The FReeper Foxhole - One Vietnam Vets Battle with the VA - Dec.17th, 2002

[SAMWolf]

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

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

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.

We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families.

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.

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One P.O.ed Viet Nam Vet

Perhaps I should call this The Not So Great American Novel by Jim K. Except I did not author this work. I was only the observer who wrote it down. It was authored by thousands of people throughout my life. Some of those were / are very good people. Others were complete shit-heads. Many were just lazy, and paid to do a job that was way above their abilities. Perhaps that is the real tragedy of The Not So Great American Novel. I will try to retell this story with as little personal slant as possible. I do not want to color this merely due to my views. It should be seen in a harsh but white light to bring forth the flaws in the system. But I can only say as I recall I saw it. And obviously I had a single view point, so obviously my view point was some what slanted. To those that I wrong I am sorry. Show me where I am wrong and I will change it.

Hi, I am a disabled Viet-Nam Veteran. For physical disability I am considered 60%, but because I am unemployable due to my condition, I am considered 100% disabled for unemployability. To be truthful this page is going to be hard to write, since when I think of how the V.A. has treated me, it gets me so enraged that it tends to ruin my whole week. I must state here that I really have little problem with most V.A. Medical Facilities. Most are very slow, but very good. My problems tends to be with many of the staff of the non-medical facilities.

The next section tells about my long time battle with the V.A. If you are a Disabled Veteran and do not want to read about my problems thats OK. Go to the end of these pages for information to help you fight your battle against the V.A. Do Not feel badly that you can not handle my problems. I know how you feel. There has been many times when listening to how the V.A. screwed up other Vets, would have driven me over the edge, and very close to homicidal.

While reading this do not get the idea that there was anything unusual about the Viet Nam Veteran when compared to other War Veterans. Post Viet Nam Stress Syndrom was not new. Many Veterans from WWII and Korea suffered a similar fate. I recall Miss Tamblyn a Medical Technology Professor at Cal State LA. She once told me thst prior to WWII she had been so in love with a wonderful man. He went off to war, and when he came back he had changed completely. In the European Theater my uncle had to eat some of his meals sitting on dead bodies, because "There was no place else to sit". Do not expect people to go through such things without serious mental stress. And never expect them to be the same again. My uncle is a wonderful man, but that is only in spite of WWII. I know Korean Veterans that are the same, as are some of the Viet Nam Refugees. It is just a matter of time before the Bosnia Refugees come to the US, and many of them will also have been over-stressed. Occasionally I see a person on the streets, and I can just tell that they have gone through a horrible situation. Maybe it was war maybe not, but the scares are in their eyes.

After completing 2 year of junior college, with a A.A. in General Sciences. I had joined the Navy Reserve because I though that I could help fight the Viet Nam War. We were to be on active duty for 2 years. I volunteered for 4 months more to go to Gun Fire Radar Repair School during the summer of 1969.

In January 1970 I went active for real, and was assigned to the U.S.S. Regulus - AF-57 a refrigeration supply ship. In the summer we went to Viet Nam, returning in the fall. We went again in 1971 about the same time. But this time when we left San Francisco, I had a sore throat (later I was to find out that this was Strep Throat).

For the next 3 months I got sicker and sicker. I would go to the Corpsman office and be told "Yes we know that you are sick, but we are undermanned. Can you keep working?" I figured that Hell Yes, they need me. So in those 3 months I lost 30 pounds. For the last month I had numerous problems. I threw up after every meal (later I figured out that it was just too cold). I was constantly tired. And for the last 2 weeks I was throwing bacterial embolisms.

Finally I was put in the Naval Hospital in Subic Bay, Philippines (the home of Olongapo). I was diagnosed to have bacterial endocardidis (a bacterial infection of the heart lining). This became apparent when I quickly developed a heart murmur, and I was found to have Streptococcus Viridian bacteria in my blood. For the next 3 months I was under treatment, and sent back to the states.

The Navy said that I was fit for duty and was going to send me back out to sea. I figured that they really did not know what they were doing, and since my time was up I left the Navy in January 1972. A couple of months later it was confirmed that the Navy did not know what they were doing because the Navy Doctors said I had mitral valve damage, and a V.A. doctor told me no it was the aortic valve (considerably more dangerous.)

I really do not have a problem with the Corpsmen. They do what they were trained to do. They tend to be very good with large gapping wounds with lots of blood, and VD They just never received the training required for other serious illness. I do not even have a problem with this disease being allowed to go so far. After all "We were in the combat zone, and undermanned".

This is where the problems started. The non-medical V.A. personnel kept saying "We can find no evidence that you have a problem". I figured that they were there to help the Vets so they must be going by the books. This was such a error in judgment on my part that it is unbelievable.

I had a hint something was wrong when I went to college. I figured that it would be a good idea to become a Medical Technologist, since I could keep a eye on my heart condition better. But I also thought that the V.A. has specialist in employment, and it would be foolish if I did not have them help me.

[SAMWolf]

I'm sure there are a lot of stories like his out there.

Thankfully, I never had any experiences that bad, but trips to the VA were never high on my list of "fun" things.

[CPT Clay]

Thanks for the Ping.

[Fiddlstix]

Check your +
Freepmail J

[Fiddlstix]

I just checked out your Christmas graphics thread you linked to in your post. It's fantastic! Thanks so much for your daily delivery of holiday cheer to the FReeper Foxhole.

Glad you like it J

[JoeSixPack1]

Semper Bumperatis
(always bumpin'?)

(for later reading) :-)

[xJones]

Thank you, I signed the petition.

SAM, our local Boy Scout Troop does a monthly drive for the vets in our local VA hospital. A good dinner, and goody bags with the most basic of things. Tooth paste, tooth brushes, deoderant, disposible razors, that kind of thing. And lots of hard candy and sweets. God bless them and you, too.

[Aura Of The Blade]

This has to be one of the saddest stories I read in a while. It's a wonder that the author is still alive. Being angry and frustrated doesn't help his heart condition either. I was reading about a vet who had three limbs blown off by a land mine and has been fighting for years to be justly compensated in the People's Republic of Canada. Members of Parliament are entitled to a lump sum of money for each loss of limb - but not the vet injured in a land mine while serving his country. Go figure.

[SAMWolf]

Our Amvets post does two "formal" visits per year, one around Christmas and one in the summer for a BBQ.

Those goody bags and the books and magazines we bring diasappear as fast as we can put them out.

Thanks to the Boy Scouts for helping supply those goody bag items, I know they're appreciated.

[SAMWolf]

Amazing how the politcians get themselves the best of everything and won't provide the same for the veterans.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! I still sing that version, drives my wife crazy!

[MistyCA]

Thanks, Sam!

[MistyCA]

As always, Thanks, Fiddlstix!

[MistyCA]

Jen, thanks for the posts each day! You do such a good job! :)

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Good morning, Jen! Hi, everybody! (I'm having a great morning - hope you all are, too.)

[Jen]

Apply for VA Benefits Online

VONAPP - Veterans Online Application Website

These forms are available for online application:

-- VA Form 21-526, Veteran’s Application for Compensation and/or Pension

-- VA Form 28-1900, Disabled Veterans Application for Vocational Rehabilitation

VA -- Form 22-1990, Application for Education Benefits

[Cate]

Good morning, we are having a beautiful blue sky day here in Montana. I've been watching the storms in California on TV and wish I could send them some of this sunshine. Have a great day and stay safe.

[Valin]

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on December 17:
1493 Philippus A Paracelsus Swiss physician/alchemist (Liber paramixum)
1554 Ernst of Bayern prince/bishop of Liege/archbishop of Cologne
1619 Ruprecht prince of Palts/admiral/chemist/engraver/mathematician
1638 Johann Ulrich Sultzberger composer
1706 Gabrielle Châtelet [La belle Emilie] French writer (Voltaire)
1734 William Floyd US soldier/signer (Declaration of Independence)
1749 Domenico Cimarosa Italian composer (Il Matrimonio Segreto)
1770 Johann Friedrich Schubert composer
1778 Sir Humphrey Davy discovered several chemical elements
1797 Joseph Henry US, scientist/inventor/pioneer of electromagnetism
1800 Gergely Czuczor Hung/Czechoslovakian poet/translator (Great Hung dictionary)
1801 Johan king of Saxon (1854-73) (translated Divina Commedia)
1807 John Greenleaf Whittier US, poet (Snow-bound)
1819 Samuel Jones Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1887
1820 Frederick Tracy Dent Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1821 Frederick West Lander Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1862
1824 Thomas Starr King New York NY, Unitarian clergyman (Christianity & Humanity)
1824 John Kerr System physicist (electro-visually Kerr-effect)
1824 Manning Ferguson Force Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1899
1830 Jules de Goncourt France, novelist (Germinie)
1833 James Thadeus Holtzclaw Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1893
1835 Alexander E Agassiz US, businessman/biologist/geology
1838 Berthold Tours composer
1840 Christian Frederik Emil Horneman composer
1842 Marius Sophus Lie Norwegian mathematician (continous groups)
1848 Frederick Grant Gleason composer
1853 Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree England, actor/theater manager (Trilby)
1859 Willem C Grünings Curaçao publisher (People's Friend)
1861 Fritz Volbach German musicologist/conductor/composer
1863 Ion Vidu composer
1864 John Felix August Korling composer
1869 Nikolay Ivanovich Kazanli composer
1873 Ford Madox Ford England, novelist/editor (The Inheritors)
1874 William Lyon Mackenzie King (L), 10th Canadian PM (1921-30, 1935-48)
1876 Júlio Afrânio Peixoto Brazilian writer (O esfinge)
1881 Aubrey Faulkner cricketer (great South Africa all-rounder early 20th cent)
1881 Johannes CB "Jan" Sluyters Dutch painter
1889 Vaslav F Nijinski Ukraine/US ballet dancer (l'après-midi d'une faune)
1891 Robertson Hare London England, actor (Our Girl Friday, Banana Ridge)
1893 Erwin Piscator German stage director (Der Stellvertreter)
1894 Arthur Fiedler Boston MA, conductor (Boston Pops)
1894 Hans [Henry] Kramers Dutch theoretical physicist (quantum mechanics)
1894 Hans Henny Jahnn writer
1894 Willem Schermerhorn Netherlands premier (1945-46)
1895 David Butler San Francisco CA, director (April in Paris, Calamity Jane)
1900 Lucijan Marija Skerjanc Yugoslavia, composer/conductor
1902 Simon Drach writer
1903 Erskine P Caldwell author (Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre)
1904 Paul Cadmus New York NY, etcher/painter (Sailors & Floozies)
1904 Dmitri B Kabalevsky St Petersburg Russia, composer (In the Fire)
1905 Joseph Heifitz film director
1906 Fernando Lopez-Garcia composer
1908 Willard Frank Libby inventor (carbon-14 "atomic clock" (Nobel 1960))
1908 William Brocklesby Wordsworth composer
1909 Ferdinand H Aus der Fünten German war criminal (Breda 4)
1910 Keki Khursedji Tarapore cricketer (0-72 in his only Test for India)
1911 William Roerick actor (Henry Chamberlain-Guiding Light)
1914 Mushtaq Ali cricketer (prolific Indian batsman of 30's & 40's)
1916 Antoine G T "Toon" Hermans Dutch entertainer/poet (Kolderliedjes)
1917 Louis Salvador Palange composer
1920 Armin Mueller-Stahl Tilsit East Prussia, actor (Kafka, Music Box)
1922 Eric Brand diplomat
1922 Hubert H A Beckers Curaçao opera singer
1925 Rijk de Gooyer Dutch actor (Black Rider, Rififi in Amsterdam)
1926 Jeremy Brooks writer
1926 Patrice Wymore Miltonville KS, actress (The Big Tree)
1927 Richard Long Chicago IL, actor (Professor-Nanny & the Professor)
1928 Marilyn Beck newspaper columnist
1929 William Safire political columnist (New York Times)/speech writer (Nixon)
1930 Julia Meade actress/TV hostess (Spotlight Playhouse)
1930 Robert [C J Edward] Guccione magazine publisher (Penthouse, Omni)
1930 Makoto Moroi composer
1931 Yvonne Keuls [Bamberg] Dutch writer (Jan Rap & Co)
1933 Bruce Morrison cricketer (one Test New Zealand vs England 1963)
1933 Paul Snoek [Edm Schietekat] Belgian poet
1935 Cal Ripken Sr baseball manager (Baltimore Orioles)
1936 Roland Sheldon pitcher (New York Yankees)
1936 Frank Martinus Arion [F Efraim M] Antilles, writer (Double Play)
1936 Tommy Steele London, singer/actor (½ a Sixpence, Finian's Rainbow)
1937 Art Neville New Orleans LA, vocalist (Neville Brothers)
1939 James Booker New Orleans, R & B musician (Gonzo)
1939 Novella Nelson Brooklyn NY, actress (Nellie Cole-Chiefs)
1939 Eddie Kendricks Alabama, rocker (Temptations-My Girl, Boogie Down)
1942 Paul Butterfield Chicago IL, blues musician (Better Days)
1942 Bernard Hill Manchester, actor (Bellman & True, New World, Bounty)
1943 Dave Dee rocker
1943 William Brooks composer
1944 Ference Bene Hungary, record 12 soccer goals (Olympics-gold-1964)
1944 Jack L[aurence] Chalker US, sci-fi author (Charon: A Dragon at the Gate, Saga of Well World)
1945 Christopher Cazenove England, actor (Ben-Dynasty)
1945 Ernie Hudson Benton Harbor MI, actor (Ghostbusters, Weeds)
1946 Eugene Levy Hamilton Canada, comedian/writer (SCTV)
1946 Albert Padmore cricketer (West Indies off-spinner mid-70s)
1947 Simon Bates English DJ
1947 Marilyn Hassett Los Angeles CA, actress (Bell Jar, Other Side of Mountain)
1947 Wes Studi actor (Last of the Mohicans)
1948 Jim Bonfanti rocker (Raspberries-Go All the Way)
1948 Jim Alexander rocker
1949 Paul Rodgers England, rocker (Bad Company-Feel Like Makin Love, The Firm)
1950 Carlton Barrett Jamaicans reggae drummer (Bob Marley & Wailers)
1951 Tatyana Kazankina USSR, middle distance runner (Olympics-gold-1976)
1951 Wanda Hutchison rocker
1952 Hans Alders Dutch minister of environment (PvdA)
1952 Mickey Jones Washington DC, rock bassist
1953 Barry Livingston Los Angeles CA, actor (Ernie-My 3 Sons)
1953 Ikue Ile Mori drummer/composer
1953 Mark Gane Toronto Ontario, rocker (M+M)
1954 Bill Pullman actor (Sommersby, League of their Own, Independence Day)
1957 Bob Ojeda pitcher (New York Mets)
1958 Mike Mills US pop bassist (REM-One I Love)
1959 Albert King actor (BB King & Friends, Blues Alive)
1959 Michelle Mackall Washington DC, LPGA golfer (1995 Friendly's-32nd)
1959 Tammie Green Somerset OH, LPGA golfer (1989 du Maurier Ltd Classic)
1961 Sarah Dallin rocker (Bananarama-Venus)
1961 Venice Kong St Mary Jamaica, playmate (September, 1985)
1962 Giulla Boschi Italian actress (Act of Contrition, Bonus Malus)
1962 Rocco Anthony Mediate Greensburg PA, PGA golfer (1991 Doral-Ryder)
1964 Eric Brown New York NY, actor (Buzz-Mama's Family)
1964 Frank Musil Pardubice Czechoslovakia, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
1964 Joe Wolf NBA forward/center (Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets)
1964 Tyrone Braxton NFL safety (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)
1965 Craig Berube Calahoo, NHL left wing (Washington Capitals)
1965 Jeff Grayer NBA guard (Charlotte Hornets, Olympics-bronze-1988)
1965 Scott Edward Gump Rockledge FL, PGA golfer (1991 International-2nd)
1966 Hans Visser Dutch soccer player (MVV, FC Utrecht)
1967 Alan Nolet Toronto Ontario, gymnast (Olympics-96)
1967 Pauline Maurice Welland Ontario, softball outfielder (Olympics-96)
1967 Vincent Damphousse Montréal, NHL center (Montréal Canadiens)
1968 Curtis Pride Washington DC, outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1968 Jeff[rey] Klepacki Kearny NJ, rower (Olympics-1992, 96)
1969 Dean Wilson Kaneohe HI, golfer (1991 Western Athletic)
1969 Marc Davis Oceanside CA, 3K steeplechase runner (Goodwill-gold-94)
1969 Marty Carter NFL safety (Chicago Bears)
1969 Rob Maas Dutch soccer player (Feyenoord)
1969 Scott Player WLAF punter (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1970 Benedictine [St Bernard]; becomes heaviest known dog (137 kg)
1970 Earl Dotson NFL tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1970 Michael Mols soccer player (FC Twente)
1971 Alyson Habetz Crowley LA, female pitcher (Colorado Silver Bullets)
1971 Carl Reeves NFL defensive end (Chicago Bears)
1971 Mark Byers WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1971 Nikki McCray Collierville TN, basketball guard (Olympics-gold-96)
1971 Sari Kristiina Fisk ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Olympics-98)
1971 Tony Richardson NFL fullback (Kansas City Chiefs)
1972 Brian Williams NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1972 Dewayne Washington cornerback (Minnesota Vikings)
1972 Don Davis linebacker (New Orleans Saints)
1972 Ivan Pedroso Cuba, long jumper (Olympics-4th-92)
1974 Giovonni Ribisi actor (Cory-My 2 Dads, New Leave it To Beaver)
1975 Milla Jovovich Kiev Ukraine, actress (Return to Blue Lagoon, Chaplin)
1975 Napiera Danielle Groves Miss USA-Washington DC (1997, Miss Congeniality)
1975 Nick Farrell East York Ontario, boxer (Olympics-96)
1979 Jaimee Foxworth actor (Judy Winslow-Family Matters)
1979 Cheri Vivette Alexander Miss District of Columbia Teen USA (1997)
1981 Emma Laaksonen ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Olympics-98)

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Deaths which occurred on December 17:
0695 Begga ancestress of the Carolingians/saint, dies
1187 Gregory VIII [Alberto de Morra] Italian Pope (1187), dies
1195 Boudouin V count of Hainault/Flanders (Boudouin VIII), dies
1213 Jean de Matha French saint, dies at 53
1471 Isabella of Portugal duchess of Burgundy, dies
1562 Adrian Willaert Flemish singer/bandmaster/composer, dies at about 82
1651 Wolfgang Schonsleder composer, dies at 81
1679 Don Juan ruler of Spain, dies
1711 Arnold Moonen vicar/literature (Defeated German Spraekkunst), dies
1751 Kilian I von Dientzenhofer Czechoslovakian master builder, dies at 62
1811 John Antes composer, dies at 71
1811 Louis-Abet Deffroy de Reigny composer, dies at 54
1829 Bernard Jumentier composer, dies at 80
1830 Simon Bolivar President of Colombia, dies at 47 in Colombia
1833 Kaspar Hauser German son of grand duke Karel of Bathe, murdered at 21
1870 Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante composer, dies at 75
1881 Lewis H Morgan US ethnologist (Iroquois-Indians), dies at 62
1891 Msiri king of Garanganja (Katanga), dies in battle
1891 Omer Bodson Belgian captain, dies in battle
1893 Levinus T Keuchenius Dutch Minister of Colonies (1888-90), dies at 71
1899 Frederick "Freddy" Roberts son of British field marshal, dies in battle
1907 Kelvin of Largs [William Thomson] British physicist (Kelvin), dies at 83
1909 Leopold II king of Belgium dies
1913 Stefano Gobatti composer, dies at 61
1925 A N "Monkey" Hornby cricketer (England captain at Oval 1882), dies
1926 Alexandr Dmitriyevich Kastal'sky composer, dies at 70
1930 Peter Warlock composer, dies at 36
1933 Hans Vaihinger German philosopher (Side-Studies), dies at 81
1937 Gerard Vissering banker/president of Dutch Bank, dies at 72
1944 Pieter A Roodenburgh student/resistance fighter, dies at 26
1946 Constance [Clara] Garnett Russian-English translator, dies at 84
1948 Edgar Istel composer, dies at 68
1949 David Stanley Smith composer, dies at 72
1956 Eddie Acuff actor (Guns of Pecos), dies at 48
1957 Dorothy Leigh Sayers [Atherton Fleming] author (Whose body), dies at 64
1961 Marion Perkins sculptor (Man of Sorrow), dies at 53
1962 Thomas Mitchell US, actor (Outlaw), dies of cancer at 70
1965 Tito [Raffaele A] Schipa Italian tenor/composer (Rondine), dies at 76
1966 Gustaf Paulson composer, dies at 68
1967 [Francis] Barry Byrne Chicago IL, architect, dies at 83
1967 Harold Holt Australian premier (1966-67), drowns at 59
1969 Arturo da Costa e Silva President of Brazil (1967-69), dies at 67
1972 Erwin Dressel composer, dies at 63
1973 Charles G Abbot US astronomer (Sun Constant), dies at 101
1973 Patrick Hadley composer, dies at 74
1975 Noble Sissle jazz musician, dies at 86
1975 Frank Sully actor (Parachute Nurse, Inside the Law), dies at 67
1982 Leonid B Kogan Russian violist, dies at 58
1982 Philipp Jarnach composer, dies at 90
1985 Otto Gotsche writer, dies
1986 Ron Kass record company president (MGM), dies at 52 of cancer
1987 Bernard Cardinal Alfrink archbishop of Ultrecht Netherlands, dies at 87
1987 Marguerite Yourcenard author (Memoirs of Hadrien), dies at 84
1990 Don Draper actor (Pepper Agent 00X), dies of AIDS at 61
1990 Mieke Verstraete Belgian/Netherlands actress (Pleasant Settled), dies at 79
1991 John Blatnik (Representative-MN, 1947-75), dies at 80
1992 Dana Andrews actor (Laura, Best Years of Our Lives), dies of pneumonia in Los Alamitos at 83
1993 Frederik "Fried" Löwensteyn Dutch lawyer/writer, dies at 71
1993 Janet Margolin US actress (Annie Hall), dies at 50 of ovarian cancer
1994 Jan Wiegel director/producer (Uninhabitable Country), dies at 64
1995 Lila Clark Knapp publisher, dies at 63
1996 Elizabeth Hill teacher of Salvonic languages, dies at 96
1996 Francesco Siciliani opera administrator, dies at 85
1996 Irving Caesar songwriter, dies at 101
1996 Michael Saunders barrister, dies at 22
1996 Ruby Murray singer, dies at 61
1996 Stanko Todorov PM of Bulgaria (1971-81), dies
1997 Reginald Victor Jones scientist, dies at 86

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On this day...
0283 St Gaius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1526 Ferdinand of Austria chosen as King of Bohemia
1526 Pope Clemens VII publishes degree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition
1538 Pope Paul III excommunicated England's King Henry VIII
1572 Spanish army begins fires in Haarlem Netherlands
1587 Earl Leicesters army leaves Netherlands
1638 French/Swedish troops occupy Breisach on the Rhine
1718 England declares war on Spain
1728 Congregation Shearith Israel of New York purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan, to build New York's 1st synagogue
1745 Bonnie Prince Charles army retreats to Scotland
1777 France recognizes independence of English colonies in America
1777 George Washington's army returns to Valley Forge PA
1788 Russian army of Grigorij Potemkin occupies Ochárov
1790 Aztec calendar stone discovered in México City
1791 NYC traffic regulation creates 1st 1-way street
1792 Opening of 1st legislative assembly of Lower Canada in Québec City
1798 1st impeachment trial against a US senator (William Blount, Tennessee) begins
1819 Congress of Angostura establishes Colombia's independence from Spain
1821 Kentucky abolishes debtors prisons
1832 HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin sails in Strait Le Maire
1852 1st Hawaiian cavalry organized
1860 Anaheim Township created in Los Angeles County
1862 General US Grant issues order #11, expelling Jews from Tennessee
1864 Battle of Franklin TN
1865 Franz Schubert's "Unvolendete Symphony" premieres
1875 Violent bread riots in Montréal
1885 France declares Madagascar a protectorate
1887 Georges Feydeaus' "Tailleur Pour Dames" premieres in Paris
1893 Russia ratifies Duple Alliance with France
1894 Cricket day 3 1T Australia vs England England 325 all out, 261 behind on 1st inning
1895 Anti-Saloon League of America formed, Washington DC
1895 George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine (Massachusetts)
1900 1st prize of 100,000 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded-considered too easy
1900 New Ellis Island Immigration station completed costing $1.5 million
1902 Frank Wedekind's "Der Erdgeist" premieres in Berlin
1903 At 10:35 AM, 1st sustained motorized aircraft flight (Orville Wright)
1907 Ugyen Wangchuck became 1st hereditary king of Bhutan
1909 Leopold II, king of Belgium, buried in Brussels
1914 Jews are expelled from Tel Aviv by Turkish authorities
1914 Austrian troops beat Russians in Limanova Poland
1914 Great Britain declares Egypt a protectorate
1919 Austria parliament approves 8-hour day
1920 British Empire receives League of Nations mandate to Nauru
1920 Japan receives League of Nations mandate over Pacific islands
1920 South Africa receives League of Nations mandate over SW Africa
1920 American League votes to allow pitchers who used the spitball in 1920 to continue using it as long as they are inthe league (The National League will do the same - 17 holdover spitballers in all)
1922 Last British troops leave Ireland Freestate
1923 Greek king George II overthrown by army/republic
1924 1st US diesel electric locomotive enters service, Bronx NY
1925 Colonel William "Billy" Mitchell court-martial for insubordination
1925 Russia & Turkey sign non-aggresion pact
1926 KYA-AM in San Francisco CA begins radio transmissions
1926 German Marx government falls due to cooperation with red army
1926 Lithuanian military state under General Augustine Woldemaras
1927 US sub 'S-4' sinks after collision kills all 34 aboard
1927 Bradman scores 118 on 1st-class cricket debut, 188 minutes 8 fours
1927 Victoria score 793 against Queensland, Bill Ponsford 437
1928 John McGraw backs National League president John Heydler's designated hitter idea
1932 Cardinals trade Jim Bottomley to Reds for Estel Crabtree & Ownie Carroll
1933 NFL starts keeping official statistics as Bears beat Giants 23-21 in championship game
1933 B H Valentine scores 133 on Test Cricket debut, England vs India at Bombay
1933 Lala Amarnath scores century on Test Cricket debut (went on to 118)
1933 Spain's 2nd Government of Lerroux forms
1936 Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen & dummy Charlie McCarthy, appear on TV
1938 Utrecht Central Station destroyed by fire
1939 German pocket battleship Graf Spee scuttled by its crew off Uruguay
1940 British troops occupies Sollum
1941 German troops led by Rommel begin retreating in North Africa
1941 Dutch & Australian troops lands on Portuguese-Timor
1941 German submarine U-31 sunk
1942 Allies in London sentence German war criminals
1943 Transport 63 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany
1944 M-Ocean View streetcar resumes service & is extended to Market St
1944 US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast; Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps
1944 Green Bay Packers win NFL championship
1944 US destroyers sink in storm off Philippines, 790 killed
1946 US V-2 rocket reaches 183 km, White Sands Proving Grounds NM
1946 Bradman & Barnes complete 405 run 5th wicket stand, score 234 ea
1947 New York struck by a blizzard, resulting with 27" of snow
1947 WEWS TV channel 5 in Cleveland OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
1949 "Regina" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 86 performances
1949 Burma recognizes People's Republic of China
1951 Dutch Communist Party members forbidden to be civil servants
1953 Dmitri Shostakovich's 10th Symphony, premieres in Leningrad
1953 FCC approves RCA's black & white-compatible color TV specifications
1954 1st fully automated railroad freight yard (Gary IN)
1954 WEAU TV channel 13 in Eau Claire WI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1957 US successfully test-fires Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile
1959 "On The Beach" is 1st film to premiere on both sides of Iron Curtain
1960 "La Plume de Ma Tante" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 835 performances
1960 "Take Me Along" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 448 performances
1960 Pablo Casals' oratorio "El Pesebrio" premieres
1961 Disgruntled employee set fire to a Niteroi Circus of Rio de Janeiro circus tent in Niteroi Brazil; 323 die
1961 India seizes Goa & 2 other Portuguese colonies
1962 Current constitution of Monaco promulgated
1962 Beatles 1st British TV appearance (People & Places)
1963 Tsjoi Doo Sun forms government in South Korea
1963 West & East Berlin sign accord about travel rules
1965 Largest newspaper-Sunday New York Times at 946 pages (50¢)
1965 Astrodome opens, 1st event is Judy Garland & Supremes concert
1965 British government proclaims end of oil-embargo against Rhodesia
1965 David Levy begins his search for comets
1965 Dutch government shuts Limburgs coal mine
1967 WEDW TV channel 49 in Bridgeport CT (PBS) begins broadcasting
1969 50 million TV viewers see singer Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicky, on Tonight Show
1969 USAF closes Project Blue Book, concluding no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings
1970 Gdansk, Poland shipworkers strike
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1970 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1971 Cease-fire between India & Pakistan in Kashmir
1971 Radio Bangladesh begins transmitting
1971 "Diamonds are Forever" premieres in US
1972 New line of control agreed to in Kashmir between India & Pakistan
1972 WGVC (now WUCX) TV channel 35 in Grand Rapids MI (PBS) 1st broadcast
1973 Arab terrorists shoot passengers on Boeing 737 to Kuwait
1975 1st time New York Islanders shut-out New York Rangers, 3-0-Billy Smith's 5th
1975 John Paul Stevens appointed to the Supreme Court
1975 Lynette Fromme is sentenced to life for attempt on President Ford's life
1976 Superstation WTBS in Atlanta went national
1977 Bobby Simpson scores 176 Australia vs India at the WACA, aged 41
1977 Elvis Costello & The Attractions 1st US TV appearance (Saturday Night Live)
1977 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1978 Referendum approves new constitution of Rwanda
1978 OPEC raises oil prices 18%
1979 Budweiser rocket car reaches 1190 kph (record for wheeled vehicle)
1980 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1980 Mauritania provisional constitution published
1981 Members of the Red Brigades kidnap Brigadier-General James L Dozier
1983 "Peg" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 5 performances
1983 Bomb attack on Harrod's war house in London, 5 killed, 94 injured
1983 Disco in Madrid catches fire; 83 die
1984 New Jersey Devils 1st penalty shot-Rocky Trottier scores against Edmonton
1984 New Jersey Devils 1st shutout, Glenn Resch makes 42 saves beat Minnesota, 2-0
1986 Mrs Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the 1st heart, lung & liver transplant (Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England)
1986 US Congress forms "Irangate" committee
1987 Czechoslovak party leader Gustav Husák resigns
1988 Bryan Murray becomes the 17th NHL coach to win 300 games (Washington Capitals)
1988 New York Islanders break 12 game losing streak, beat Devils 5-2
1988 USS Tennessee, 1st sub to carry Trident 2 missiles, commissioned
1988 77th Davis Cup: Germany beats Sweden in Gothenburg (4-1)
1988 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1989 78th Davis Cup: Germany beats Sweden in Stuttgart (3-2)
1989 Brazil elects conservative Fernando Collor de Mello president
1989 Michael Bevan scores cricket century on 1st-class debut (114 South Africa vs Western Australia)
1989 Patti Rizzo/Mike Hill win LPGA Mazda Golf Championship
1990 KTBN, Salt Lake City UT, begins short-wave radio transmissions
1991 NBA's most lopsided game Cleveland beats Miami 148-80
1991 Soap opera "One Life To Live" airs its 6,000th episode
1991 Cleveland Cavaliers beat Miami Heat 148-80, by record 68 points
1991 Patrick Manning becomes premier of Trinidad & Tobago
1992 "Christmas Carol" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 22 performances
1992 General Suwa finds tooth of 4.4 million year old Australopithecus ramidus
1993 Bangladesh moslems call for murder of feminist Taslima Nasrin
1993 Kevin Scott skates world record 1000 meter (1:12.54)
1993 Northern Exposure star Barry Corbin falls off his horse
1993 Tennis star Boris Becker (26) weds Barbara Feltus (27)
1994 KLM's last DC-10 goes out of service
1995 "School after Scandal" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 23 performances

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

Bhutan : Ascension to the throne of the 1st King/National Day
Colombia : Independence Day (1819)
US : Pan American Aviation Day/Wright Brothers Day (1903)
Venezuela : Bolivar Day (1830)
World : Underdog Day - - - - - ( Friday )

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Religious Observances
Christian : Fiesta of the Virgin of the Lonely

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Religious History
1843 Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was first published. The "social conversion" of Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve may be seen as a literary symbol (based on the events of the first Christmas night) of the human potential released through spiritual conversion.
1917 Confiscation of the property of the Russian Orthodox Church and abolition of religious instruction in schools was announced by the Bolshevik government.
1920 The first orphanage founded by the Church of God opened in Cleveland, Tennessee. Its establishment was the result of the vision and efforts of Church of God pioneer, A.J. Tomlinson.
1934 Birth of Kurt Kaiser, contemporary American Christian songwriter and composer. His abiding works include: "Oh, How He Loves You and Me," "Pass It On" and "Master Designer."
1943 German theologian and Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a letter from prison: 'The consciousness of being borne up by a spiritual tradition that goes back for centuries gives one a feeling of confidence and security in the face of all passing strains and stresses.'

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Thought for the day :
" Every human being comes equipped with a brain at no extra cost. "

[MistyCA]

Seemed most appropriate for it's time, didn't it? I have the greatest CD ever made....It's called "In Country" and it has a fantastic selection of war songs that were written by the guys "over there".

Click Here

[MistyCA]

Yes, quite a story! Our vets deserve much better than this.

[SAMWolf]

You're welcome Misty.