew if he has heard of us.
Primary Challenge and Free Buffalo
and my friend Satish Mohan.. Honestly, ask him.
| February 15, 2006
Band Of Brothers
Read:
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Of all Shakespeare's great plays, Henry V may rank as the most heroic. In one stirring scene, the English army stands fearfully before superior French troops. King Henry challenges his men to take heart. Because the battle will be fought on "the feast of Crispian," their victory will be remembered in its yearly celebration. The king tells his men, "This day is called the feast of Crispian . . . . We in it shall be remembered; we few, we happy few, we band of brothers."
Today, the US Marine Corps refers to itself as a "band of brothers." There is something about interdependence and personal sacrifice while under fire that binds people together for life.
Christians facing opposition can also have such a bond. Paul wrote, "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ" (Colossians 1:24).
Did Paul believe Christ's suffering on the cross was insufficient? No, His atonement was completely adequate for all our sin. What Paul meant was that as we complete Christ's work on earth amid painful opposition, we share in His sufferings. Jesus suffered for obeying the will of God, and so must we. But like Paul, we can find joy as we draw closer to our Lord and our band of brothers and sisters. —Dennis Fisher
Suffering can be a magnet that draws the Christian close to Christ and fellow Christians.
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