FReeper Foxhole - Military Related News in Review - May 12, 2003

various

[snippy_about_it]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

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Tactical Tomahawk Presses on with 1st Live Warhead Test
Story Number: NNS030509-26
Release Date: 5/9/2003 3:24:00 PM

By Sandra Schroeder, NAVAIR Public Affairs, PEO(W)

CHINA LAKE, Calif. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy’s new Tomahawk cruise missile, Block IV or Tactical Tomahawk, was launched May 8 from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Stethem (DDG 63).

The event marked the second launch of the Tactical Tomahawk from an operational surface ship and the first live warhead demonstration.

The missile blasted from the vertical launching system and transitioned to cruise flight for the 760 nautical mile mission to target impact on San Clemente Island.

The missile flawlessly navigated the assigned mission through the use of global positioning satellite and Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator. The test successfully demonstrated the unique Block IV weapon system communication capability between Stethem and the in-flight missile. Using the Tomahawk Strike Network, messages were sent from the ship, successfully retargeting the missile and collecting bomb damage indication information. The missile performed a planned terminal air-burst maneuver and destroyed the satellite antenna target.

The Tomahawk missile is ship and submarine launched, and was first employed operationally during Desert Storm. Since then, the missile has been heralded for its accuracy and lethality in numerous operations. The Tactical Tomahawk boasts several enhancements as demonstrated today, which increase warfighter effectiveness and responsiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and life cycle costs. The missile will become operational in the middle of 2004.

“I am extremely proud of USS Stethem's contributions to the Tactical Tomahawk program," said Cmdr. David Melin, commanding officer. "Every shot is a significant program milestone that gets us one step closer to fielding this next-generation force multiplier for the Navy's land attack warfare mission. The efforts of the 340 ‘steelworkers’ of USS Stethem, program offices, land-based test sites and contractors are paying huge dividends, as evidenced by this second flawless launch from Stethem and fifth perfect flight of the Block IV missile.”

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Marines' shifting mission calls for trigger-ready diplomacy

BAGHDAD, Iraq(May 09, 2003) -- Tension mounts as Staff Sgt. Mario Ribas listens to a resident of this war-torn city emphatically make his case for the return of his AK-47 assault rifle.

Marines found two weapons lying in high grass inside an apartment complex soon after arriving to patrol a Baghdad neighborhood. An accompanying M1A1 Main Battle Tank crew staged outside the walled residential area radioed Ribas after watching Iraqi men pitch the rifles onto the lawn. Attached to 1st Tank Bn., the Marines are part of Alpha Co., 1st Infantry Bn., 7th Marine Regiment, from Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

"If you have a weapon, you have to keep it inside. Tell your people they can't have a weapon visible while we're in the area," the 32-year-old Miami-born Ribas calmly tells the man as a growing number of sympathetic Iraqis try to enter the conversation.

"We have to protect ourselves against thieves. That is why we have them," the man repeatedly states with growing frustration.

As the crowd grows, the Marines repeatedly extend their arms forward as a warning to the gathering Iraqis to keep their distance. Ribas doesn't budge but doesn't raise his voice either. After he's relatively assured that the man's intentions are as stated, he instructs his Marines to pass the weapons back to their owners.

"[The Iraqis] are allowed to have weapons for their protection against thieves and looters," says 1st Lt. Jonathan Bonnette, a Headquarters Plt. executive officer for Alpha Co. "If they keep them in their homes and out of sight, we don't have a problem with it," he says.

Still, the Marines take the magazines "to give us time to get out of the area," says Ribas, indicating the precarious nature of patrolling an area where friendly gestures can turn deadly in seconds and where civilians and combatants are too often indistinguishable.

"You really can't tell. You have to kind of take their word for it," says Cpl. Adam Sommer, squad leader, 2nd Plt., Alpha Co., 1/7. "If these guys seem pretty up front and they just want to protect their families, then we give them that right while trying to keep out of harm's way as much as possible."

Soon after entering Baghdad, Marines began patrolling the city's neighborhoods "looking for bad guys," said Bonnette. Part of the Marines' mission is to act as an on-the-ground barometer of Iraqi sentiments.

"We're talking to people to get an idea of their attitude toward the Marines and for what's going on in their city and country right now," says Bonnette. "Hopefully, they'll give us information about where to find weapons and ammunition that are cached in buildings."

Some have come forward with information regarding hidden weapons caches and possible locations of remaining hostile elements. But when the Marines first arrived, Iraqi civilians were more standoffish, unsure of the Americans intentions. "I think they wondered whether they were being liberated or conquered," says Capt. Douglas Schaffer, Alpha Co.'s commanding officer from Arlington, Va.

But contact with the local population is "improving" the relationship.

"They're coming out and saying 'Down with Saddam' and 'We love you,'" Schaffer said.

Children often crowd around the patrolling Marines like rock-star groupies seeking autographs for their soccer balls or just a chance to say "hello." Little girls offer flowers as a sign of affection. Iraqi men of all ages engage the Marines in conversation while women stand in doorways waving and smiling. Some come forward holding babies to hand off to their husbands. Others offer the Marines cold water.

"One lady asked if we wanted to stay for dinner," says Pfc. Christopher Light, a young Alpha Co. machinegunner from Concord, Calif.

Like many of his peers, Light arrived in Iraqi with just a few months as a Marine under his belt. "I've been in for nine months," he says, smiling. "Our [School of Infantry] instructors were telling us to train for war."

Some SOI graduates linked up with the unit after it deployed to Kuwait. Veteran infantrymen like Ribas, who patrolled in Somalia, mentor and train Marines like Light "day and night" to help hone their infantry and leadership skill, says Ribas. In Somalia, he adds, "We were shot at a lot more."

But Baghdad is still a very dangerous place. The Marines are finding "lots of weapons," including rocket-propelled grenade launchers and mines, says Schaffer. "There are still bad guys and there are still shots being fired," he adds.

In mid-April, gunfire and explosions were heard throughout the city at any given time of the day. Accounts of American fatalities from hostile Iraqis circulate amongst the Alpha Co. Marines.

"We know [the Iraqis] are friendly, but there's still a guy out there who doesn't like us," says Pfc. Jason Rodden, an Alpha Co. team leader from Arkansas. "You can't get lackadaisical or it will come back and bite you."

The Marines keep on their toes. When the distinct "pop" of an AK-47 breaks the relative calm of one of 1st Plt.'s afternoon patrols, Marines reacted swiftly and aggressively. One team clambers over a wall in the direction of fire while another skirts along the wall with weapons at the ready. A quick house-to-house search fails to produce the shooter.

Five minutes later, Jensen and his Marines load up in amtracks and humvees to travel back to their base camp. Along the short return route, the Marines will wave a dozen times to Iraqis offering salutations. The minute-to-minute transitions from warriors to goodwill ambassadors require discipline, maturity and courage but the Marines believe they are positively impacting Iraqi lives.

"The country is liberated and the people know it and they tell us that every day. They're very happy we're here. They are looking forward to a free government, which our government has promised, and a freer way of life," Bonnette said. "That makes it all worthwhile."

Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification Number: 20035935616
Story by Cpl. Jeff Hawk

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Mementos, Diversions, Extra Gear:
What Soldiers Carry to War
By U.S. Army Spc. M. William Petersen

MUTLAA RIDGE, Kuwait — Ask any soldier what his or her most important piece of gear is, and most will reply, “my rifle,” or “my protective mask.”

But when asked what non-issued item is most important, each soldier in 11th Signal Brigade has other answers, and sometimes stories behind it.

Some soldiers have utilitarian items they can’t live without. While many soldiers carry multitools, such as those made by Leatherman or Swiss Army, and Camel Backs™, portable water carriers, that they refuse to part with, others have more unusual items they brought to the desert.

“I don’t like to walk a lot, and with my job, this makes moving around from job site to job site a lot faster,” Sgt. Jeffrey Kilgo, an air conditioner repairman with 19th Signal Company, about the mountain bike he brought to Camp Udairi. Kilgo commutes to and from his work sites on the bike. “It’s a lot easier to park than a HMMWV, and it’s good exercise. So instead of using a truck, I use a bike.”

One item today’s soldiers are bringing to the field that their predecessors didn’t have is a laptop computer.

“I use my laptop for everything,” said Spc. Robert Topchi, a ‘cable dog’ with 69th Signal Company. “It’s good for games, pictures and keeping a diary. It’s all of that in one package.”

The free time he has is often easily occupied with his favorite game on the laptop, Diablo. Other soldiers have also found a pleasant diversions in video games while deployed, some bringing handheld games and others toting full-size systems along. Sgt. Robert George of 11th Signal Brigade brought his PlayStation game system with him and considers it indispensable.

Many soldiers have found a temporary escape from their surroundings in music.

“My CD player is the most important thing to me because I’ve got to have my music to get me out of here,” said Sgt. Ramiro Padilla of 385th Signal Company.

Unfortunately, the sand and rough handling his CDs endured at Mutlaa Ridge, Kuwait, left many of Padilla’s collection of Spanish music -- Azul Azul, Mana and Molotov -- discs beaten beyond repair.

For Pfc. Chris Van Horn of 19th Signal Company, his music helps him drown-out the sounds of his tentmates. “There are more than 50 guys in the tent, so it gets loud,” Van Horn said. “I can go to sleep with my CD player on.”

Soldiers looking for a quieter diversion have turned to books. Sgt. Eric Greenwood of 385th Signal Company brought a large stack of books when he deployed to Kuwait nearly a year ago. Now stationed at Mutlaa Ridge, Greenwood has already read more than 50 books and is in the process of ordering more.

“ I read whatever I can get my hands on,” Greenwood said. “It eats up time. We also do correspondence courses, CLEP tests and college courses while we’re here.”

Staff Sgt. Lin MacCollum, noncommissioned officer-in-charge for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Signal Brigade, has a different memento that he carried overseas with him. Perched on a shelf in his wall locker at Camp Doha, Kuwait, is a small stuffed dog with a leprechaun pinned to its collar.

“When my wife and I got married in Tombstone, Ariz., it was given to me to carry over the border to Iraq if I go,” MacCollum said. “I see it as a reminder of my wedding day as well as a good luck charm.”

Spc. Carl Manzano, a light-wheel vehicle mechanic with HHC, 11th Sig. Bde., is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. His good-luck charm, a baseball cap, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf before.

“ This hat’s been here before,” he said. “It’s pretty beat-up now, so I don’t wear it all the time, but it’s my lucky hat.”

The hat acts as a reminder of Manzano’s hobby: he is an avid outrigger canoeist, which is a hobby not readily available in the desert.

Other soldiers carry reminders of their loved ones. Many have pictures hanging by their bunks, like Cpl. Raymond Hookfin, another mechanic with HHC 11th Sig. Bde.

“The pictures are important to me because I know I still have something to go home to,” said Hookfin, pointing at photos of his girlfriend. “She’s going to be the next Mrs. Hookfin.”

Pfc. Robert Speed, microwave systems analyst with 11th Sig. Bde., wears his reminder everywhere he goes. “We got engaged 20 days before I joined up,” said Speed, raising his engagement ring up. “It helps me think about my fiancé and remember some of the good things in life.”

Another ring-carrying soldier, Spc. Kenneth Dabney, a signal support systems specialist with 11th Sig. Bde., wears his wife’s wedding band and his newborn son’s first ring on a chain around his neck.

When Sgt. David Lee Miller, a signal support systems NCO, was asked what he values most, he pulled out a small laminated news article. “One year after my grandfather died, my dad wrote a [memoriam] into the newspapers,” Miller said. “It became my good luck charm.

“We were very close,” Miller said about his grandfather. “He was a father figure when I was growing up. This is a way to always keep him there. He’s gone, but not forgotten.”

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Snippy's Pic of the Week

Clic on USS Ronald Reagan Pic

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[snippy_about_it]

Profile - Army Spec. Joseph Key
West Va. Reserve Medic Cares for Soldiers, Iraqi Civilians

DEPLOYED LOCATION, Iraq — Spec. Joseph Key, of Huntington, W. Va., of the 459th Multi-Role Bridge Company, found himself not only performing his day-to-day duties of helping out fellow soldiers, but aiding and comforting a couple of injured Iraqi civilians as well.

He explained how two brothers and a child had been driving down a road when shrapnel from a nearby battle hit their car. Several days later, the 459th first sergeant, Fred Bell, spotted the civilians wandering along the road. When he saw their wounds, he enlisted Key to assist them.

“They’d been suffering for the last couple of days,” said Key. “The kid had shrapnel in the back of his head, but it wasn’t that bad. The gentleman had a lot in his kneecap -- that was the worst one. I couldn’t say for certain, but I think his kneecap was shattered.”

Key, who knew he only had a short amount of time before the convoy would continue, said he did the best he could. Full story

NEWS LINKS FROM THE PAST WEEK - IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

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American soldiers should be moved to the east 5/05/03

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USS Gettysburg Saves Fishermen at Sea 5/06/03

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Exceptions to war trophy policy little known 05/07/03

13 Detainees Released from Guantanamo 5/07/03

Bush Chooses New Army, Navy Secretaries 5/07/03

Rumsfeld's Man (Why generals will fight the new secretary of the Army. ) 5/07/03

Germans dismayed that Poles could command their troops (lol alert) 5/07/03

Ft. Wainwright's 172nd Infantry Brigade to serve as model for Army unit manning 5/07/03

CALLSIGN “DEADLY” – SNAKES IN THE ATTACK* 5/07/03

Navy Plans to Develop LCS Fleet with 'Lightning Speed' 5/07/03

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Coalition Holds 2,000 Prisoners in Umm Qasr; 7,000 Others Released 5/08/03

(Foreign) Leaders clash on U.S. base proposal 5/08/03

DoD Presents Award for Excellence to Five Installations 5/08/03

After Action Report from IRAQ (unit level from the Warlords) 5/08/03

IRAQ: Bush meets Qatar leader; key Gulf ally 5/08/03

U.S. pushes for U.N. action against Iran 5/08/03

Dispatches from the Desert: Ammo boxes in trucks get attention of soldiers 5/0803

U.S. resolution calls for U.S. and Britain to run Iraq for at least a year 5/08/03

William C. Harrison, 83, decorated Air Force pilot dies 5/08/03

East Europe [Romania & Bulgaria] would welcome US troops 5/08/03

Explosion Aboard USS Saipan Injures 11 (Marines) 5/08/03

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U-S forces hunt killer of American soldier

Family confirms soldier killed in Iraq 5/09/03

Moving overseas bases may make military sense 5/09/03

Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln - A First Hand Report 5/09/03

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Second night of mission places focus on military (Billy Graham) 5/10/03

Rumsfeld pledges long-term military commitment to Iraq 5/10/03

U.S. military resumes talks with Iranian opposition, confident standoff will end peacefully 5/10/03

Soldiers killed in Iraq crash from Fort Carson 5/10/03

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Military Update: Congress looks to narrow pay gap, extend war pay 5/11/03

Piestewa fought 'with all her might,' Renzi says 5/11/03

Soldiers killed in Iraq crash from Fort Carson 5/10/03

Gillette (Wyoming) soldier shot in Iraq 5/11/03

Afghan Killed, U.S. Soldier Wounded in Firefight 5/11/03

[snippy_about_it]

Scholarship Fund Established for Surviving Spouses and Children of Iraqi Freedom Killed 05-11-2003 - Full Story

'A Day in the Life of the Armed Forces' Exhibit Opens at Women's Memorial 05-11-2003 - Full Story

[snippy_about_it]

Come on out of there for a cup a joe -

Recent News -

Stretch your legs a while and let us know what you'd like to see at the Foxhole on Mondays!

Please post any news you have links to that you'd like to share and send us any ideas you would like to see us cover at the Foxhole.

Enjoy. I'm off to work!

[snippy_about_it]

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Support the Commander in Chief
Click Here to Send a Message to the opposition!

[snippy_about_it]

[Pippin]

Good Morning, Snippy!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning snippy, SAM, everyone.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on May 12:
1662 Jan F van Bloom [Orizonte] Flemish painter, baptized
1670 August II the Strong One, King of Poland (355 children)
1679 Giovanni Antonio Ricieri composer
1700 Luigi Vanvitelli Italian architect
1729 Michaël F B Freiherr von Melas Austrian general (7 Year Wars)
1739 Jan Krtitel Vanhal composer
1739 Johann Baptist Wanhal composer
1751 Gaetano Manna composer
1754 Franz Anton Hoffmeister composer
1776 Juan Bros y Bertomel composer
1790 [Johannes] Carsten Hauch Danish writer
1797 Johann Hermann Kufferath composer
1803 Justus Freiherr von Liebig German chemist (agricultural chemics)
1804 Robert Baldwin (L) helped establish cabinet government in Canada
1806 Amos Beebe Eaton Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1877
1806 J V Snellman Finland, journalist/statesman/nationalist
1812 Edward Lear England, landscape painter, (Complete Nonsense Book)
1812 Louis Ludwig Blenker Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1863
1813 Johann Czerski German chaplin
1820 Florence Nightingale Florence Italy, nurse (Crimean War)
1828 Gabriel Dante Rossetti England, poet/painter, Pre-Raphaelite
1829 Paul Karrer composer
1842 Jules Emile Fred Massenet Montaud France, composer (Manon, Le Cid)
1845 Gabriel Urbain Fauré Pamiers France, composer (Requiem, Ballade)
1861 Ivan Caryll English composer (Pink Lady)
1863 Charles Bordes composer
1867 Hugh Trumble cricket off-spinner (great Australian at turn of century)
1868 Halsey William Wilson US, publisher of reference books
1874 Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet Austrian physician (Reaction of Pirquet)
1876 Harold grandson of English queen Victoria
1880 Lincoln Ellsworth led 1st transarctic, transantarctic flights
1880 W Hupkes engineer/director (Dutch Rail 1938)
1886 Albert Saverys Flemish painter
1886 Hermann Grabner composer
1886 Piotr F Scharoff Russian/Italian actor/director (Chechov)
1887 Nandor Zsolt composer
1889 Otto Frank father of Anne Frank
1894 Cleo Ridgely New York NY, silent screen actress (I Remember Mama, The Love Mask)
19-- Lisa Raggio New York NY, actress (Pvt Maria Gianelli-Pvt Benjamin)
1900 Helene Weigel Austria/German actress (Metropolis, Mutter Courage)
1901 Hyam Greenbaum composer
1902 Heinrich Kirchner German sculptor
1903 Lennox R F Berkeley British composer (Castaway)
1903 Wilfrid Hyde-White England, actor (My Fair Lady, Peyton Place)
1906 William M Ewing US geologist/geophysicist
1907 Katharine Hepburn Hartford CT, actress (African Queen, Adam's Rib, On Golden Pond)
1907 Leslie Charteris English/US detective writer (Enter the Saint)
1910 Dorothy Crowfoot-Hodgkin British chemist (penicillin/B12/Nobel 1964)
1910 Gordon Jenkins Webster Grove MO, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour)
1912 Marshall Royal jazz sax/clarinet
1914 Bertus Aafjes Dutch poet/writer
1914 Dan Daniel (Representative-D-VA, 1969- )
1914 Howard K Smith Los Angeles CA, TV newsman (ABC, Moderated Kennedy-Nixon debate)
1916 Ellis Bonoff Kohs composer
1917 André A Rieu Dutch conductor
1918 Oscar Beregi Jr Hungary, actor (Young Frankenstein, Panic in City)
1921 Edvard Mikcaeli Mirzoyan composer
1921 Giovanni Benelli archbishop (Florence)/Papal candidate
1921 Henry Mackie designer of the Belfast Calorimeter
1921 Joseph Beuys Germany, avant-garde painter/politician
1922 Barend Busnac office clerk/resistance fighter
1923 Ewart G Abner record company executive
1923 Giovanni Testori Italian writer (Rocco e i suoi fratelli)
1923 Lord Laing English biscuit manufacturer/pilot/multi-millionaire
1925 John Simon theater critic (New York Times)
1925 Lawrence "Yogi" Berra New York Yankee catcher/coach/manager, Mets, Astros
1925 Tony Hancock Birmingham England, actor (Rebel, Wrong Box)
1926 Earl Hutto Panama City FL, (Representative-D-FL, 1979- )
1926 Mervyn M Dymally (Representative-D-CA, 1981- )
1928 Manuel Lujan Jr (Representative-R-NM, 1969- )
1929 Burt Bacharach Kansas City MO, composer (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)
1930 Pat McCormick-Keller Lakewood CA, platform/springboard diver (Olympics-4 gold-1952, 56)
1931 Johan Fleerackers Flemish vice-president of Dutch One
1936 Tom Snyder Milwaukee WI, newscaster (Tommorow, NBC Weekend News)
1937 Beryl Burton UK, won record (7) women's cycling titles
1937 George Carlin Bronx NY, comedian (7 words you can't say on television, AM & FM, Carwash)
1937 Gerry E Studds (Representative-D-MA, 1973- )
1938 Andrei Amalrik Russian writer/dissident
1938 Millie Perkins Passaic NJ, actress (Jane-Knots Landings)
1938 Susan Hampshire London England, actress (Vanity Fair, Living Free)
1939 Ronald Ziegler press secretary (Nixon)
1941 Anthony Newman Los Angeles CA, harpsichordist/organist (Bhajeb)
1941 Little Jayotis Washington US R&B singer (Persuasions)
1941 Ruud de Wolff singer/guitarist (Blue Diamonds)
1942 Barry B[rookes] Longyear US, sci-fi author (City of Baraboo)
1942 Dumitru Dediu Romania, cosmonaut (Soyuz 40 backup)
1942 Ian Dury Upminster Essex, rocker (Blockheads)/actor (Judge Dredd)
1942 Susan Hampshire London, actress (David Copperfield)
1942 Timothy Hugh Brown theatre critic
1943 Billy Swan Cape Giradeau LA, rocker (I Can Help)
1943 Billy Swan rocker (I Can Help)
1943 David Walker rock keyboardist (Gary Lewis & Playboys-Diamond Ring)
1943 Linda Dano Los Angeles CA, actress (Felicia Gallant-Another World)
1944 Eva Demski writer
1944 James Purify US singer (I'm Your Puppet)
1945 Jayotis Washington rocker
1945 Linda Carlson Knoxville TN, actress (Bev-Newhart, Katie-Kaz)
1945 Willie Parnell US singer (Archie Bell & the Drells)
1946 Ian McLagen rocker (Faces)
1946 Leonard Baichan cricketer (West Indies opener, 103 vs Pakistan on debut 1975)
1948 Lindsay Ann Crouse New York NY, actress (Slapshot, Iceman, Places in Heart)
1948 Steve Winwood Birmingham England, singer/songwriter/keyboardist/guitarist (Higher Love, Roll With It)
1950 Billy Squier Wellesley Hills MA, heavy metal guitarist (Don't Say No)
1950 Bruce Boxleitner Elgin IL, actor (Scarecrow & Mrs King, Babylon 5)
1950 Gabriel Byrne Dublin Ireland, actor (Hello Again, Cool World)
1950 Jocko Marcellino rocker (Sha Na Na)
1950 Renate Stecher-Meissner German Democratic Republic, sprinter (Olympics-gold-72)
1950 Shozo Fujii judo champion
1951 Gunnar Larrson Sweden, 200 meter/400 meter swimmer (Olympics-gold-1972)
1951 Kid Creole [August Darnell], rocker/actor (Obsession A Taste of Fear)
1955 Kix Brooks Shreveport LA, singer (Brooks & Dunn-Brand New Man)
1957 Lou[is Rodman] Whitaker 2nd baseman (Detroit Tigers)
1958 Beth Maitland actress (Traci-Young & Restless)
1958 Christian Brando son of Marlon/killed sister's boyfriend
1958 Kim Greist Stamford CT, actress (CHUD, Brazil, Payoff, Manhunter)
1959 Dave Christian Minnesota, NHL right wing (Washington Capitals, Olympics-gold-1980)
196- Jamie Luner Palo Alto CA, actress (Cindy-Just the 10 of Us)
1960 Lisa Martin Australian marathoner (Olympics-silver 1988)
1960 Lisa Ondieki Australian marathoner (Olympics-84, 88, 96)
1961 Billy Duffy rocker (The Cult-Hell's Kitchen)
1961 Ray Gillen Cliffside Park NJ, rocker (Badlands-Dreams in the Dark)
1962 Amy Benz Rochester NY, LPGA golfer (1994 Oldsmobile Classic-3rd)
1962 Emilio Estevez New York NY, actor (Breakfast Club, Young Guns, Mighty Ducks)
1962 Mark Bradshaw Happy Camp CA, diver (Olympics-96)
1963 Vanessa Williams Brooklyn NY, actress (Rhonda Blair-Melrose Place)
1964 Joy Ellen Kitzmiller Los Angeles CA, US badminton player (Olympics-92)
1965 Stacy Wilson ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics-98)
1965 Steve Finley Union City TN, outfielder (San Diego Padres)
1966 Rafael Bournigal Azua Dominican Republic, infielder (Oakland A's)
1966 Stephen Baldwin actor (Beast, Lawrenceville Stories, Usual Suspects)
1966 Steven Conran Lithgow New South Wales, Australasia golfer
1967 Cara Coughenour Sioux City IA, female pitcher (Colorado Silver Bullets)
1967 Lawrence Rucchin hockey defenseman (Team Italy 1998)
1967 Robert Blackmon defensive back (Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks)
1967 Warren Rychel Tecumseh, NHL left wing (Colorado Avalanche)
1968 Mark Clark Bath IL, pitcher (New York Mets)
1969 Kim Fields Freeman Los Angeles CA, actress (Tootie-Facts of Life, Regine-Living Single)
1970 Andreas Hestler Victoria British Columbia, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1970 Andrew Coltart Dumfries Scotland, Australasia golfer
1970 James Michael Furyk West Chester PA, PGA golfer (1994 Las Vegas-5th)
1970 Mike Malizia Utica NY, Nike golfer (1993 Doral-Ryder Open-61st)
1970 Mike Weir Sarnia Ontario, Canadian Tour golfer (Ontario Amateur-1990, 92)
1970 Stevie Anderson NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals)
1970 Todd Hallett Shelburne Nova Scotia, rower (Olympics-92, 96)
1971 Craig Novitsky NFL tackle (New Orleans Saints)
1971 Jamie Luner Palo Alto CA, actress (Cindy-Just the 10 of Us)
1971 Tommy Johnson WLAF cornerback (Amsterdam Admirals)
1972 Annette Albertson Reno NV, Miss America-Nevada (1997)
1972 David Oaks 100 meter/200 meter runner
1972 Jason Kyle NFL linebacker (Seattle Seahawks)
1972 Michelle Kahn Miss Universe-Trinidad & Tobago (1996)
1972 Paul Stout Saugus CA, actor (Phillip-Scarecrow & Mrs King)
1973 MacKenzie Astin Los Angeles CA, actor (Facts of Life, Garbage Pail Kids)
1973 Stefano Margoni hockey forward (Team Italy 1998)
1974 Anna Ozolins Australian rower (Olympics-96)
1974 Tiffany Stoker Clovis CA, Miss America (California-4th-1996)
1975 Lawrence Phillips running back (St Louis Rams)
1976 Matthew P Newmark actor (Joseph Carroll-Guns of Paradise)
1977 Iva Majoli Yugoslavia, tennis star
1977 Monique de Bruin Porland OR, fencer-foil (Olympics-96)
1978 Amy Wheaton actress (Curse)
1978 Thomas Odoyo cricketer (Kenyan all-rounder 1996 World Cup)

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Deaths which occurred on May 12:
0912 Leo VI Sophos Byzantine Emperor (886-912), dies at 45
1003 Gerbert French scholar, dies in Rome
1003 Sylvester II [Gerbert van Aurillac], 1st Fren Pope (999-1003), dies
1012 Sergius IV [Pietro Crescentii], Italian Pope (1009-12), dies
1382 Johanna I Queen of Naples/Provence, dies
1634 George Chapman English dramatist/interpreter, dies
1641 Thomas Wentworth English viceroy of Ireland, beheaded at 48
1649 Isaac Doreslaer English lawyer/diplomat, murdered
1737 Cornelis van Alkemade historian, dies at 83
1788 Louis E van Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Austrian duke, dies at 69
1796 Johann P Uz German poet (Theodicee), dies at 75
1811 Louis-Charles-Joseph Rey composer, dies at 52
1814 Robert Treat Paine US judge (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 83
1825 Elias Mann composer, dies at 75
1825 Stanislao Mattei composer, dies at 75
1843 Johann Georg Lickl composer, dies at 74
1845 August Wilhelm Schlegel German poet/interpreter/critic, dies at 77
1852 John Richardson Canadian writer (War of 1812), dies
1861 Christian Heinrich Hohmann composer, dies at 50
1864 Abner Monroe Perrin Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at 37
1864 J E B Stuart Confederate General, dies at 31
1864 J.E.B. Stuart Confederate General, dies at 31
1871 Daniel-François-Esprit Auber French opera composer, dies at 89
1871 John F W Herschel British astronomer (Catalogue of Nebulae), dies
1876 Henri A Esquiros French poet (Evangile du peuple), dies at 63
1884 Bedrich Friedrich Smetana Czechoslovakia, composer (2 Widows), dies at 60
1896 Juan Morel Campos composer, dies at 38
1897 Ulrika "Minna" Cant-Johnstown Finnish playwright, dies at 53
1897 Willem Roelofs painter/lithographer, dies
1900 Wilhelm Steinitz Prague, chess champion (1866-1894)
1907 J K Huysmans writer, dies at 59
1908 Melesio Morales composer, dies at 69
1921 Emilia Pardo Bazan Spanish writer (La sirena negra), dies
1924 Charles Henri Marechal composer, dies at 82
1925 Alfred Milner British Governor (Cape Colony)/minister, dies at 71
1925 Amy Lowell writer, dies at 51
1925 Artur Napoleao dos Santos composer, dies at 82
1930 Pieter Jelles Troelstra Dutch SDAP leader, dies at 70
1931 Eugene-Auguste Ysaye composer, dies at 72
1932 Lindbergh baby found dead
1935 Josef Pilsudski Polish dictator (1926-35), dies
1943 Albert Stoessel composer, dies at 48
1944 Arthur T Quiller-Couch [Q] British author/critic, dies at 80
1948 Isidor Achron composer, dies at 55
1951 Oscar DePriest (Representative-D-IL), dies at 80
1956 Hendrik P Marchant Dutch minister of Education, dies at 87
1956 Louis Calhern dies at 61
1956 Vladimir Ambros composer, dies at 65
1957 Erich von Stroheim Austrian/US actor (Grand Illusion), dies at 71
1960 Cecil Armstrong Gibbs composer, dies at 70
1962 Dick Calkins co-author (Buck Rogers), dies at 67
1963 Stanislaw Wiechowicz composer, dies at 69
1965 Roger Vailland French playwright (La Truite), dies at 57
1967 Julius Kalas composer, dies at 64
1970 Leonie "Nelly" Sachs German/Swedish poet (Nobel 1966), dies at 78
1970 Wladyslaw Anders Polish general (WWI, WWII), dies at 78
1971 J M Taylor cricketer (20 Tests 1920-26, 997 runs), dies
1973 Frances Marion screenwriter (Pollyanna, Camille), dies at 85
1980 Lillian Roth actress (Animal Crackers, Alice Sweet Alice), dies
1981 Benjamin H Sheares President of Singapore, dies
1982 Humphrey Searle writer (20th Century counterpoint), dies at 66
1984 Doris May actress (Peck's Bad Boy), dies of heart failure at 81
1985 Jean Debuffet French painter/sculptor, dies
1986 Elisabeth Bergner dies at 85
1986 Lee Bonnell dies
1987 Victor Feldman pianist/drummer, dies at 53
1989 Joe Valdez Caballero creator of hard taco shell, dies at 81
1989 Marcelle de Manziarly composer, dies at 89
1992 Joe Burke president (Kansas City Royals), dies at 68, dies
1992 Robert Reed actor (Brady Bunch), dies of AIDs at 59
1994 Alfred Lane Beit connoisseur, dies at 91
1994 David Brooks psychologist, dies at 91
1994 Helen Lee Mai Hong Kong actress, dies at 63
1994 John Smith British Labour Party chairman (1992-94), dies at 55
1994 Xenophon Balaskas cricketer (9 Tests for South Africa, 22 wickets), dies
1995 Arthur Lubin film director, dies at 95
1995 Giorgio Belladonna bridge champion, dies at 71
1995 Reza Abdoh theatre Director, dies at 32
1996 Hubert William Dean air armaments specialist, dies at 84
1996 Robert Edwin Hall mountaineer/businessman, dies at 35

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 ASHLOCK CARLOS PHILADELPHIA PA.

1967 AGOSTO SANTOS JOSE PR.
01/23/68 RELEASED / POW EXCHANGE

1967 GRENZEBACH EARL WILFRE JR. WORCHESTER NY.

1967 GADDIS NORMAN C. KNOXVILLE TN.
03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98

1967 JEFFERSON JAMES M. SAN DIEGO CA.
POSS DEAD REMAINS ID 06/05/00

1967 PITMAN PETER P. ATLANTA GA.

1967 STEWART ROBERT A. WASHINGTON DC.

1968 BUCHER BERNARD L. EUREKA IL.
"EXPLODE, NO SEARCH, HOSTIL"

1968 COEN HARRY B. RIVERTON WY.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 CRAVEN ANDREW J. WILMINGTON NC.
GROUND ATTACT POSS KIA

1968 HEPLER FRANK M. GLENSIDE PA.
"EXPLODE, NO SEARCH, HOSTIL"

1968 LONG JULIUS W. JR. PULASKI WA.
03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG

1968 LONG GEORGE W. MEDICINE KS.
"EXPLODE, NO SEARCH, HOSTIL"

1968 MOORE MAURICE H. BALTIMORE MD.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 MC ELROY JOHN L. SCHENECTADY NY.
"EXPLODE, NO SEARCH, HOSTIL"

1968 MORELAND STEPHEN C. LOS ANGELES CA.
"EXPLODE, NO SEARCH, HOSTIL"

1968 ORR WARREN R. JR. KEWANEE IL.

1968 RANSBOTTOM FREDERICK J. OKLAHOMA CITY OK.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 SIMPSON JOSEPH L. DENVER CO.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 SKIVINGTON WILLIAM E. JR. LAS VEGAS NV.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 SANDS RICHARD E. SPRINGFIELD IL.

1968 STULLER JOHN C. FALLS CHURCH VA.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 WIDNER DANNY L. GRAHAM TX.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 WILLIAMS ROY C. WOODVILLE TX.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1968 WIDDISON IMLAY S. WOODS CROSS UT.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1970 PREISS ROBERT F. JR. CORNWALL NY.
REMAINS RETURNED IDENTIFIED 06/30/98

1972 ADAIR SAMUEL Y. JR. MADISON GA.
REMAINS RECOVERED 11/74

1972 BOGARD LONNIE P. MATARIE LA.

1972 CRESSEY DENNIS C. CHEYENNE WY.
11/74 REMAINS RECOVERED

1972 OSTERMEYER WILLIAM H. ORLANDO FL.


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

---

On this day...
0254 St Stephan I replaces Lucius I as Catholic Pope
0919 Duke Henry of Saxon becomes king Henry I of Oostfrankische rich
1082 Battle at Mailberg: Vratislav II of Bohemia beats Leopold II of Austria
1215 English barons serve ultimatum on king John without Country
1328 Louis IV de Beier selects P Rainalducci as anti-Pope Nicolaas V
1459 Sun City India founded by Rao Jodhpur
1525 Battle at Böblingen: Zwabische Union beats rebel Württembergse farmers
1534 Württemberg becomes Lutheran
1551 San Marcos University in Lima Peru, opens
1588 Catholic League under duke Henri de Guise occupies Paris France
1604 Spanish garrison of Aardenburg surrenders to Mauritius
1640 Uprising against Spanish king Philip IV
1641 Prince Willem II (14) marries English princess Henriette Mary Stuart (9)
1689 England & Netherlands form League of Augsburg
1695 English king Willem III departs to Netherlands
1701 Drenthe adopts Gregorian calendar (yesterday is 4/29/1701)
1733 Maria Theresa crowned queen of Bohemia in Prague
1776 Turgot, French minister of Finance, resigns
1777 1st ice cream advertisement (Philip Lenzi-New York Gazette)
1780 Charleston SC falls to the British (Revolutionary War)
1789 Society of St Tammany is formed by Revolutionary War soldiers - It later becomes an infamous group of NYC political bosses
1792 Toilet that flushes itself at regular intervals is patented
1832 Gaetano Donizetti's opera "L'Elisir D'amore" premieres in Milan
1835 Charles Darwin visits copper mines in North Chile
1849 Willem Alexander PFL crowned king Willem III in Amsterdam
1862 Federal troops occupies Baton Rouge LA
1863 Battle of Raymond MS
1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia
1864 Battle of Todd's Tavern VA (Sheridan's Raid)
1864 Butler attacks Drewry's Bluff on James River (Fort Darling)
1864 US Union colonel Emory Upton (24) promoted to Brigadier-General
1865 Last land action of Civil war at Palmito Ranch, Texas
1870 Manitoba becomes a province of Canada
1871 Segregated street cars integrated in Louisville KY
1874 US Assay Office in Helena MT authorized
1875 1st recorded shutout in pro baseball, Chicago 1, St Louis 0
1877 Ottawa Rough Riders 1st outside competition vs Britannia
1881 Treaty of Bardo, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate
1885 Battle of Batoche, French Canadians rebel against Canada
1888 Crouching start 1st used by Charles Sherrill of Yale
1890 Louisiana legalized prize fighting
1891 Riot against tax increase in Paramaribo Suriname
1894 Ludwig Englander's musical "Passing Show" premieres in NYC
1897 1800-1900 year old fossil of "girl of Yde" found in Drente Netherlands
1897 Battle at Thessalië: Turkish army beats Greece
1898 Louisiana adopts new constitution with "grandfather clause" designed to eliminate black voters
1900 Boer attack under Sarel Eloff, about 70 killed
1900 Lord Roberts' troops occupies Crown city
1901 President McKinley visits San Fransisco
1908 George Bernard Shaws' "Getting Married" premieres in London
1908 Wireless Radio Broadcasting is patented by Nathan B Stubblefield
1909 34th Preakness: Willie Doyle aboard Effendi wins in 1:39.8
1910 2nd NAACP conference (NYC)
1910 Philadelphia A's Chief Bender no-hits Cleveland Indians, 4-0
1913 Harry Green runs world record marathon (2:38:16.2)
1915 Croatians plunder Armenia, killing 250
1915 Franklin K Mathiews, presents the idea of "Book Week"
1917 43rd Kentucky Derby: Charles Borel on Omar Khayyam wins in 2:04.6
1919 Yankees & Senators play 2nd straight extra inning tie, 4-4 in 15
1921 National Hospital Day 1st observed
1923 49th Preakness: Benny Marinelli aboard Vigil wins in 1:53.6
1924 50th Preakness: John Merimee aboard Nellie Morse wins in 1:57.2
1924 7th PGA Championship: Walter Hagen at French Lick CC Indiana
1925 Uzbekistan & Kirgizistan become autonomous Soviet republics
1925 Walter Hagen wins PGA golf tournament
1926 British general strike ends
1926 Dmitri Shostakovich's 1st Symphony, premieres in Leningrad
1926 General Pilsudski sets coup on premier Witos compared
1926 Umberto Nobile flies Airship Norge is 1st vessel to fly over the North Pole
1928 Mussolini ends woman's rights in Italy
1928 Opium laws enforced
1929 Pulitzer prize awarded to Julia Peterkin (Scarlet Sister Mary)
1930 Pulitzer prize awarded to Marc Connelly (Green Pastures)
1932 Body of kidnapped son of Charles Lindbergh is found in Hopewell NJ
1932 Goofy, aka Dippy Dawg, 1st appears in 'Mickey's Revue' by Walt Disney
1933 Federal Emergency Relief Administration & Agricultural Adjustment Administration form to help the needy & farmers
1934 "Cocktails For Two" by Duke Ellington hits #1
1934 60th Preakness: Robert Jones aboard High Quest wins in 1:58.2
1936 Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Poisoned Kiss" premieres in London
1937 King George VI's coronation in Great Britain
1937 St Louis Cardinalss beat Philadelphia Phillies, 15-3
1938 Sandoz Labs manufactures LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
1940 French mariners occupy St Maarten
1940 German tanks conquer Moerdijkbrug
1940 Nazi blitz conquest of France began by crossing Meuse River
1941 Great British convoy marches into Alexandria
1942 1,500 Jews gassed in Auschwitz
1942 David Ben-Gurion leaves Jewish state in Palestine
1942 Nazi U-boat sinks American cargo ship at mouth of Mississippi River
1942 Russia occupies Crackow, until August 23, 1943
1943 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in US
1943 German troops in Tunisia North Africa surrender
1944 900+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen & Brüx
1944 Krim purged of Nazi troops
1944 Secret Police arrest Gerrit Van de Peat
1948 Queen Wilhelmina resigns
1949 1st foreign woman ambassador received in US (S V L Pandit India)
1949 West begins Berlin Airlift to get supplies around Soviet blockade
1950 Darius Milhauds opera "Bolivar" premieres in Paris France
1951 1st H Bomb test, on Enewetak Atoll
1952 Charlton Playground named in the Bronx
1953 KUHT TV channel 8 in Houston TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
1955 Chicago Cub Sam Jones is 1st black to pitch no-hitter (Pirates, 4-0)
1956 Brooklyn Dodger Carl Erskine's 2nd no-hitter, beats New York Giants, 3-0
1956 East Pakistan struck by cyclone & tidal waves
1957 Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Smokey Golf Open
1958 "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu" by Dicky Doo & The Dont's hits #40
1958 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1959 "Nervous Set" opens at Henry Miller's Theater NYC for 23 performances
1959 Liz Taylor's 4th marriage (Eddie Fisher)
1960 Elvis Presley appears on a Frank Sinatra special
1961 Botvinnik wins world chess championship for 3rd time
1962 Grevelingendam closes
1962 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
1963 Bob Dylan walks off Ed Sullivan Show
1963 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Alpine Civitan Golf Open
1963 Race riot in Birmingham AL
1964 Manlio Brosio chosen as secretary-general of NATO
1965 Israel & West Germany exchange letters beginning diplomatic relations
1966 Busch Stadium (St Louis MO) opens, Braves lose to Cardinals 4-3 in 12 innings
1967 H Rap Brown replaces Stokely Carmichael as chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
1968 "March of Poor" under rev Abernathy reach Washington DC
1968 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Tall City Golf Open
1968 WSKG TV channel 46 in Binghamton NY (PBS) begins broadcasting
1969 Kenneth H Wallis achieved record speed for an autogiro-179 KPH
1970 Ernie Banks hits his 500th home run
1970 Harry A Blackmun is confirmed as a justice on the Supreme Court
1970 KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1970 Race riots in Augusta GA; 6 blacks killed (5 by cops)
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 Rolling Stone Mick Jagger weds Bianca Macias at St Tropez Town Hall
1972 Milwaukee Brewers beat Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in 22 innings (completed 5/13)
1972 Paul McCartney & Wings release "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
1973 "Dueling Tubas" by Martin Mull hits #92
1973 6th ABA championship: Indiana Pacers beat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3
1973 US merchant ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian forces
1974 28th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4 games to 3
1974 Jo Ann Prentice wins LPGA American Defender-Raleigh Golf Classic
1975 US merchant ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian forces
1976 Bayern Munich wins 21st Europe Cup 1
1977 1st quadraphonic concert (Pink Floyd in London)
1977 Emmy 4th Daytime Award presentation
1978 Commerce Department announces that hurricane names will no longer be exclusively female
1979 Chris Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay comes to an end
1980 1st nonstop crossing of US via balloon (Maxie Anderson & son Chris)
1981 "Lena Horne: Lady, Music" opens at Nederlander NYC for 333 performances
1982 FC Barcelona wins 22nd Europe Cup II
1982 In Fatima Portugal, a Spanish priest with a bayonet is stopped prior to his attempt to attack Pope John Paul II
1982 Pulitzer prize awarded to John Updike (Rabbit is Rich)
1982 US Football League forms
1983 Julie Lynne Hayek, (California), crowned 32nd Miss USA
1983 Stanley Cup: New York Islanders beat Edmonton Oilers, 4 games to 0
1984 "White Horse" by Laid Back hits #26
1984 Discovery (OV-103) from Orbiter Processing Facility to Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, for mating for 41-D (STS-14)" for the first use of this Shuttle (OV-103)
1984 France performs nuclear test
1984 Joe Lucius scored his 13th hole-in-one on the same hole
1984 South Africa prisoner Nelson Mandela sees his wife for 1st time in 22 years
1984 World of Rivers world exposition opens in New Orleans
1985 Amy Eilberg is ordained in New York as 1st woman Conservative rabbi
1985 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic
1986 Fred Markham (US), unpaced & unaided by wind, is 1st to pedal 65 mph on a level course, Big Sand Flat CA
1986 President Reagan appoints Dr James C Fletcher NASA Administrator
1988 "Carrie" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 5 performances
1989 "Entertainment Tonight" performs their 2,000th TV performance
1989 Last graffiti covered NYC subway car retired
1989 Retired British pilot Jack Mann is kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists
1990 3rd time Saturday Night Live uses time delay (Andrew Dice Clay hosts)
1990 Comic Relief '90 (4th one) raises $4.7 million
1990 Nora Dunn & Sinead O'Connor boycott Saturday Night Live to protest Andrew "Dice" Clay's hosting
1991 A new cancer drug is announced, which can only be found in bark of a rare tree in the Pacific Northwest
1991 Hollis Stacy wins LPGA Crestar-Fresh Farm Golf Classic
1992 1st Belgian woman (Ingrid Baeyens) to ascend Mount Everest
1993 Final episode of 6 year run of ABC's "Wonder Years" in Netherlands
1993 Last broadcast of "Cheers" on NBC-TV
1993 Last broadcast of "Knots Landing" on CBS
1993 Parma wins 33rd Europe Cup II
1994 WIBC Bowling Queens won by Anne Marie Duggan
1995 Dow Jones for 5th straight day of the week sets a new record (4430.59)
1995 Jose Mesa gets 1st of his M.L. record 37 consecutive saves
1995 Martin Brodeur ties NHL record getting his 3rd playoff shutout in 4
1996 "Inherit the Wind" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 45 performances
1996 "Night of the Iguana" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 68 performances
1996 42nd McDonald's LPGA Championship won by Laura Davies
1996 Yankees losing 8-0 to Chicago White Sox, come back to win 9-8
1997 14 North Koreans defect to South Korea
1997 Angels scores 13 in 7th vs White Sox
1997 Russia & Chechnya sign peace deal after 400 years of conflict
1997 Susie Maroney, 22, of Australia, is 1st to swim from Cuba to Florida
1997 Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami

---

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

Abbotsbury Dorsetshire England : Garland Day
Finland : Snellman Day (1806)
Khmer Republic : Constitution Day (1972)
US : National Hospital Day (1921)
US : Mother's Day, give her a call today - - - - - ( Sunday )
Ireland : Feis Ceoil music festival (1897) - - - - - ( Monday )
US : Native American/Indian Day - - - - - ( Saturday )

---

Religious Observances
Bhuddist-Burma : Buddha's Birthday
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Domitilla, martyr
Roman Catholic : Memorial of SS Nereus, Achilleus martyrs (optional)
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Pancras, Roman martyr (optional)

---

Religious History
254 St. Stephen I began his reign as the Catholic Church's 23rd pope. According to the "Liber Pontificalis," it was Stephen who instituted the rule that clerics should wear special clothes at their ministrations.
1310 Fifty-four Knights Templars were burned at the stake as heretics in France. Established during the Crusades to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land, this military order came into increasing conflict with Rome until Clement V officially dissolved it in 1312 at the Council of Vienna.
1891 The Presbytery of New York voted to put the Rev. Dr. Charles A. Briggs, the new professor of biblical theology at Union Theological Seminary, on trial for heresy.
1907 Birth of Sidney N. Correll, founder and first General Director (1946-1971) of United World Mission, Inc. This evangelical missions organization is involved worldwide in evangelism, church planting and Christian education.
1938 In Holland, the four-day convention at Utrecht ended, at which the Provisional Constitution for the World Council of Churches was adopted.

---

Thought for the day :
"If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there."

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

I loved the "Non-Standard Issue" story. Amazing how much things have sure changed since I was in.

[SAMWolf]

The "War Trophy" story just stinks of "PC".

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather.

[SAMWolf]

1885 Battle of Batoche, French Canadians rebel against Canada

Ask the Candians and they'll probably tell you that the french Canandians are still revolting.

[snippy_about_it]

I report...you decide. :)

Good morning everyone. Just checking in. Back to work now and meetings from....oh well meetings with lots of yada yada yada.

[Valin]

Rimshot! :-)

[SAMWolf]

I hate Monday meetings almost as I hate late Friday meetings. Come to think of it I just hate meetings.

[Valin]

The missile performed a planned terminal air-burst maneuver and destroyed the satellite antenna target.

As a service to those who may not be familiar with mil-speak I will translate.
BOOM!!!

[SAMWolf]

Heck, even the french don't like the french Canadians.

[SAMWolf]

IRAQ - Marine Command Element Staff Officers, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) pose for a group shot with a New York City Port Authority Police Department flag at a crossroads in Iraq April 12 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
MiG-31 FOXHOUND

The Mig-31 Foxhound is a substantially improved derivative of the Mig-25 Foxbat. The Mig-31 is an all weather, two seater interceptor with advanced digital avionics. The MiG-31 is a two-seat supersonic (Vmax=3,000 km/h) aircraft with a tapered moderate-swept wings, all-swept twin-fin tail unit and all-moving tailplane. The MiG-31 airframe is an all-metal monoplane with lateral air intakes. Provision is made for installation of two underwing fuel tanks with a total capacity of 5,000 liters.

The most capable Russian air defense interceptor aircraft, the FOXHOUND has a multiple-target engagement capability and was the first Soviet fighter to have a true look-down, shoot-down capability. The N007 Zaslon radar was the first electronically scanned phased array radar to enter service in the world. It could scan 200 km forward and track 10 targets simultanieously. This radar could also track and engage target flying behind and below the aircraft. The Zaslon antenna is of the fixed type, instead of being mechanically directed the radar beam is moved electronically. This allows the full fuselage diameter to be used for the antenna, a considerable advantage since antenna diameter and effective operating range are directly related. Electronic steering of the radar beam is faster than can be performed mechanically, and it is also more accurate. All signal processing is digital.

The radar ensures simultaneous search and attack of several targets using long-range missiles and makes possible to interact within a group. The MiG-31 interceptor fighter can intercept air targets in VFR and IFR weather conditions, day and night and in continuous and discontinuous field of control and guidance commands (solo and in group), of regardless target defensive maneuvers and ECM.

The aircraft avionics enables the use of missiles with radar- and IR-homing heads. The FOXHOUND carries the long-range AA-9 air-to-air missiles, and can engage 4 different targets simultaneouly with the M-9.The MiG-31 aircraft weapons mix comprises four R-33, four R-60M and two R-40T missiles and a GSh-6-23 built-in gun.

The airframe was extensively redesigned for supersonice flight at low altitude, with the welded nickel steel content reduced from the Mig-25's 80% to 49%, with 16% titanium, 33% aluminium alloy and 2% composites. The wings of the aircraft are high-mounted and swept-back with square tips and a negative slant. There are four underwing pylons. There are two turbofan engines in the fuselage. The aircraft is powered by two D-30F6 turbofans developing a takeoff thrust of 15,500 kgf each. The mixed-flow turbofan is fitted with an afterburner and fully-variable flapped jet nozzle. The new Soloviev D-30F6 engine was specified for the MiG-31 in order to improve range, the key performance parameter for which an improvement over the MiG-25 was demanded. There are rectangular and diagonal cut air intakes on sides of the fuselage. The exhausts extend beyond the tail plane. The fuselage is rectangular from the intakes to the exhausts and has a long, pointed nose. The aircraft has a bubble canopy. The tail fins are back-tapered with angular tips and canted outward. The flats are swept-back and tapered and mid- to low-mounted on the body.

The first Mig-31 flew in 1975. By 1987 over 150 FOXHOUNDs were operationally deployed at several locations from the Arkhangelsk area in the northwestern USSR to the Soviet Far East. The FOXHOUND is dedicated to the homeland air defense mission.

In 1992 the Chinese reached agreement with the Russian Federation to buy 24 MiG-31 Foxhound long-range interceptors. The MiG-31s were expected to be assembled at a newly set-up factory in Shenyang, with production at a rate of four per month expected by 2000. The last aircraft was to be delivered by the year 2000. According to some reports the agreement included a license to build as many as 700 aircraft, and some projection envisioned that at least 200 would actually be deployed by the year 2010.

The Mig-31M is an improved version of the basic Mig-31. The key to the MiG-31M's effectiveness is the SBI-16 Zaslon fixed phased array antenna radar, codenamed 'Flash Dance' by NATO, which is said to be the world's most powerful fighter radar. The cockpits were upgraded in the Mig 31M with a number of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) and an increased number of missiles.

The MiG-31E provides facilities for vectoring up to three fighters, types MiG-21-93, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, Su-27 to ensure a covert attack. A group of four MiG-31E fighter-interceptors is capable of interchanging data in the automatic mode on presence of air targets in the zone up to 800 km wide.

The first stage of tests of the upgraded MiG-31BM high-speed multifunctional long-range jet fighter were completed in mid-1999. The main difference between the MiG-31P (Foxhound, according to the NATO classification) and the new MiG-31BM multifunctional air strike system is that the latter is capable of destroying both air and ground targets. The designers and manufacturers of the MiG-31 hope that the new modification will result in international sales. The upgraded MiG-31BM is fitted with a powerful onboard computer system and a radar with a phased array which will allow the pilot to simultaneously activate the air-to-air and air-to-surface missile fire modes. When working with air targets, the MiG-31BM is capable of intercepting up to 24 targets simultaneously.

Specifications:
Countries of Origin: CIS (formerly USSR)
Similar Aircraft: MiG-25 Foxbat, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle

Crew: Two
Role: Interceptor, air superiority

Dimensions:
Length 70 ft, 5 in (21.5 m)
Span 45 ft, 9 in (14 m)
Height: 6.60 m
Wing span: 14.02 m
Wing area: 61.41 sq m
Weight: (empty) 22,000 kg
Weight: (normal) 36,720 kg

Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2.83
Weight: (empty) 22,000 kg
Weight: (normal) 36,720 kg
Powerplant: Two Tumanski R-15BD-300 afterburning turbojets rated at 49.78kN each
Maximum Range: 1,250 km
Service ceiling: 20,700 m
Rate of climb: 8 min 54 sec to 20,000 m
Ceiling: 24400 meters
Cruise range: 1620 nm

In-Flight Refueling: No
Internal Fuel: 14200kg
Drop Tanks: 2000L drop tank with 1600kg of fuel for 91 nm range
Sensors: LD/SD TWS radar, possible IRST, RWR

Armaments:
Cannon
R-33 AA-9 Amos
AA-11 Archer
Typical: two R-40 missiles and Four R-60 missiles

All photos Copyright of Global Security.Org

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Johnny. That Mig sure looks like a copy of our F-15