The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the First Special Service Force - Feb. 3rd, 2003

http://www.armyhistoryfnd.org/armyhist/research/detail2.cfm?webpage_id=392&page_type_id=3 ^

[SAMWolf]

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The "Devil's Brigade"

While the origins of U.S. Army Special Forces date back to the French and Indian War and the formation of Rogers’ Rangers, the modern concepts of unconventional warfare were largely developed in World War II with the formation of several specially trained units. One of the these early Special Forces units was the First Special Service Force, also known as the “Devil’s Brigade.”

The origins of the First Special Service Force (or the Force, as its members referred to it) began at the highest levels of the Allied Command in World War II. The basic concept, which came from the staff of Lord Louis Mountbatten’s Combined Operations Command, called for a force able to fight on land, on the sea, in the air, and in winter conditions. Planners intended to use the force to attack hydroelectric plants in occupied Norway, oil fields in Romania, and even targets in Russia. Because neither Britian nor Norway could supply the troops, this new unit would be comprised of American and Canadian soldiers. MG Dwight D. Eisenhower, head of the War Plans Division, gave one of his staff officers, LTC Robert T. Frederick, the assignment of studying the idea, codenamed Project Plough. On 16 June 1942 Eisenhower gave Frederick the task of organizing and commanding the unit that would become known as the First Special Service Force.

After receiving his orders, Frederick began to organize a staff, obtain American and Canadian volunteers, and locate a place to train the new unit. To fill the Force’s ranks, Frederick and his staff recruited men with experience in working outdoors--lumberjacks, forest rangers, hunters, game wardens, prospectors, and others suitable for the Force’s mission. The Force was organized into three regiments, each made up of two battalions. It also had a small Air Force Detachment and a Service Battalion. In all, the Force would have approximately 2,300 officers and men.

The First Special Service Force was activated on 9 July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana. The rugged, mountainous terrain and extreme winter conditions made Montana the ideal place for training. The Forcemen underwent rigorous training in a variety of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, demolition techniques, airborne assault, and attack maneuvers. In the fall, a group of Norwegian Army ski troops arrived to teach the Forcemen cross country skiing.

In the fall of 1942, however, the Allies cancelled Project Plough. Although seemingly without a mission with the termination of Plough, Allied leaders decided to keep the well trained Force. In spring 1943, the Force underwent amphibious training at Norfolk, Virginia, for possible future amphibious operations.


Lieutenant Colonel Robert Tryon Frederick
Original Commander
Assembled, Organized, Trained, and Commanded
First Special Services Force

On 15 August 1943, the First Special Service Force participated in its first operation. The Forcemen landed on the rocky shores of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, only to discover the Japanese had secretly abandoned the island.

After returning to the U.S., the First Special Service Force was reassigned to the Mediterranean Theater and the fighting on the Italian peninsula. The Force arrived in Naples on 19 November 1943 and went into the line at Santa Maria with the 36th Infantry Division. In early December, the Force stormed and captured Monte La Difensa, a major hill mass blocking the Fifth Army’s advance which had been unsuccessfully assaulted by a number of other Allied units. In late December 1943 and early January 1944, the Force captured Monte Sammucro and Monet Mojo and held them against heavy odds.

After a brief rest, the Force was sent into the Anzio Beachhead on 2 February and took up positions on the Allies right flank. Despite being forty percent understrength, the Force effectively held thirteen kilometers of front for ninety-nine continuous days and even penetrated the German main line of resistance on occasion. It was at Anzio that the Force earned its nickname, the “Devil’s Brigade,” for their fierce style of fighting in blackened faces. An entry from a diary found on the body of a German officer read, “The Black Devils are all around us every time we come into line, and we never hear them.”

The Force seized key bridges south of Rome and entered the city with other Allied units on 4 June. In its last campaign, now under the command of COL Edwin A. Walker, the Force seized three islands off the south coast of France on 14 August to protect the Allied landings. However, the Force’s time was almost up. On 5 December 1944, the Force was disbanded. Many of the American Forcemen were sent to American airborne units as desperately needed replacements. Others served with the 474th Infantry (Separate), which saw action with the Third Army and later performed occupation duty in Norway.



In its relatively brief wartime service, the First Special Service Force suffered over 2,700 casualties. It was awarded five U.S. Army campaign streamers and another ten by Canada. The Force’s legacy lives on as the seven Special Forces groups currently in the Regular Army or Army National Guard all trace their lineage to the First Special Service Force.

[SAMWolf]

First Special Service Force

One of the most unique combat units in Italy was the First Special Service Force, a bi-national group consisting of elite Canadian and American fighters. The Canadian component was originally the 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion, then renamed the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion. In June 1942, when it joined with US Army troops and became the First Special Service Force, Canadians comprised 1/4 of its strength, 47 officers and 650 other ranks.

Training was arduous -- parachuting, skiing, and mountain climbing. Everything was done "at the double" and their physical conditioning was aided by calisthenics, obstacle courses, and long marches with hundred-pound packs. Each man learned how to handle explosives and to use every weapon in the Force's extensive arsenal. Hand-to-hand combat, night fighting, and use of captured weapons rounded out the training program. These specialized skills were necessary, for the Force members were to become shock troops, frequently raiding strategic positions and often parachuting behind enemy lines. Their effectiveness would earn them the nickname, "the Devil's Brigade".

The First Special Service Force arrived in Italy in November 1943, as the 5th U.S. Army was preparing to capture the mountains that guarded Cassino to the south. Its initial task was to throw the Germans off two of the highest peaks, Monte la Difensa and Monte la Remetanea. Climbing ropes in the dense fog, the Force took the Germans by surprise on Difensa. Following a bloody, six-day battle, Monte la Remetanea was captured. Its first involvement in the Italian campaign cost the First Special Service Force 511 casualties, including 73 fatalities.

A month later, the Force equaled its previous accomplishment by taking Monte Majo and several other ridges controlling the Via Caslina, the main Naples-Rome road. In terrible weather and even harsher conditions, the Germans were forced back across the Rapido River valley to their main defences, the Gustav Line. Sixty-seven Canadian members of the Force were either killed or wounded on Monte Majo.

By the time the First Special Service Force was pulled out of the line in the middle of January, it had an impressive record. After securing Majo, it drove the enemy from Hills 1109 and 1270, and other Fifth Army formations cleared the Germans from east of Cassino. Due in large part to this elite Canadian-American unit, the Fifth Army was finally ready to launch its long-awaited offensive on Rome. The Force was now sent to Anzio.

The First Special Service Force arrived at the beachhead on February 1. A few reinforcements left it with a combat strength of 1,233, all ranks. Only one of its regiments was intact, the other two were at half-strength. The Force promptly took over one-quarter of Anzio's thirty-mile-long front, and in a week forced the Germans to withdraw more than a mile from the Mussolini Canal, which was situated at the right flank of the bridgehead.

"Private, Sixth Company, First Special Service Force, Canadian Army, for gallantry in action near San Nicoli, Italy, on 1 June 1944. When his platoon suffered several casualties from the sudden cross fire of three machine guns, Private Magee unmindful of his own safety, voluntarily went to the assistance of two seriously wounded comrades. He calmly administered first aid treatment in full view of the enemy while machine gun bullets kicked up dirt all about him. After the completion of the treatment, he removed both men to a place of safety. In recovering one of his comrades, a much heavier man then himself, it was necessary for his to crawl along on his stomach carrying the wounded man on his back for a distance of fifty yards over an area covered by enemy fire. By his unselfish and fearless act in the fact of great danger, the lives of two soldiers were saved. Entered military service from Toronto, Ontario, Canada."

Performing night raids, scouting and reconnaissance, one of the most successful Force soldiers was 28-year-old Canadian Tommy Prince from Manitoba, who became one of Canada's most-decorated Aboriginal soldiers, with the Military Medal and the U.S. Silver Star for bravery in action. One of his most famous exploits, earning him the Military Medal, occurred near Anzio, where he calmly placed himself in great danger to report enemy artillery positions. Despite outstanding performances like this, the Force's casualties at Anzio, while not heavy, mounted steadily. By the time it came out of the line on May 9, it had lost 384 men, killed, wounded, or missing, 117 of which were Canadian.

While the Canadian army was not directly involved in the liberation of Rome, there was a Canadian presence. Members of the First Special Service Force were the first liberators to enter the city. The Force had spent nearly a hundred days in continuous action and so when it came out of the line at Anzio, was given an opportunity to rest and reorganize. Reinforcements strengthened the unit, including 15 Canadian officers and 240 other Canadian ranks.

In late May, the Force headed toward Appian Way, one of the two highways to Rome from the south. Once again the members found themselves in the mountainous terrain in which they excelled and soon seized Monte Arrestino at the entrance to the valley leading northwards to Valmontone, then took Artena, near Valmontone. The approach to Rome began early morning on June 3 and by midnight, the Force had reached Rome's suburbs. An hour later the Force commander was ordered to seize the Tiber bridges into the capital. The next day, they entered Rome, fanning out across the capital to seize key locations in Rome's centre.

Acting Major and Battalion Commander T.P. Gilday, First Special Service Force, Helena, Montana, November 1942. Tom is wearing the Guards uniform and the Force’s insignia. The crossed arrows on his lapels were later adopted by the U.S. special service forces created after WW II. He is wearing American jump wings and the Force’s shoulder flash - a spearhead with white letters on a red background with the words USA -CANADA. All ranks wore the shoulder lanyard. His stick, of course, is not a Guards item but he carries it as it was given to him by a member of his family.

Soon after, before the end of the Italian campaign, the First Special Service Force left Italy to fight in southern France and was disbanded in December that year.

By the time the "Devil's Brigade" secured Rome, Canadian casualties alone totalled 185, or about one-third of the Force's Canadian contingent. Sixty-two of them lie among the 2,313 war dead at Beach Head War Cemetery in Anzio on Italy's west coast.

[SAMWolf]

Milk River, Alberta --- Once among North America's toughest fighting men of the Second World War, the daring exploits of the "Devil's Brigade" have finally been recognized by the government of Alberta.

Highway 4 --- the main connector between Alberta and the United States --- has officially been renamed the "first Special Service Force Memorial Highway".

The force, nicknamed the Black Devil's Brigade by a frightened German officer, received little fanfare after the Second World War.

"We didn't really show much during the war in Canada," said former Staff Sgt. Terry Fitzgerald, 77, of Fort St. John, B.C. "We were kind of a secret outfit, you see".

"So Canadians don't know anything about us. This highway will kind of repeat their history for them --- arouse their curiousity if nothing else."

Fitzgerald and dozens of other veterans of the unit were on hand for the ceremony in Milk River, just a stone's throw from the Canadian/U.S. border.

Earl Stewart, 76, joined up in Battleford, Saskatchewan, and served with the unit as a private. He says he's still amazed at the unit's success.

"It sometimes surprises me what we were able to do," said Stewart, who now lives in Calgary. "It accomplished an awful lot --- a lot more than what they figured it would accomplish."

The elite force, was a joint Canadian - U.S. commando unit that distinguished itself during the Second World War.

The airborne infantry later became known as the "Devil's Brigade" in books and in a 1968 Hollywood movie of the same name.

The 1,800 strong Devil's Brigade, 40 percent of whom were Canadian, were trained in parachute, ski, mountain and amphibious battle techniques near Helena, Montana.

The force was founded on July 9, 1942 and was disbanded in southern France in December 1944.

The Devil's Brigade spearheaded the 1943 invasion of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. It led the breakout from the invasion at Anzio in Italy and its troops were the first Allied soldiers to enter Rome.

In 1944, it spearheaded the Allied invasion of southern France.

One of its more notable members was the late Stan Waters, an Alberta senator, who was a major in the unit. His wife, Barbara, was on hand for the ceremony, but says her husband never spoke much about his experiences overseas.

"No, he had funny stories to talk about the war, but he never discussed the ugly bits," she said. "It wasn't something they figured was part of our business.:

Some of us Canadians who joined up settled in the United States after the war, including Bill Story, orignally of Winnegep. He says at the time, brigade members didn't recognize their accomplishments.

"We really didn't think we had done anything other than what we were expected to do," said Story, who now lives in Virginia. "It was only after the war that people started to write stories and articles about us."

Herb Morris, 76, of Wilsonville, Oregon, was on hand to honour his Canadian cousins. He, like many of the other veterans, spoke modestly of the unit's achievements.

"At the time, you're just trying to get to the next mountain or be part of the next day," said Morris, now a Methodist minister. "You're not thinking about what you're accomplishing other than staying alive."

"But as you look back, you say this is one of the great things. In my case, this is one of the finest things I've done in my life."

[SAMWolf]

'The First Special Service Force got its nickname, "The Devil's Brigade", during the Italian Campaign from a words in the captured diary of a dead German Officer who had written: "The black devils are all around us every time we come into line and we never hear them.'

'The history of the 1st Special Service Force serves as a model for determined accomplishment today--start with nothing and act co-operatively to establish a military force of international stature and accomplishment only to disband and go home, after a job well done.

The story of the "Devil's Brigade" is a story of achievement from the infancy of its formation to the life accomplishments of its members--including one, who went on to become Canada's first elected Senator, the highest elected office in the country.

Many may know of the 1st Special Service Force only from a 1968 Hollywood film, "The Devil's Brigade", starring William Holden and Cliff Robertson. The "Devil's Brigade" is a Canadian-American success story that needs to be told--and celebrated--in our schools, rather than being limited to Hollywood reruns on late-night television.'

-- Peter Goldring,
Member of Parliament for Edmonton East

[SAMWolf]

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[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning SAM!

I have an interest in Alberta, my mom was born there.

Interesting story thank you.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather. Thanks for opening tne Foxhole today.

That's like getting 50, 100, 150 and 200 at the Belve.

[SAMWolf]

Great Unit patch and of course a related poem.

Good Morning Cote.

[Soaring Feather]

Here ya go SAM!
50, 100, 150 and 200 at the Belve.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on February 03:
1368 Charles VI King of France (1380-1422)
1648 Louis Bouteiller composer
1655 François Fagel Dutch field marshal, baptized
1736 Johann Georg Albrechtsberger Austrian organist/composer
1740 Guillaume Lasceux composer
1755 Florido Tomeoni composer
1763 Caroline von Wolzogen [von Lengefeld], German author
1784 John Fane graaf van Westmorland English (opera)composer/diplomat
1805 Otto T Freiherr von Manteuffel premier Prussia
1807 Joseph E Johnston General (Commander army of Tennessee)
1807 Joseph Eggleston Johnston General (Confederate Army), died in 1891
1809 Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Hamburg Germany, composer (Great Scherzos)
1811 Horace Greeley editor ("Go west, young man")
1817 Emile Racine Gauthier Prudent composer
1817 Samuel Ryan Curtis Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1866
1820 Elisha Kent Kane US arctic explorer (Kane Basin off NW Greenland)
1821 Elizabeth Blackwell Bristol England, 1st woman physician
1823 Spencer F Baird US biologist (Wood's Hole Station)
1824 George Thomas "Tige" Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1824 Nathan George "Shanks" Evans Brigadier General (Confederacy), died in 1868
1826 Walter Bagehot England, economist/sociologist
1830 Robert Cecil Marquess of Salisbury (C), British PM (1885-1902)
1831 Cyrus Ballou Comstock Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1910
1833 Thomas T H Jorissen Dutch historian
1842 Sidney Clopton Lanier US, composer/poet (Hall of Fame)
1845 Ernest von Wildenbruch German playwright (Sedan)
1851 Johannes B van Heutsz Lieutenant-General/Governor-General Dutch East Indies
1851 Lord Harris cricketer (4 Tests for England MCC big-wig)
1861 Léopold Courouble Belgian writer (Family Kaekebroeck)
1865 Martinus Ballings Flemish Jesuit/author (Will Power)
1868 Damaso Ledesma composer
1870 Ada Negri Italian poet/author (Il Libro di Mara)
1873 Ernest B Allo French theologist
1874 Gertrude Stein Pennsylvania, author (Autobiography of Alice B Toklas)
1874 Franklyn Dyall Liverpool England, actor (Easy Virtue)
1878 Joseph Gordon Coates PM of New Zealand (1925-28)
1879 Charles Follis 1st black US football player (Shelby OH)
1880 Arnoldus Aerts bishop of Netherlands-Guinea (1920-42)
1882 Trijntje Jansma-Boskma oldest person in Netherlands)
1883 Clarence Mulford Illinois, western writer (Hopalong Cassidy)
1883 Camille Bombois French circus wrestler/painter
1886 Erwin Kroll composer
1887 Carlo Jachino composer
1887 Georg Trakl Austrian poet (Autumn of the Lonely)
1887 Silvio d'Amico Italian theater critic (Tramonto del grande attore)
1888 Joris Baers Flemish bibliography/founder (Boekengids)
1889 Carl Theodor Dreyer Danish movie director (Leaves from Satan's Body, Passion of Jeanne d'arc)
1889 Risto Ryti Finnish premier/president
1890 Charles [Andy] Correll Peoria IL, actor (Calvin & the Colonel)
1890 Heinrich Barth Swiss philosopher (Problem des Bösen)
1891 Jan Donner Dutch minister of Justice (1926-33)
1891 Peter H "Paul" Huf actor/director (Great Netherlands Stage)
1894 Juan Negrín PM of the Spanish Republic (1936-39)
1894 Norman Rockwell US, artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers)
1895 Nick Kenny Astoria New York NY, columnist/songwriter (Nick Kenny Show)
1895 Victor Raul Haya de la Torre politician (found APRA party in Peru)
1895 Izak Buys cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1922, 0 & 4, 0-52)
1896 Johannes Urzidil writer
1898 Alvar Aalto Finland, architect (Finlandia House)
1898 Paul Urysohn Russian mathematician
1899 Forrest "Red" DeBernardi basketball hall of famer (elected 1961)
1899 Doris Speed actress (Annie-Coronation Street)
19-- Brenda Dickson-Weinberg Long Beach CA, actress (Young & Restless, Deathmaster, Taxi Driver)
19-- Joel Bartlett KPIX (Channel 5) weatherman
19-- Mariclare Costello actress (Rosemary-Waltons)
1900 Mabel Mercer English cabaret singer (Fly Me to the Moon)
1902 Ramón [J] Sender [Garcés], Spanish writer (El Lugar del Hombre)
1903 Priaulx Rainier composer
1903 Walter Linck Swiss sculptor
1904 Charlie "Pretty Boy" Floyd FBI Most Wanted criminal
1904 Luigi Dallapiccola Pisino Istria, Italian composer
1904 Roger Makins diplomat
1906 Ludvig Nielsen composer
1907 James A Michener New York NY, writer (Tales of the South Pacific, Centennial, Chesapeake, Hawaii, Space)
1908 Oddbjörn Hagen Norway, cross country jumper (Olympics-gold-1936)
1909 Simone Weil Paris, mystic/social philosopher/Resistance fighter (WWII)
1909 M Vasalis [Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans] poet (Phoenix)
1910 Nelson Case Long Beach CA, TV host (Trash or Treasure)
1910 Blas Galindo Dimas San Gabriel México, composer (A la Patria)
1911 Jehan [Ariste] Alain French organist/composer
1911 Jesse Thomas blues singer
1912 Jacques Soustelle French minister of information
1914 Cornelis "Kees" Andréa Dutch painter/graphic artist/carpet designer
1914 Felix Kelly artist
1915 Jann Willem Holsbergen author (Zakenmensen Fair as Gold)
1915 Richard Bales composer
1916 Vivien Signy nurse
1918 Helen Stephens US, 100 meter dash (Olympics-gold-1936)
1918 Joey Bishop [Gottlieb], Bronx, comedian/talk show host (Joey Bishop Show)
1920 Bibi Osterwald New Brunswick NJ, actress (Bridget Loves Bernie)
1920 Dr Henry Heimlich doctor/inventor (Heimlich maneuver)
1920 Stan Ockers Belgian bicyclist (Tour de France 1955, 56)
1922 Jean-Pierre Rampal flutist (Italian Flute Concertos)
1922 Bill Chappell Jr (Representative-D-FL, 1969- )
1925 John Fiedler Platville WI, actor (Mr Peterson-Newhart)
1925 Joop C Swart Dutch publisher/founder (World Press Photo)
1926 Arthur Arfons auto racer/designer (Green Monster 1964-536.71 MPH)
1926 Hans-Jochen Vogel leader of West Germany's Social Democrats (SPD)
1926 Shelley Berman Chicago IL, actor/comedian (Son of the Blob, Love American Style)
1926 Glen Tetley US choreographer
1926 J Roy Rowland (Representative-D-GA, 1983- )
1928 C V Gadkari cricketer (Indian batsman in 6 Tests 1953-55)
1929 Russell Arms Berkeley CA, singer (Your Hit Parade)
1929 Val Doonican Irish singer/entertainer
1930 Joan Rice actress (Payroll, Steel Key, Curtain Up)
1931 Göran J S Palm Swedish poet/writer (Hudens Besök)
1932 Peggy Ann Garner Canton OH, actress (Little Women, Daisy Kenyon)
1932 J P "Pom-Pom" Felloes-Smith cricketer (South Africa batsman vs England 1960)
1932 Maria Itkina USSR, sprinter (9 world records)
1933 Paul S Sarbanes (Senator-D-MD, 1977- )
1934 Jeremy Kemp Chesterfield England, actor (Winds of War)
1935 Johnny "Guitar" Watson rock guitarist
1936 Robert Simpson Australian cricket player/manager (great Australian batsman/captain/coach/slip)
1938 Victor Buono San Diego CA, actor (Man from Atlantis, Untouchables)
1938 Vladimir Grigoryevich Fartushny Russia, cosmonaut
1939 Deszö Nowak Hungary, soccer play (Olympics-gold-1964, 68)
1939 Vladimir Yevgenyevich Preobrazhensky Russian cosmonaut
1940 Jim Hartz newscaster (NBC-TV, Innovations)
1940 Fran Tarkenton Richmond VA, NFL quarterback (New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings)
1941 Bridget Hanley Seattle WA, actress (Here Come the Brides)
1941 Angelo D'Aleo Bronx, tenor (Dion & Belmonts-Teenager in Love)
1941 Carol Mann Buffalo NY, golfer (LPGA Hall of Fame 1977, 1965 US Open)
1941 Chuck Tharp rock vocalist (Fireballs)
1941 Gary Bartlett cricket pace bowler (New Zealand in 10 Tests in the 1960's)
1943 Blythe Danner Philadelphia PA, actress (Butterflies are Free)
1943 Dennis Edwards rocker (Temptations-Ain't Too Proud To Beg, My Girl)
1943 Eric Haydock bassist (Hollies-He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother)
1944 Trisha Noble Sydney New South Wales Australia, actress (Deadline, Strike Force, Executive Suite)
1945 Bob Griese NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins, 1971 Player of Year)
1945 Johnny Cymbal rocker (Mr Bass Man)
1945 Willeke Alberti [Verbruggen], Dutch vocalist/actress (Small Truth)
1947 Joe Coleman baseball pitcher (Washington, Detroit)
1947 Melanie [Safka], Astoria, singer/songwriter (Candles in the Rain)
1947 Chose Alberts [Krommenhoek], vocalist (Yet Many Years)
1947 Dave Davies London, rock vocalist/guitarist (Kinks-Lola)
1947 Koos Alberts [Krommenhoek], Dutch vocalist (Many More Years to Come)
1947 Paul Auster US author/poet/director (Mr Vertigo, Smoke)
1947 Stephen McHattie Antigonish Nova Scotia, actor (Call Me, Death Valley)
1949 Oscar Benton Dutch blues vocalist/guitarist (Ze is Zoals Jij)
1950 Lizzie Borden director/writer (Love Crimes, Working Girls)
1950 Michael Dickinson British reorganizer
1950 Morgan Fairchild [Patsy McClenny], Dallas TX, actress (Falcon Crest, Flamingo Road)
1951 Felipe Munoz México, 200 meter backstroke swimmer (Olympics-gold-1968)
1952 Fred Lynn Chicago IL, baseball outfielder (Boston, California, Baltimore)
1952 Jack Fields (Representative-R-TX, 1981- )
1956 Pamela Cossey England, model/sister of transsexual Tula
1956 Nathan Lane Jersey City NJ, actor (Birdcage, Timon-Lion King, Mouse Hunt, One of the Boys, Frankie & Johnnie)
1957 Tony Butler rocker (Big Country-Wonderland)
1958 Lee Crystal rocker (Joan Jett & Blackhearts-Ashes in the Wind)
1958 Joe Frank Edwards Jr Richmond VA, Commander USN/astronaut (STS 89)
1959 Loi Tolhurst rocker (Cure-Hell's Kitchen)
1959 Molly Killingbeck Jamaica, 4X400 meter relayer (Olympics-silver-1984)
1959 Thomas Calabro Brooklyn NY, actor (Michael Mancini-Melrose Place)
1960 B J Jefferson Dallas TX, actress (Ronnie Laurance-Another World)
1960 Richard Kotzen rocker
1961 Keith Gordon New York NY, actor (Dressed to Kill, Legend of Billie Jean)
1962 Michele Greene Las Vegas NV, actress (Abby Perkins-LA Law)
1962 Joe Handle US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins)
1965 Dorcas Wonsavage Madison WI, cross country skier (Olympics-1994)
1965 Kathleen Kimont Los Angeles CA, actress (Fraternity Vacation, Renegade)
1965 Maura Tierney Boston, actress (Lisa-Newsradio)
1966 Freedom Williams
1966 Danny Morrison cricket pace bowler (New Zealand since 1987)
1966 Gillian Bonner Athens GA, playmate (April 1996)
1966 Sean Patrick Wade Houston TX, New Zealand marathoner (Olympics-96)
1967 Aurelio Vidmar soccer player (Standard Luik, Feyenoord)
1967 Jason Morris Scotia NY, half-middleweight judoka (Olympics-silver-92, 96)
1967 Natalie Hunter Melbourne VIC Australia, canoeist (Olympics-96)
1968 Frantisek Kucera Prague Czechoslovakia, NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks, Olympics-gold-98)
1968 Leroy Thompson NFL running back (Kansas City Chiefs)
1968 Mark Koevermans Netherlands, tennis star
1968 Vlade Divac Yugoslavia, NBA center (Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers)
1969 Casey Weldon NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1969 Jeff Christy NFL center (Minnesota Vikings)
1969 Robert Pack NBA guard (Washington Bullets, Dallas Mavericks)
1969 Terry Bradshaw US baseball outfielder (St Louis Cardinals)
1970 Alonza Barnett WLAF safety (Amsterdam Admirals)
1970 Eric Curry NFL defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1970 Jason Muzzatti Toronto, NHL goalie (Hartford Whalers)
1970 Keith Carney Providence, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks, Team US)
1971 Eric Owens Danville VA, outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)
1971 Marcus Buckley NFL linebacker (New York Giants)
1971 Roman Cechmanek NHL goaltender (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998)
1971 Sean Dawkins NFL wide receiver (Indianapolis Colts)
1972 Jermaine Smith NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1972 Keith Elias NFL running back (New York Giants)
1972 Tyrone Poole NFL cornerback (Carolina Panthers)
1973 Jim Campbell Worcester, NHL center (Anaheim Mighty Ducks)
1973 Kyle Richardson WLAF punter (Rhein Fire)
1976 Dwayne Rudd linebacker (Minnesota Vikings)
1976 Karen Bradley Miss Rhode Island-USA (1996)
1977 Maitland Ward Torrance CA, actress (Jessica-Bold & Beautiful)
1984 ? Long Beach CA, 1st baby conceived by embryo transplant
1990 Cody Newton Gifford son of Kathie Lee & Frank Gifford
1994 Tallulah Belle Willis 3rd daughter of Bruce Willis & Demi Moore

---

Deaths which occurred on February 03:
0474 Leo I Byzantine Emperor (457-74), dies
0865 Ansgar/Anscharius/Oskar German 1st (arch)bishop of Hamburg/saint, dies
1399 John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster/king of Castile & León, dies at 58
1451 Murad II sultan of Turkey (1421-51), dies
1468 Johann Gensfleisch Gutenberg printer, dies
1536 García de Resende Port writer/publisher (Cancioneiro Geral), dies
1558 Alfonsus de Castro Spanish theologist (council of Trente), dies
1602 Paul Melissus [Paul Schede], German poet/composer, dies at 62
1679 Jan Havicksz Steen Dutch painter (St Nicolas Feast), dies at 53
1697 Sjoucke Gabbes Frisian sailor, dies/buried on Dirk-Hartog Island
1715 Gottfried Vopelius composer, dies at 70
1748 Henri Madin composer, dies at 49
1803 Pedro R de Campomanes Spanish economist/lawyer/literary, dies at 79
1814 Johann Antonin Kozeluch composer, dies at 75
1832 George Crabbe English vicar/poet (Borough), dies at 77
1846 Joseph Weigl Austria composer/conductor (Waisenhaus), dies at 79
1853 August Kopisch German writer (Mäuseturm), dies at 53
1862 Jean-Baptiste Biot French physicist/astronomer, dies at 87
1875 Everhardus J Potgieter writer (Liedekens van Bontekoe), dies at 66
1876 Gino Capponi Italian marquis/literary/premier of Toscane, dies at 83
1882 Guglielmo Quarenghi composer, dies at 55
1889 Belle Starr US female gangster, murdered at 40
1890 Christophorus H D Buys Ballot Dutch meteorologist, dies at 72
1900 Ottokar Eugen Novacek composer, dies at 33
1902 Isaac Fransen van der Putten Dutch PM (1866), dies
1903 Frederick E Kitziger composer, dies at 59
1909 Johann Georg Herzog composer, dies at 86
1921 Max Wilhelm Zach composer, dies at 56
1922 Christiaan R de Wet South African Boer General, dies at 67
1924 Woodrow Wilson 28th President (1913-21), dies at his home in Washington at 67
1925 Jaap Eden Dutch World champion bicyclist/speed skating, dies at 51
1931 Hans Schardt Swiss geologist, dies at 72
1938 Armando Palacio Valdés Spanish writer (El Cuarto Poder), dies at 84
1943 Alexander Goode rabbi who surrendered his life jacket, drowns
1945 Jose Rolon composer, dies at 61
1945 Roland Freisler German Nazi judge (July 20th plotter case), dies
1947 Anna Bahr-von Mildenburg Austrian soprano/director, dies at 74
1947 Marc A "Pete" Mitscher US Lieutenant-Admiral (WWII-Task Force 58), dies at 60
1950 Karl Seitz President of Austria, dies at 80
1958 Henry Kuttner sci-fi author (Dark World, As You Were), dies at 42
1958 Johannes F Buziau Dutch cabaret performer, dies at 81
1959 The Big Bopper [Jiles Perry Richardson] rocker (Chantilly Lace), dies in a plane crash at 28
1959 Big Bopper rocker, dies in plane crash at 28
1959 Buddy Holly rocker (That'll be the Day), dies in a plane crash at 22
1959 Richie Valens rock vocalist (Donna, La Bamba), killed in plane crash at 17
1960 Johannes G Geelkerken Dutch reformed vicar, dies at 80
1961 Anna May Wong actress (Gallery of Madame Lui-Tsang), dies at 54
1961 Viscount Dunrossil Governor-General of Australia (1959-61), dies at 67
1962 Werner Bock writer, dies
1966 June Walker actress (War Nurses), dies at 65
1967 Joe Meek rocker (Tornados)/producer (Telstar), commits suicide
1967 Winifred Kingston silent screen actress (David Garrick), dies at 72
1969 Eduardo C Mondlane President of Mozambique, murdered
1971 Jay C Flippen actor (Ensign O'Toole), dies at 72
1972 John Litel actor (Big Boss, Crime Doctor, My Buddy), dies at 79
1973 Edward Lockspeiser composer, dies at 67
1975 John Secondari newscaster (Open Hearing), dies at 55
1975 Robert Evett composer, dies at 52
1976 Neville Lindsay cricketer (South Africa batsman in Test vs Australia 1921), dies
1977 Pauline Starke actress (Dante's Inferno, Viking, Sun Up), dies at 76
1979 Jody Gilbert actress (Willard, Shaggy, Blonde Dynamite), dies
1984 Anne Townsend lacrosse/tennis/field hockey star, dies
1984 Ravindara Mhatrem Indian diplomat, killed in England
1989 John Cassavetes actor/director (Husbands, Dirty Dozen), dies at 59
1991 Nancy Kulp actress (Jane Hathaway-Beverly Hillbillies), dies at 69
1993 Karel Goeyvaerts Flemish composer (8 Horse Bet), dies at 69
1995 John Pinsent classical scholar, dies at 72
1995 Turner Fodrell blues singer/guitarist, dies at 66
1996 Audrey Meadows actress (Alice-Honeymooners), dies at 69
1996 Broderick Vernon Chinnery-Haldane Photographer, dies at 83
1996 Edward Adamson art therapist/collector, dies at 84
1996 Edward Frederick Weston Goodman property Developer, dies at 81
1996 Tibor Reich textile designer, dies at 79
1996 Wild Jimmy Spruill blues guitarist, dies at 61
1997 Anthony Cuthbert Baines writer/curator, dies at 84
1997 Bohumil Hrabal writer, dies at 82
1997 William Geoffrey Biddle bomb disposal expert, dies at 79
1998 Karla Faye Tucker murderer, executed at 38

---

On this day...
1377 Cardinal Robert of Geneva (anti-pope Clemens VII) starts term
1377 Mass execution of population of Cesena Italy
1488 Bartholomeus Diaz discovers Mosselbaai (Angra dos Vaqueros)
1547 Russian czar Ivan IV (17) marries Anastasia Romanova
1576 Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV) escapes from Paris
1591 German monarchy forms Protestant Union of Torgau
1653 Cardinal Mazarin returns to Paris from exile
1660 General Moncks army reaches London
1690 1st paper money in America issued (colony of Massachusetts)
1740 Charles de Bourbon, King of Naples, invites Jews to return to Sicily
1743 Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants
1752 Dutch States-General forbid export of windmills
1781 Dutch West Indies island of St Eustatia taken by the British
1783 Spain recognizes US independence
1809 Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1815 World's 1st commercial cheese factory established, in Switzerland
1823 The opera "Semiramide" is produced (Venice)
1825 Dutch North Sea coast floods
1836 Whig Party holds its 1st national convention (Albany NY)
1844 Hector Berlioz' "Carnaval Romain" premieres in Paris
1855 Wisconsin Supreme Court declares US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional
1860 Thomas Clemson takes office as 1st US superintendent of agriculture
1864 Sherman's march through Georgia
1865 Hampton Roads Peace Conference, Lincoln & Stephens reach an impasse
1867 Prince Mutsuhito, 14, becomes Emperor Meiji of Japan (1867-1912)
1869 Booth theater at 23rd & 6th opens in New York NY (Romeo & Juliet)
1870 15th Amendment (Black suffrage) passed
1876 Albert Spalding with $800 starts sporting goods company, manufacturing 1st official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, & football
1882 Circus owner PT Barnum buys his world famous elephant Jumbo
1887 To avoid disputed national elections, Congress creates Electoral Count Act
1892 Russia closes down Yeshiva of Volozhin
1894 1st US steel sailing vessel, Dirigo, launched, Bath ME
1895 Wilhelm Mauseth skates world record 500 meter (46.8 seconds)
1899 -16º F (-27º C), Minden LA (state record)
1900 Rival forces fight for control of the Union Park ball grounds in Baltimore
1901 Dutch troops under General Van Heutsz conquer Batu Ilië on Sumatra
1903 Frederick Lugard occupies Kano West Africa
1908 Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act
1913 16th Amendment, federal income tax, ratified
1913 Golden/Cawthorne's musical "Sunshine Girl" premieres in New York NY
1915 Turkish & German army reach Suez Canal
1916 Canada's original Parliament building, in Ottawa, burns down
1916 Tristan Tzar publishes Dada-manifest in Zurich Switzerland
1917 US liner Housatonic sunk by German sub & diplomatic relations severed
1918 Twin Peaks Tunnel longest (11,920') streetcar tunnel begins service
1919 Herbert/Blossom's musical "Velvet Lady" premieres in New York NY
1919 League of Nations 1st meeting (Paris)
1919 Socialist conference convenes (Berne Switzerland)
1924 Alexei Ryko elected as President of People's commission (succeeds Lenin)
1927 Uprising against regime of General Carmona in Portugal
1929 Revolutionary Socialist Party forms in Amsterdam
1930 William Howard Taft, resigns as chief justice for health reasons
1930 Vietnamese Communistic Party forms
1931 Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of H L Mencken after he calls the state the "apex of moronia"
1933 1st interstate legislative conference in US opens, Washington DC
1933 German minister Göring bans social-democratic newspaper Vorwärts
1933 Marinus van der Lubbe departs to Berlin
1937 Bradman scores 212 (in 441 minutes!) in 5th Test Cricket vs England
1938 Paul Osborn's "On Borrowed Time" premieres in New York NY
1941 Supreme Court upheld Federal Wage & Hour law, sets minimum wages & maximum hours
1942 1st Japanese air raid on Java
1942 Baseball owners agree to permit each club up to 14 night games in 1942
1943 4 chaplains drown after giving up their life jackets to others
1945 Walt Disney's "The 3 Caballeros" released
1945 Almost 1000 Flying Fortresses drop 3000 ton bombs on Berlin
1947 1st black reporter in Congressional press gallery (Percival Prattis)
1947 -81ºF (-63ºC), Snag Yukon (North American record)
1947 Bradman bowled by Alec Bedser for a duck in 4th Test Cricket
1948 Dick Button becomes 1st world figure skating champion from US
1950 Nuclear physicist Klaus Fuchs arrested on spy charges
1951 Dick Button win US skating title for 6th time
1951 "Victor Borge Show" debuts on NBC TV
1951 Largest purse to date in horse racing, $144,323, won by Great Circle
1951 Tennessee Williams' "Rose Tattoo" premieres in New York NY
1953 J Fred Muggs, a chimp, becomes a regular on NBC's Today Show
1954 Jeen van den Berg win Dutch Eleven Cities Skating race (7:32)
1956 Autherine J Lucy admitted to University of Alabama, suspended 2/7 after a riot
1956 Toni Sailor becomes 1st Olympics skier to sweep the 3 alpine events
1957 Patty Berg win LPGA Havana Golf Open
1958 Royal Teens' "Short Shorts" enters Top 40 chart & peaks at #3
1959 American Airlines Electra crashes in New York's East River, killing 65
1961 6th largest snowfall in NYC history (17.4" (44.2cm))
1962 President Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food & drugs
1962 John Uelses pole vaults record 489 cm
1963 Mickey Wright win LPGA Sea Island Women's Golf Invitational
1964 Black & Puerto Rican students boycott NYC public schools
1964 "Meet the Beatles" album goes Gold
1965 Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km)
1965 105 USAF cadets resigned for cheating on exams
1965 Braves offer Milwaukee $500,000 to terminate their lease a year earlier, the proposal is turned down
1965 Geraldine McCullough win Widener Gold Medal for Sculpture
1966 1st operational weather satellite, ESSA-1 launched (US)
1966 1st soft landing on the Moon (Soviet Luna 9)
1967 "Purple Haze" recorded by Jimi Hendrix
1969 "Canterbury Tales" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 122 performances
1969 The Palestine National Congress appointed Yasser Arafat head of PLO
1971 KTSC TV channel 8 in Pueblo-Colorado Springs CO (PBS) 1st broadcast
1972 11th Winter Olympics games opens in Sapporo Japan (1st in Asia)
1972 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 Dr Hook's "Cover of "Rolling Stone"" enters Top 40 & peaks at #6
1973 President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law
1974 "Pajama Game" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 65 performances
1974 Sandra Palmer win LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational
1975 Billy Herman, Earl Averill, & Bucky Harris elected to Hall of Fame
1976 26th NBA All-Star Game East beats West 123-109 at Philadelphia
1977 Martin Dihigo John Lloyd elected to Hall of Fame
1978 Australia beat India 3-2 on 6th day of final test
1978 India needing 493 to beat Australia at Adelaide, all out 445
1979 Minnesota Twin trade Rod Carew to California for 4 players
1979 "YMCA" by Village People peaks at #2 on pop singles chart
1979 US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne
1979 US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner
1980 Muhammed Ali tours Africa as President Carter's envoy
1980 30th NBA All-Star Game East beats West 144-136 (OT) at Washington
1980 Larry Holmes TKOs Lorenzo Holmes in 6 for heavyweight boxing title
1981 Australia beats New Zealand 3-1 to win World Series Cup
1981 Gro Harlem Brundtland elected premier of Norway
1982 Columbia Shuttle moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating for STS-3 mission
1982 Greatest helicopter lift, 56,888 kg, Podmoscovnoe, USSR
1982 John Sharples of England finishes disco dancing 371 hours
1982 Porn star John Holmes ordered to stand trial for murder
1983 US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners
1984 10th Space Shuttle Mission (41B)-Challenger 4 launched
1984 1st baby conceived by embryo transplant born in Long Beach CA
1985 "Harrigan 'n Hart" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 5 performances
1985 Joanne Carner win LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic
1986 President Reagan announces formation of Committee on Challenger Accident
1987 Expos trade Jeff Reardon to Twin for Neal Heaton
1987 San Diego Yacht Club celebrates return of America's Cup
1989 Military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner, dictator of Paraguay
1989 Start 1st Test Cricket, New Zealand vs Pakistan, washed out
1990 Jockey Billy Shoemaker (58), retires after 40,350 horse races
1990 New York Met Darryl Strawberry voluntarily enters Smither Center for Alcohol rehabilitation
1991 Meg Mallon win Oldsmobile LPGA Golf Classic
1991 NFL Pro Bowl AFC beats NFC 23-21
1992 Defense opens calling Noriega "our ally in the war on drugs"
1992 Maximum New York State unemployment benefits raised to $300 per week
1992 Labor strike at Royal Canadian Mint ends
1993 Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott suspended for 1 year due to racist comments
1993 Federal trial of 4 police officers charged with civil rights violations in videotaped beating of Rodney King begins in Los Angeles CA
1993 General Hospital's Tristan Rogers convicted of drunk driving
1994 "Les Miserables" opens at Kallang Theatre, Singapore
1994 Actor Jean-Claude van Damme (32) weds Darcy Lapier (28) in Bangkok
1994 President Bill Clinton lifts US trade embargo against Vietnam
1994 STS-60 (Discovery) launches into orbit
1995 STS 63 (Discovery 19), launches into orbit
1997 Carl Sagan Public Memorial at Ithaca NY
1997 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Detroit MI on WKRK 97.1 FM
1998 Britain issues a set of Princess Diana stamps
1998 Florida Panther Dino Ciccarelli's is 9th NHLer to score 600 career goals
1998 Mary Kay LeTourneau, 36, former teacher, violates probation with 14 year-old father of her baby
1998 New York Yankees replace general manager Bob Watson with Brian Cashman
1998 Stamps commemorating Princess Diana go on sale across Britain
1998 US military plane clips cable car lines in northern Italy, kills 20

---

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

China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Hare/Rabbit (2011/4709)
Japan : Bean throwing Festival/Setsubun (last day of lunar calendar winter)
Paraguay : Patron's Day/San Blas, patrón
Puerto Rico : Fiesta de San Blas, protector of harvest (316)
US : 4 Chaplains Memorial Day
Switzerland : Homstrom-celebrates end of winter - - - - - ( Sunday )

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Blase, bishop of Sebaste, Armenia, martyr (opt)
Christian : Feast of St Laurentius, 2nd archbishop of Canterbury (604-619)
Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran : Memorial of Anskar, Hamburg archbishop, Denmark/Sweden

---

Religious History
1518 Pope Leo X imposed silence on the Augustinian monks.
1744 Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd explained in a tract: 'God designs that those whom He sanctifies...shall tarry awhile in this present evil world, that their own experience of temptations may teach them how great the deliverance is, which God has wrought for them.'
1864 In Columbus, Ohio, a fellowship of independent Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational and United Brethren churches organized itself into a separate Protestant denomination known as the Christian Union.
1943 The Allied troopship S.S. Dorchester was torpedoed by a German sub and went down with a loss of 600 lives. As it sank, four chaplains gave up their lifejackets to shipmates, thereby also perishing in the icy waters. The bravery of Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), Rev. George Lansing Fox (Methodist), Father John Washington (a Catholic priest) and Alexander David Goode (a Jewish rabbi) led Congress afterward to mark February 3rd as "Four Chaplains Day."
1985 In South Africa, Desmond Tutu, 53, became Johannesburg's first black Anglican bishop.

---

Thought for the day :
"Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation."

[SAMWolf]

You're Welcome, Cote.

Sometimes people forget the Canadian's are on the same side as us. They have been for quite a while now.

[SAMWolf]

1894 Norman Rockwell US, artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers)

IMHO one of the best America had to offer. A man who was able to see, and paint the Real America.

[CholeraJoe]

Highway 4 --- the main connector between Alberta and the United States --- has officially been renamed the "first Special Service Force Memorial Highway".

As has its US continuation, Interstate 15, from the border to Helena, MT, location of Fort Harrison.

[Soaring Feather]

I thought perhaps The FoxHole FReepers would enjoy this today.

Thoughts on our President
Whether you actually like George W. or not..... This has some interesting thoughts...

First, an observation. Have you noticed a difference in the salute given by our military men and women as President Bush walks by? Most folks would not notice anything, but those of us who have served in the military see it right away.

Next time, Watch: When President Bush leaves his helicopter or Air Force One, the honor guards salute and face him as he disembarks, then turn their faces towards him as he passes by. They continue to salute his back as he walks away. This kind of salute has not been seen in the previous eight years, though it is customary courtesy to the Commander-in-Chief. You see, soldiers aren't required to turn and face the President as they salute. They are not required to salute his back. They are only required to salute. They can remain face-forward the entire time. And that is what they did during the previous administration. Our soldiers were forced to obey his orders, but they were not forced to respect him. >From their salutes, we can surmise that they did not.

Why is such respect afforded to President Bush? He doesn't even know how to bite his lower lip and not get teary-eyed whenever he speaks!

The following incident from Major General Van Antwerp may give us an insight. Gen. Antwerp is president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship. He lost nearly all his staff when the Pentagon was attacked Sept. 11. His executive officer LTC Brian Birdwell was badly burned and in the hospital when President Bush visited him. Our President spent time and prayed with Brian. As he was getting ready to leave, he went to the foot of Brian's bed and saluted. He held his salute until Brian was able to raise his burned and bandaged arm, ever so slowly, in return. The Commander-in-Chief almost never initiates a salute, except in the case of a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. The injured soldier did not have to return the salute. But he did, out of respect to his President ...-a Soldiers' President.

Congressman JC Watts (R. Oklahoma) said, "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking," (My favorite quote of all time.) The nation and world learned some of what our last President did when nobody was looking. That President has been disbarred, the worst disgrace (other than imprisonment) to a lawyer. CNN will have a difficult time shining his or his wife's tarnished images.

In this time of war and danger, I am so grateful to have a President whom the soldiers salute -- fully.

On Special Report with Brit Hume, at the close of the show when they normally have some funny video clip, they showed President Bush and the First Lady on their way to Maine to leave for Camp David for the weekend. As the video starts, the First Lady is leading the way into the helicopter with the spaniel dog on the leash, and the president is right behind her with the Scotty on the leash. As the First Lady entered the chopper, the Marine at the gangway saluted and held his salute. The Scottie, the president was walking, decided it wanted to sit right when he got to the steps... The president pulled on its leash, but the stubborn Scottie persisted in sitting. The president bent down and scooped up the pooch and entered Marine One. After he entered, the Marine cut his salute and returned to the position of attention. Moments later the President reemerged from the helicopter and out onto the steps. The Marine was standing at attention, head and eyes straight ahead. The President leaned over and tapped him on the left arm. The startled Marine turned his body toward the President and received his returned salute!

I was so impressed by this true act of respect for our military people by our President!
He really does get it. Most any other person of his stature would have just continued his journey, disregarding the neglected return salute. Not George W. Bush. He is earning the respect of the military community, not expecting it -- as most have and would.

President George W. Bush. The man who admitted to having a drinking problem in younger years, and whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture. Who mangled syntax, and whose speaking mis-steps became known as "Bushisms." He came within a hair's breadth of losing the election in November.

Bush named Jesus Christ as Lord of his life on public TV. Not an Oblique reference to being "born-again" or having a "life change." He actually said the un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus Christ!"

On September 11, he was thrust into a position only known by the likes of Roosevelt, Churchill, Lincoln, and Washington. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and the responsibility of a generation was on his soul. So President George W. Bush walked to his seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three days after two of the most impressive symbols of American capitalism and prosperity virtually evaporated.

When the history of this time is written, it will be acknowledged by friend and foe alike that President George W. Bush came of age in that cathedral and lifted a nation off its knees. In what was one of the most impressive exhibitions of self-control in presidential history, President George W. Bush was able to deliver his remarks without losing his resolve, focus, or confidence. God's hand, which guided him through that sliver-thin election, now rested fully on him. As he walked back to his seat, the camera angle was appropriate. He was virtually alone in the scene, alone in that massive place with God, just him and the Lord.

Back at his seat, George H. Bush reached over and took his son's hand. In that gesture his father seemed to say, "I wish I could do this for you, son, but I can't. You have to do this on your own."

President George W. Bush squeezed back and gave him a look of peace that said, "I don't have to do it alone, Dad. I've got Help."

What a blessing to have a professing Christian as President.

Please take a moment after you read this to "pray for him." He truly does have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pray that God will sustain him and give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions.

Pray for his protection and that of his family.

And after you have prayed, send this to everyone on your e-mail list. Our President needs Christians, Democrats and Republicans alike, to be praying for him. As this makes the e-mail rounds, eventually there could literally be millions of people praying for him, and for our Great Country...

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Columbia (C-12)

Columbia class protected cruiser
Displacement: 7,375 t.
Length: 413’1”
Beam: 58’2”
Draft: 24’6”
Speed: 23 k.
Complement: 475
Armament: 1 8”; 2 6”; 8 4”; 4 18” torpedo tubes

The USS COLUMBIA (Cruiser No. 12) was launched 26 July 1892 by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; sponsored by Miss H. Morton; and commissioned 23 April 1894, Captain G. W. Sumner in command.

COLUMBIA joined the North Atlantic Squadron, and from 30 July 1894 to 6 January 1895 cruised to protect American interests in the Caribbean. She visited Europe in the summer of 1895 and represented the United States at the ceremonial opening of the Kiel Canal in June. Returning to the east coast in August, she operated in the western Atlantic until going in ordinary, in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard 13 May 1897.

Recommissioned 15 March 1898 for service in the Spanish-American war, COLUMBIA patrolled along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies until 26 August. She convoyed troops to Puerto Rico and aided in its occupation between July and 14 August. COLUMBIA was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard 31 March 1899.

COLUMBIA, whose very powerful engines made her expensive to operate, was only occasionally in commission during the Twentieth Century's first decade and a half. Following recommissioning on 31 August 1902, COLUMBIA served as receiving ship at New York and from 9 November 1903 as a part of the Atlantic Training Squadron. Once more out of commission at Philadelphia 3 May 1907 and 22 June 1915 the cruiser then joined the Submarine Flotilla as flagship. After cruising between the various Atlantic submarine bases on inspection tours, she was detached 19 April 1917.

COLUMBIA patrolled off the Delaware Breakwater from 21 April 1917 as flagship of Squadron 5, Patrol Force until July where she joined the Cruiser Force as a convoy escort. Between 1 January and 13 November 1918, she made five Atlantic escort voyages, protecting the passage of men and supplies for the American Expeditionary Force in France. On her detachment 7 January 1919, she became flagship of Squadron 2, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, operating along the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was relieved as flagship on 29 May, but continued cruising until decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard 29 June 1921.

Classified CA-16, 17 July 1920, she was renamed OLD COLUMBIA 17 November 1921 and sold for scrap on 26 January 1922.

[SAMWolf]

Awww! Hobbes is the best Tiger in the world.