First introduced to Free Republic Thanksgiving weekend 1998
by a very dear friend of mine.
She finally got me to quit being a lurker
and finally register on 06/20/01



I am 57 years old and single. Born and raised in Chicago.
States* (in order) that I have lived in as an adult.
                
             
*Cities Chicago, Norfolk, Detroit, Austin, Los Angeles, Las Vegas


Bandon is 30 miles south of Coos Bay





On any given day, the men and women of the Coast Guard:

• Conduct 109 search-and-rescue missions.
• Assist 192 people in distress.
• Seize 169 pounds of marijuana.
• Nab 306 pounds of cocaine.
Most important, the Coast Guard saves lives.
"Ten or 12 people today will go home to dinner with their family
only because the Coast Guard got them out of trouble,"
said Adm. James Loy, commandant of the Coast Guard.
Now that's a respectable day's work.
All from a service of only 35,000 people, fewer than the New York Police Department.

I am sometimes on this boat in the ocean as part of my training.

52' Motor Lifeboat Intrepid
Generally regarded by their crews as the "Cadillac" of the motor lifeboats, these boats answer the call when heavy weather conditions are too severe for any other rescue boat. Built in 1960 to replace wooden-hulled ships that carried the same names since the 1930's, these steel-hulled 52-foot motor lifeboats can withstand 100-mile per hour winds and sea swells up to 35 feet. These are the only Coast Guard vessels under 65 feet that have names. Only four 52-footers are in service, all in the Pacific Northwest. They are built to withstand the most severe conditions at sea and are capable of effecting a rescue at sea even under the most difficult circumstances. They are self-bailing, self-righting, almost unsinkable, and have a long cruising radius.
Missions: Search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, and recreational boating safety.

Boating And Non-Boating Programs

Below is a brief but comprehensive listing of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's many missions.

Surface (water) Missions

• Safety Patrol - Patrol under Coast Guard orders using an Auxiliary Operational Facility.

• Regatta Patrol - Patrolling organized regattas and boat parades.
  

• Chart Update Patrol - Verifying the accuracy and completeness of information published on charts and related navigation publications.
  

• PWC Patrol - Patrolling on a Personal Water Craft (PWC).
  

Be A Better Boater    

Air Operations Missions

• SAR Mission - Search And Rescue call out or the air equivalent to a vessel safety patrol.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Air support of a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Air support in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

• Ice Operations Mission - Air support in the area of ice patrol operations.

• Logistics Mission - Transportation of personnel.

• Training Mission - Training missions involving air operations.

Land-based Operations Missions

• Radio Watchstander - Serving as a qualified watchstander at a Coast Guard or Auxiliary facility.

• Officer of the Day Duties - OOD at a Coast Guard facility either ashore or afloat.

• B-2 Alert SAR Standby - Time spent on stand-by.

• B-0 Alert SAR Standby - Standing by under with an Auxiliary Operational Facility for immediate call out.

• SAR Call Out - Search And Rescue call out involving communication facilities.

• CG Crew Augmentation - Serving as a qualified crew on Coast Guard, not Auxiliary, vessels.

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Providing surface support of Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• MEP Mission - Surface support for a Marine Environmental Protection mission.

• Auxiliary Radio Net Mission - Maintaining Coast Guard authorized Auxiliary radio nets.

• Aids to Navigation Mission-Federal - Servicing federal or private Aids to Navigation.

• Bridge Administration - Inspecting bridges.

Public Education Missions

• PE Other Than State/Youth - Auxiliary multi-lesson public education classes.

• State and Youth Courses - State public education classes and youth courses.

• MT Instructor Mission - Member training activity, including specialty courses, boats crew training, and basic qualification classes.

Environmental Missions

• Enforcement of Laws and Treaties - Provide support to a Coast Guard law enforcement mission.

• Marine Environmental Protection - Provide support to the Coast Guard in the area of Marine Environmental Protection.

Coast Guard Support and Boating Safety Missions

• CG Operational Support - A service provided to operational Coast Guard units in support of Coast Guard programs.

• CG Administrative Support - Provide support to the Coast Guard in areas other than operations or recruiting.

• AIM Mission - The Auxiliary's Academy Introduction Mission (AIM).

• RAP Mission - Coast Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (RAP).

• Courtesy Marine Examinations - Vessel Safety Checks; Personal Water Craft Safety Checks; Uninspected Passenger Vessel; and Commercial Fishing Vessel.

• Public Affairs Mission - Promoting the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary or Coast Guard Reserve.

• Marine Dealer Visits - Participating in the Marine Dealer Visitation Program.

Agency Support Missions

• Federal Agencies - Provide non-operational support to other federal agencies, such as Customs, Corps of Engineers and NOAA.

• State Agencies - Provide support to state agencies, such as the Department of Natural Resources, State Police and Marine Patrols.

• Local Agencies - Provide support to local agencies, such as local police, sheriff's offices, fire/rescue and Harbormasters.

NAVAL GUNFIRE SUPPORT

Accuracy is the key word in naval gunfire support--accuracy that enables cruisers and destroyers to fire projectiles up to 15 miles inland at an enemy who may be within a few hundred yards of friendly forces. And that accuracy is backed by mobility unmatched by ground-based military artillery and more readily available than aircraft.

Although there are many similarities between naval gunfire support and Operation Sea Dragon, they differ in two important areas: naval gunfire support is normally fired at the request of troops ashore, while Sea Dragon's mission is the interdiction of supplies and destruction of military targets; and naval gunfire support is always conducted in South Vietnam, while Sea Dragon missions are fired only above the demilitarized zone.

Geographically, the Republic of Vietnam is ideal for naval gunfire. The country's sprawling coastline, narrow breadth and navigable coastal waters mean that cruisers and destroyers can move in close and hit targets deep inland. The country's dependence on the sea means that many villages and towns, and as a result many of the enemy's activities, are near the coast and within easy range of naval guns.

Naval gunfire support ships have the ability to loiter in an area indefinitely or to speed along the coast at more that 30 knots. A ship assigned to gunfire support might spend her early morning hours softening up a beach before an amphibious assault, answer a call for an emergency mission against enemy troops in the afternoon, and fire illumination rounds and H and I (harassment and interdiction) fire through the night.

A gunfire mission begins with a request from a naval gunfire liaison officer ashore in South Vietnam. When a ship arrives on station, she contacts ground or airborne spotters by radio for last minute instructions.

At first the ship fires her rounds slowly and deliberately, while the spotter radios corrections. Within a few rounds, under the guidance of the spotter, the ship's projectiles find their mark and the pace of the firing quickens. The ship can remain on station until the targets are completely destroyed, and at the end of the mission hundreds of rounds may have been fired.

But one target destroyed means another to take under fire, and unless the ship is needed for another target in an area, she wastes no time in getting to another target along the coast. [Map inset: From the DMZ in the north to the Mekong Delta and beyond in the south, gunfire support ships provide mobile and responsive firepower for Allied forces ashore.]

NAVAL GUNS

Ships operating in the Vietnam area run the gamut of naval gunnery, from the three-inch guns aboard destroyer escorts and radar picket escorts to the massive eight-inch guns aboard heavy cruisers.

Most common of all guns in the Navy today are five-inch guns, which are found aboard every destroyer in the fleet. the older five-inch/38 caliber guns are the mainstay of destroyer gunnery because of their range and reliability, while modern, rapid-fire five-inch/54 caliber guns serve as main battery guns aboard newer destroyers and guided missile destroyers.

In naval gunnery, the first measurement given is the diameter of the bore and the second, if multiplied by the diameter gives the length of the bore. Thus, a five-inch/38 caliber gun has a bore five inches in diameter and (5x38) 190 inches long.

EIGHT-INCH

Eight-inch/55 caliber guns are found only aboard heavy cruisers and are used extensively on both Operation Sea Dragon and naval gunfire support. They have a range of approximently 15 nautical miles and fires projectiles weighing over 250 pounds.

SIX-INCH

Six-inch/47 caliber guns are found only aboard light cruisers. They have a range of approximately 12 nautical miles and fire projectiles weighing more than 100 pounds.

FIVE-INCH/54

Five-inch/54 caliber guns are found on post-World War II destroyers and guided missile destroyers and, because of their high rate of fire and range, are among the most versatile guns in the Navy. They can fire up to 45 rounds per minute, delivering 70-pound projectiles more than 12 nautical miles.

FIVE-INCH/38

Five-inch/38 caliber guns are carried by World War II vintage destroyers, by some destroyer escorts and, as secondary battery guns, by both heavy and light cruisers. they can fire their 55-pound projectiles more than eight nautical miles.

THREE-INCH

Three-inch/50 caliber guns are carried by most destroyer escorts and all radar picket escorts. They fire 13-pound projectiles about six nautical miles.

NAVAL GUNFIRE CONTROL

The accuracy of naval gunfire stems largely from a complex gunfire control system made up of a radar-equipped fire control director to located and track targets and a fire control computer to compensate for variables. with the position of the ship and the relative position ofáÐ
ˆ8GET http://g.msn.com/1cl91enus/15 HTTP/ms the ship's guns so that rounds are delivered on target nearly 100% of the time.

The first step in gunfire control is to obtain an exact picture of the ship's position, which can be done by taking visual bearings on geographical points or by taking ranges and bearings of the same points with the ship's navigational radar or fire control radar. Once the ship's position has been plotted on a chart, the target is plotted, and the range and bearing determined from the ship to the target.

With the initial range and bearing from the ship to the target fed into the computer, the computer compensates for the ship's course and speed and for other variables such as the target's course and speed (if any), wind speed and direction, air temperature, pitch and roll of the ship, and the initial velocity of the projectiles being fired. The computer's solution automatically aims and elevates the gun barrels.

Navy ships are capable of placing their first rounds within a few hundred feet of their target. In addition, whenever possible, Navy and Air Force aircraft or ground spotters assist the ships by spotting or locating the fall of shot in relation to the target. With spotters passing corrections to the firing ship, projectiles can literally be "talked" or "walked" to the center of a target in a matter of minutes [Photo: From high up on the ship's superstructure, the radar-equipped director feeds target information to the ship's computer deep inside.]


Please pause a moment for those never accounted for
from WW II, Korea and Viet Nam.
There are things we as FReepers can do to help our POW/MIA's
Please see what you can do to help.
POW/MIA Awareness Campaigns-Get Involved

POW/MIA Web Ring List of sites.

 Text of the Second Amendment
"A well regulated Militia
being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."

Anyone who actually reads AND understands the 2nd Amendment will see that there is no need or authority for any type of gun registration and there is no need for anyone to have to apply for a license to carry a gun.
Any political party, politician, judge (etc), organization or individual who trys to convince you that:
1) you must register a firearm
2) you must pass a background check
3) you must wait (x) amount of days before you can get your firearm
4) you need to have a license to carry a gun
is either uneducated about OUR rights as citizens
OR is actively working to undermine OUR country.

How Did the Founders Understand the Second Amendment?

CONGRESS in 1866, 1941 and 1986 REAFFIRMS THE SECOND AMENDMENT
The Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment right to keep and bear firearms,
originated in the United States Congress in 1789 before being ratified by the States.
On three occasions since then--in 1866, 1941, and 1986--
Congress enacted statutes to reaffirm this guarantee of personal freedom
and to adopt specific safeguards to enforce it.

ON THE DAY BEFORE Thanksgiving 1993,
the 103d US Congress brought forth a constitutional turkey.
The 103d Congress decided that the Second Amendment did not mean what it said
("...shall not be infringed") and passed the Brady bill.
How the Brady Bill Passed (and subsequently - "Instant Check")
When the Brady Bill was passed into law the Senate voted on the Conference Report
and passed the Brady Bill by UNANIMOUS CONSENT.

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