The FReeper Foxhole Studies the "Tunnel Rats" of Vietnam - January 23, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

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


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Tunnel Rats


Non Gratum Anus Rodentum.
"Not Worth a Rats Ass!"

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

Friday 7th of January 1966. The 1st Battalion of the 28th Infantry, itself part of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Inft Div - "The Big Red One"- was engaged in operation "Crimp". The first search and destroy sweep into the VC held area's Northwest of Saigon. Operation "Crimp" was intended to be a massive strike against the VC in South Vietnam; in and around the Ho Bo woods just west of the Iron triangle.


An unofficial emblem

Even as the men from the 1st Batt 28th Inft touched down on LZ (landing zone) "Jack" they could see their comrades in the 1st Batt 16th Inft were already in trouble and engaging the enemy in small firefights. The men quickly de-assed their helicopters and moved into the nearby tree line hoping to find, engage, and destroy the VC that had been harassing the soldiers of the 16th Inft.

Just inside the tree line at the edge of a rubber plantation, the men of the 28th discovered a large trench - but no enemy. Where had they gone? How could the VC who had been firing at the men of the 16th Inft just disappear apparently into thin air? As the Batt moved forward it began to find large caches of rice, and enough food to feed a Regiment. As the operation continued, over the next couple of days foxholes, trenches, and caves were discovered. Still no enemy were being engaged in running firefights, or surrendering, and all the time US casualties were mounting through sustained enemy sniper fire.

By the 10th of January the 28th had reached the banks of the Saigon river. So far during the 3 days of the operation only a couple of brief glimpses of the enemy had been seen. Late in the afternoon of the 10th word came through via the radio that elements of the 173rd Abn Bgd, and the Ausies to the North had made contact with the VC and - found tunnels.



The next day the 11th of January the 28th began to retrace it's foot steps. It had finally dawned on the Batt Commander LTC Robert Haldane what had happened - they had literally walked right over the VC! Searches were begun for the tunnel entrances but nothing much was discovered. By now hot and tired, and waiting for further instructions some of the GIs began to sit down for a quick rest.

Sergeant Stewart Green did the same, but only momentarily, as he suddenly leap to his feet cursing that something had bitten him on the ass. Thinking he'd been stung by a scorpion, or worse, bitten by a snake, Green searched through the layer of dead leaves that covered the area looking for the creature that bitten him. Only to discover it was a nail sticking up from the ground. Upon further careful inspection it was discovered that the nail was part of a small wooden trap door - Haldane's men had found their first tunnel!



THE TUNNEL SYSTEM:

Originally the tunnels were started during the war against the French, but which were rapidly expanded upon when the American's arrived. They were constructed by volunteer(!) village laborers using simple hoe's and baskets. The Laterite clay in which the tunnels were dug has a dull reddish appearance and dries rock hard during the dry season. During the wet season it is very soft and much easier to work. Because of the very nature of the Laterite clay's ability to dry rock hard it made a very good (if a somewhat difficult substance to work) soil in which to carve out a tunnel.



The passages themselves were not cut in dead straight lines, rather they were made with corners that had between a 60 - degree and a 120 - degree angle to them. In other words the corners were constructed with no less than a 60 - degree angle and no more than a 120 - degree angle. This made shooting in a straight line impossible, and helped to deflect explosive blasts from grenades that might be thrown down.





The tunnel systems (where the water table permitted) had several levels, each level was separated by a watertight trap door which would seal the rest of the system against gas, flooding, etc. The trap doors themselves were virtually undetectable and could fool a person into believing that the tunnel finished in a dead end, when in reality it led into a huge system of other passages. These passages would in turn lead to underground ammo dumps, kitchens, air raid shelters, hospitals, store rooms, workshops, latrines, and even theaters for the performances of political plays.



All the tunnel systems had smaller thin (drain pipe sized) ventilation shafts leading from the surface down to the 1st level. These vents were constructed with an oblique angle so as to prevent the monsoon rains flooding the system. Vents were placed so as to face east and the light of a new day, whilst others were placed toward the wind so as to provide a constant cooling draught. Despite these efforts the tunnels were still hot, dark, and claustrophobic, even at the best of times.

The VC also dragged the bodies of its dead comrades underground in order to inter them in temporary graves when it became impossible to bury them above ground due to the presence of American troops. Once they had been dragged underground they were buried in the fetus position in the tunnel walls and covered with a thin layer of clay.

A SPECIAL BREED OF MAN:

Originally called "Tunnel Runners" by the 25th Inft Div, and "Ferrets" by the Australian Army, the term "Tunnel Rat" soon became their official accepted name. The US Army soon realized that trying to destroy the tunnels was a short-sighted policy that wasn't going to work. Moreover this was also a loss as the underground networks could yield vital intelligence on the VC in the form of plans and documents.



A chemical officer of the 1st Inft Div, Capt Herbert Thornton a Southerner, was charged with setting up the first tunnel team.

The kind of man that Thornton sought for his tunnel team had to be a special breed. He had to have an even temperament, an inquisitive mind, a lot of common sense (in order to know what to touch and what not to), and to be exceptionally brave.



All of Thornton's men were volunteers, most (not all) were small men of slight build who could squeeze through the tight trap doors and crawl along the narrow passages with relative ease. No dead tunnel rats were left in a tunnel, dead or wounded they were all dragged out with commo wire, ropes, or by a comrade using a fireman's crawl. It was a very stressful, nerve racking job, pushing the rat's mental state to its limits.



Crawling through narrow, pitch black tunnels, sometimes for hours looking for a heavily armed enemy who would if he got the drop on you not hesitate to kill you. Occasionally under the strain a mans nerves would break and he'd be dragged from the tunnel screaming and crying. Once this happened he would never be allowed down a tunnel again.


Badge of Ist Engineer Battallion Tunnel Rats
Arrived RVN 28th November 1965
Departed RVN 7th April 1970


If going down into a tunnel posed a threat, then coming up again could be just as dangerous. Upon emerging from a tunnel a rat would often whistle "Dixie" just to let the troops on the surface know he was on their side. A little guy stripped to the waist and covered in dirt could easily be mistaken (particularly if he was oriental looking) for a VC and shot by his own side.



TRAPS AND CREEPY CRAWLIES:

Going down into a tunnel system was a very risky business fraught with danger. Usually armed only with a pistol or a knife and a flashlight. The tunnel rat would descend into a pitch black, claustrophobic, dank hell, to play a deadly game of hide and seek with the enemy. Carefully probing the floor, sides and roofs of the tunnels became second nature to the tunnel rat as he gently inched and probed his way along. Feeling for wires or tree roots that didn't quite feel right, knowing that anyone of them could detonate a booby trap and blow him to smithereens.



Tunnel entrances were sometimes mined or covered by concealed firing positions. On other occasions an entrance would drop into a punji stake pit which would be covered by two rifle men, one either side. Another way in which the unsuspecting tunnel rat could meet his death was by garroting him or cutting his throat as he came up through a connecting trapdoor. Besides the booby traps the tunnels also held other nasty surprises. Living along side the VC was a whole plethora of animals which had also made their homes in the dark confines of the tunnels. Bats (the cave dwelling nectar eating bat and the black bearded tomb bat) would use the tunnels as a roosting ground during the daylight hours. A tunnel rat crawling through a tight tunnel would wake them from their rest causing them to fly right at him, getting tangled in his hair and running and crawling all over him.

Snakes were also encountered underground. Two of the most deadly being the bamboo viper and the Krait. Sometimes the VC would deliberately tether a snake in a tunnel to use it as a sort of natural booby trap. Scorpions were also used as booby traps, the VC would take boxes of them into the tunnels. The box would be rigged with a trip wire, the tunnel rat tripped the wire and the scorpions would fall on him stinging him in the process. Being stripped to the waist and slowly crawling along on their stomachs also exposed the rats to bites from fire ants that inhabited the underground labyrinths. Other nasties to be encountered in the tunnels were real rats, and spiders like the Giant Crab Spider. Sometimes whole chambers were crawling with a thick black mass of tiny spiders the size of a thumb nail, giving the illusion that the walls were moving!

TOOLS OF THEIR TRADE:



It was soon discovered early on that to fight in the tunnels the tunnel rat had to do away with most of the infantry mans basic load. In fact the total lack of equipment carried by a rat was a distinct advantage, which greatly increased his chances of survival. The basic tools of the tunnel rat were the knife, the pistol, and a flashlight.


Knife of type that would be carried


Flashlight



Colt .45 Auto


Smith & Wesson .38

The pistols that were carried by the tunnel rats were varied, the **.38 Smith and wesson** was a favorite. Other tunnel rats procured their own personal firearms to suit their own needs. One of these was Master Sgt Flo Rivera who acquired and used a **9mm German Luger**. The one weapon everyone agreed about was the **Colt .45**. It was too big, with a silencer it was to cumbersome and when it was fired underground without a silencer its bark was deafening. Making it impossible to hear the enemy.

One of the tunnel rats golden rules was you never fired more than 3 shots underground without reloading, as the VC would know you were out of ammo.

The **flashlight** was the standard Army issue type and every rat carried one. These were carried in a way so as not to make themselves a nicely illuminated target. If the bulb in the flashlight went it had to be changed. This was practiced so it could be done in pitch darkness by touch alone, and done quickly, lying prone, squatting, or kneeling down.


Bunker Bomb.

These were made from an ammo can which had a hole drilled in one end. A phosphorus grenade was then taken and unscrewed, the main body of the grenade was placed inside the can. The grenade lever is straightened and fuse is then passed through the drilled hole and screwed back onto the body. Finally the can is filled with napalm or thickened fuel.

THE TUNNEL EXPLORATION KIT:

Due to the specialised nature of tunnel warfare, priority was placed with ENSURE (Expedited Non-standard Urgent Requirements for Equipment) program for the development of special "Tunnel Exploration kits". Six kits were requested by USARV on the 29th of April 1966, and then passed on to ACTIV (Army Concept Team In Vietnam) on the 7th of August. ACTIV then distributed the six kits, two went to the 1st Inft Div at Di An, a further two were dispatched to the 25th Inft Div at Cu Chi. Of the remaining kits one was given to the 1st Cav at An Khe, whilst the last remaining kit went to the 173rd Abn Bd at Bien Hoa.



Each kit cost 728 Dollars and consisted of a .38 caliber pistol which was fitted with a suppressor and a spotlight sighting device. This was all carried on a standard pistol belt in a specially designed holster. On the wearers head was a baseball cap which had a miners lamp mounted on it which was switched on and off via a mouth operated bite-switch. At the back of the cap was a bone conduction microphone communication system which was connected to a small ear piece. The power pack for the lamp and a communication wire reel were also hung on the pistol belt, but were situated on the wearers back.

Tests on the exploration kit in Vietnam soon revealed its short comings. The silenced .38 cal pistol was not liked because of its length with the suppressor, and because it lacked balance and was awkward to handle. The special aiming light was found to be unnecessary given the tight confines and short ranges the tunnel rats were operating in. The huge pistol holster was also a failure as it was too big and unwieldy to be used in the tight confines of a tunnel. The head mounted miners lamp fared no better! This was obstructed by the baseball cap's visor and could be shorted out by switch malfunctions rendering it useless. Furthermore the lamp tended to slip down over the wearers eyes. The earpiece part of the communication system was also troublesome as it kept falling out of the wearers ear!


Called, a “Tunnel Rat”, a soldier in the 25th infantry spent most of his time exploring and destroying a many miles of tunnel that had been dug by the Vietnamese. A Tunnel Rat uses headsets so that he can talk to the other soldiers and give them the descriptions about the tunnel. Many times a tunnel rat had to crawl in a hole which had many enemies lurking inside. To protect himself he carried a flashlight, for the tunnels often grew very dark with no outside light source. A pistol, and a large knife are the only things protecting himself from the unknown depths of the tunnels. A tunnel rat's job was very dangerous, many times they blundered into a large group of the enemy. A tunnel rat would usually wear as little clothing as possible so that he could crawl though the small tunnel without being slowed down or getting stuck in the small holes.

USARV requested 250 tunnel kits on the 21st of March 1967, but because of a mix up in the ordering quantity (500 instead of the original 250) and year end budget problems, immediate funding was slow in coming. Natick labs were not asked to produce the sets until the 30th of September, this situation was further frustrated by problems in the communication equipment for the kits. Eventually the requested 250 sets were delivered to Dover AFB between the 22nd and the 29th of May 1968, and from there immediately flown to Vietnam.

With their patch with it's nonsense latin motto "Non gratum anus rodentum - Not worth a rats ass" the tunnel rats were among the bravest in Vietnam, doing a job that not many others could, or would care to do.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

Down in the Hole


CAVE DWELLING NECTAR EATING BAT. DAWN BAT: (Eonycteris Spelea)



The Male of the species is larger than the Female and has a ruff of dark fur on the sides of it's neck. It's neck hairs are tinged with yellow, and it's head is a slightly darker colour than the rest of it's body. The overall covering of body hair is thin, with the upper portions being dark and going through to light brown in colour. The underside of the body is normally a greyish colour. The skull of this bat is specially adapted for drinking nectar, and has a spout shaped mandible. During the daylight hours these bat's generally roost in caves (or in this case tunnels), and tend to congregate in groups of a few dozen to as many as ten's of thousands.

GIANT CRAB SPIDER: (Heteropoda venatoria)



A frequently encountered hunting spider which lives in houses and buildings. This particular species of spider doesn't build a web to catch it's prey, instead it hunts it's prey. Chasing around at night after insects or patiently waiting in ambush for some unsuspecting creature to come too close. Crab spiders are so called because like a crab they can hold their legs out to the side just like a crab, and can walk forward, backwards, or side ways. The Female of the species is the bigger and carries her egg sacs under her body.

FIRE ANT: genus Solenopsis



A small brownish ant that builds its home in a mound, and is extremely aggressive. When disturbed the ant will attack anything, inflicting painful stings on it's victim. The sting itself will cause pustule to form and will leave a small scar. Large numbers of fire ant stings can cause death if medical attention is not on hand.

BANDED KRAIT: genus Bungarus



A relatively small snake growing to approx 2 meters long. Entire length is marked with alternate black and yellow bands which completely encircle the body except for the head and tail. Mainly found in mangrove forests but will inhabit human dwellings. A sluggish snake that rarely attacks humans unless stepped on. The krait is a nocturnal feeder feeding mainly on other snakes and lizards. The Krait is one of the most venomous of all the snakes encountered in South east Asia and has a venom that is 5 times the lethal dose for a human being.

ASIATIC COBRA: genus Naja



A fairly large venomous snake that can grow to 7ft long, usually lives in holes between the roots of large trees. Mainly active during the day but can also be active at night. The Cobra feeds mainly on small rodents, lizards, snakes, and frogs. Rears it's head to strike or spit. When spitting the venom can reach a distance of 2m/6.5ft, causing severe pain and damage when entering the eyes of it's prey. Cobra venom is highly toxic; a nerve poison. It's bite is not painful, causes numbness, drowsiness, vomiting, and can be fatal from between 2 - 24 hours.

SCORPION: genus Scorpiones



Scorpions are very common in tropical and subtropical climates and are an Arachnid. They have two large pincers and a long tail which ends up in an upcurved poisonous sting. The poison from a scorpion sting is rarely fatal to a healthy adult human. Scorpions do not lay eggs, instead they produce live young, some species can reach up to 25cm in length. Hunting mainly at night their main food is the woodlouse, although they sometimes will prey on each other. They can also survive for long periods of time without food.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

Tunnel warfare by T.Mangold and J.Pennygate
The US Army in Vietnam by L.Thompson
Images from the book NAM; The Vietnam Experience 1965/75 by Hamlyn
www.diddybop.demon.co.uk/tunnel1.htm
www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/vietnam/
www.specialoperations.com/History/Vietnam/Tunnel_Rats.htm

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Friday Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[snippy_about_it]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

[The Mayor]

My son just did a report for school on Vietnam.

This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

True freedom is found in obedience to Christ.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

Well, believe it or not there are thunderstorms in the forecast for our area tommorow. we're forecast to reach the upper 50's for highs today.

[Samwise]

Pray men with terrible jobs.

God bless them all.

[CholeraJoe]

Morning, snippy. And you think your job sucks?

[GailA]

[snippy_about_it]

My son just did a report for school on Vietnam.

That's great Mayor. We'd love for you to share it with us.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut. These are the strangest looking flying machines! Thanks for the education. What is it?

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. That will be a nice break from winter!

[snippy_about_it]

God bless them all

Amen and good morning Samwise.

[snippy_about_it]

And you think your job sucks?

Good morning CJ, I often have to remind myself of our threads to remember just how easy I do have it, thanks to our veterans and troops.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Matthew Paul, good afternoon Poland!!!

The way they built these tunnels made it so we couldn't throw grenades or bombs down them and do any damage. It must have been tough to go down there.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Gail, that's a pretty package. Good to see you.

[Aeronaut]

It's a Convair XFY-1 "Pogo Stick." VOTL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) from the early fifties. Hard to land.

 

[SCDogPapa]

Mornin' Snippy,,Mornin' Sam

Tunnel Rat,,,,what a hell of a job!

[SCDogPapa]

I had a model of the Pogo, when I was a kid. :)

[Aeronaut]

Pilots: I have started a General Aviation ping list on this thread. Let me know if you want to be on it.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Snippy.

Excellent thread. These men were special. I could never have done that job.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor. Let us know how your son didi on his report.

[Valin]

On this Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 23:
1574 Lucas I Franchoys Belgian painter
1582 John Barclay Scottish satirist/Latin poet (Argenis)
1730 Joseph Hewes US merchant (Declaration of Independence signer)
1785 Carl A Agardh Sweden, botanist/bishop of Karlstad
1828 Calvin Edward Pratt Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1830 Gaston AA Marquis de Gallifet French General /minister of War (1899-1900)
1832 Édouard Manet France, Impressionist painter (Déjeuner sur L'Herbe)
1833 John Randolph Chambliss Jr Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1864
1840 Ernst Abbe Germany, physicist (Carl Zeiss Optics Company)
1862 David Hilbert Konigsberg East Prussia, mathematician
1889 Franklin Pangborn Newark, actor (My Best Gal, Hats Off, Easy Living)
1898 Sergei Eisenstein Russia, film maker (Battleship Potemkin)
1898 Randolph Scott actor (Last of the Mohicans, Western Union)
1899 Humphrey Bogart actor (Casablanca, Caine Mutiny, African Queen)
1906 Bob Steele Pendleton OR, actor (Duffy-F Troop, Big Sleep)
1907 Dan Duryea White Plains NY, actor (Pride of the Yankees)
1910 Django Reinhardt Belgium, Gypsy jazz guitarist
1915 Potter Stewart Michigan, 94th Supreme Court justice (1958-81)
1919 Ernie Kovacs Trenton NJ, comedian (Ernie Kovacs' Show)
1924 Frank R Lautenberg (Senator-D-NJ, 1983- )
1928 Jeanne Moreau Paris France, actress (Going Places, Jules & Jim)
1930 William Reid Pogue Okemah OK, Colonel USAF/astronaut (Skylab 4)
1932 Bud Shuster (Representative-R-PA, 1973- )
1933 Chita Rivera Washington DC, actress (West Side Story, Sweet Charity)
1936 Jerry Kramer Green Bay Packer, author (Instant Replay)
1942 Ivan Ivanovich Bachurin cosmonaut
1943 Gil Gerard Little Rock AR, actor (Buck Rogers in 25th Century)
1944 Rutger Hauer Dutch actor (Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Osterman Weekend)
1950 Richard Dean Anderson Minneapolis MN, actor (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1)
1957 Princess Caroline [Louise Marguerite Grimaldi] of Monaco

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Deaths which occurred on January 23:
1002 Otto III German king/emperor 983/996-1002, dies at 21
1356 Margaretha of Bavaria Empress of Germany, dies
1516 Ferdinand II king of Aragon/Sicily, dies at 63
1648 Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla Spanish poet (Del Rey Abajo), dies at 40
1708 Thomas Bullis composer, dies at 80
1800 Edward Rutledge US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 50
1806 William Pitt the Younger, PM Great Britain (1783-1806), dies at 46
1813 George Clymer US merchant (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 73
1944 Edvard Munch Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at 80
1945 Helmuth J Moltke German politician ("July 20th Plot"), executed at 37
1957 Willie Edwards US black, murdered by KKK at 25
1977 Bernard "Toots" Shor barkeeper, dies at 73
1978 Jack Oakie actor (Great Dictator, Gang Buster), dies at 74
1989 Salvador Dalí Spanish Surrealist painter, dies in Spain at 84
1990 Albert Collins guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies of pneumonia at 57
1997 Randy Greenawalt convicted killer, executed by injection at 47
1997 Richard Berry lyricist (Louie Louie), dies at 61
1997 Roger John Tayler astrophysicist, dies at 67
1998 Hilla Limann President of Ghana in (1979-81), dies

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 BRIDGER BARRY B.---BLADENBORO NC.
[03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1967 GRAY DAVID F.---FT. WALTON BEACH FL.
["03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1968 RAMSDEN GERALD LEE---FRESNO CA.
1969 HENDERSON WILLIAM R.---CINCINNATI OH.
[01/27/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1969 LUSTER ROBERT L.---TIFFIN OH.
[01/27/69 REMAINS RECOVERED 1976 ID DISPUTED]
1969 MOORMAN FRANK D.---CLIFTON NJ.
[01/27/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1970 ANZALDUA JOSE J. JR.---REFUGIO TX.
[03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]

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

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On this day...
0638 Start of Islamic calendar
1265 1st English Parliament formally convened (some authorities)
1490 1st printing of Ramban's Sha'ar ha-Gemul
1492 "Pentateuch" (Jewish holy book) 1st printed
1552 2nd version of Book of Common Prayer becomes mandatory in England
1556 Most deadly earthquake kills 830,000 in Shansi Province, China
1570 Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, assassinated; civil war breaks out
1643 Sir Thomas Fairfax takes Leeds for the Parliamentarians
1647 Scottish Presbyterians sell captured Charles I to English parliament
1719 Principality of Liechtenstein created within Holy Roman Empire
1723 Georg Friedrich Händel's opera "Ottone" premieres in London
1779 Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra)
1789 Georgetown, 1st US Catholic college, founded
1812 7.8 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
1845 Uniform US election day for President & Vice President authorized
1849 Mrs Elizabeth Blackwell becomes 1st woman physician in US
1849 Patent granted for an envelope-making machine
1861 Agoston Haraszthy, 1st vintner in Sonoma Valley, imports 100,000 cuttings of 350 varieties from Europe
1865 Battle of City Point, VA (James River, Trent's Reach)
1865 General Robert E Lee named Commander-in-Chief of Confederate Armies
1894 G W Bunbury of Dublin sets shorthand record of 250 wpm for 10 minutes
1907 Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes 1st Native American US senator
1908 US & Great-Britain demand end of abuses in Congo
1909 1st radio rescue at sea
1916 Temp falls from 44ºF (7ºC) to -56ºF (49ºC) night of 23-24, Browning MT
1920 Dutch government refuses to turn over ex-Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany to the allies
1924 Ramsey MacDonald forms 1st Labour government in Britain
1930 George Washington Birthplace National Monument VA established
1930 Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto
1932 El Salvador army kills 4,000 protesting farmers
1933 20th amendment changes date of Presidential Inaugurations to 1/20
1942 Japanese troops occupy Rabaul New Britain
1942 Tank battle at Adzjedabia, African corps vs British army
1943 66.34 cm (26.12"), Hoegees Camp CA (state precipitation record)
1946 Rear Admiral Sidney W Souers, USNR, becomes 1st director of CIA
1948 Huston's "Treasure of Sierra Madre" starring Humphrey Bogart opens
1950 3rd edition of Joseph Kane's Famous 1st Facts published
1950 Israeli Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel
1953 NFL Dallas Texans become Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts)
1953 NFL's National & American conferences become Eastern & Western conferences
1960 Piccard & Walsh in bathyscaph "Trieste" reach 10,900 meters in Mariana Trench
1961 Supreme Court rules cities & states have right to censor films
1962 Bob Feller & Jackie Robinson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1962 British spy Kim Philby defects to USSR
1964 24th Amendment ratified, barring poll tax in federal elections
1968 Spy ship USS Pueblo & 83-man crew seized in Sea of Japan by N Korea
1971 -80ºF (-62ºC), Prospect Creek Camp AK (US record)
1972 Bootlegger sells wood alcohol to wedding party-100 die-New Delhi
1972 Entire population of Istanbul under 24 hour house arrest
1973 Helgafell, island of Heimaey Iceland erupts for 1st time in 7,000 years
1973 President Nixon announces an accord has been reach to end the Vietnam War
1975 "Barney Miller" premieres on ABC TV
1977 Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC
1979 Willie Mays elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1981 1st Richard Nixon museum opens (San Clemente CA)
1983 "A-Team" with Mr T premieres on NBC
1984 Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik to become WWF champ
1986 1st induction of Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis & Elvis Presley)
1988 Bob Benoit bowls 1st 300-point game in a televised title match
1988 Experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan & Jeana Yeager, complete 1st nonstop, round-the-world flight without refueling lands
1991 "Seinfeld" debuts on NBC-TV
1993 New York Newsday reports Oregon's Senator Bob Packwood sexually harassed 23 women
1998 Pope John Paul II condemns US embargo against Cuba
2001 Five Falun Gong followers set themselves on fire in China's Tiananmen Square; one died.

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

Luxembourg : Grand Duchess' Birthday
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Dragon (2012/4710)
US : Pie Day
US : Spouses Day
National Egg Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Ildephonsus
Roman Catholic : Feast of St Ildephonsus
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Emerentiana, virgin/martyr
old Roman Catholic : Feast of St Raymond of Penafort, confessor (now 1/7)
Anglican : Commemoration of Phillips Brooks, bishop of Massachusetts

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Religious History
1656 French scientist Blaise Pascal, 33, published the first of his 18 "Provincial Lettres," the majority of which attacked the Jesuit theories of grace and moral theology.
1755 Under the influence of the Methodist movement, English clergyman John Fletcher, 26, was converted to a living faith. He remained in the Anglican church but afterward became a chief defender of evangelical Arminianism.
1789 Georgetown College was founded by Father John Carroll, 54, in Washington, D.C. Ä the first Roman Catholic college established in America.
1935 British biblical expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'Growth in grace is like the growth of a cow's tail Ä the more it truly grows, the closer to the ground it is brought.'
1943 The New Tribes Mission was incorporated in Los Angeles by founder Paul W. Fleming. NTM works today primarily in missionary aviation, Bible translation, church planting and the production and distribution of Christian literature.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."

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Question of the day...
If you’re born again, do you have two bellybuttons?

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Murphys Law of the day...(Malek's Law)
Any simple idea will be worded in the most complicated way.

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Astounding Fact #87,901...
The most sensitive finger is the forefinger.

[snippy_about_it]

Looks like something Hobart would have come up with if he were working on planes instead of tanks.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Aeronaut

I haven't seen a picture of that Vertical takeoff plane since I was a kid and never saw one of it flying. Thanks

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C. Looks like we're getting rain today.

[snippy_about_it]

Mornin' SCDogPapa. Hey, tell us what South Carolina REALLY thinks of Edwards? Up North here we see him as an expensive ambulance chaser who's daddy "worked in a mill". LOL.

[Aeronaut]

Hi Sam. I went deep into the well of unusual aircraft for this one.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Samwise.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Sam, I couldn't have done it either. All those bugs, dark and not knowing what was around the corner. No way.

[SAMWolf]

Morning CholeraJoe.

And you think your job sucks?

It sure makes you think maybe you don't have it so bad after all.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Matt. These men don't get half the credit they deserve.

[SAMWolf]

Morning GailA. I really like the graphic this morning.

[SAMWolf]

Morning SCDogPapa. I find it amazing that they could get men to volunteer to do that job.

[SAMWolf]

1950 Richard Dean Anderson Minneapolis MN, actor (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1)

I really, really like SG-1. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Looks like something Hobart would have come up with if he were working on planes instead of tanks.

LOL! Good Point!

[The Mayor]

Here is his report, I fed him as much info as I could and so did Mrs Mayor. We couldn't do it for him so I haven't even read the whole thing yet myself. I fell asleep while he was still working on it.
He is a Junior in High School and 16 years old.
Truly a good kid, he makes me Proud to be his Dad..

US History Second Quarter Project
Elijah Thompson Vietnam War -and- September 11th 2001

1. The main reason that the United States of America became involved in the Vietnam Conflict was to prevent the spread of Communism. Communism was perceived as a threat to the free market principles under which The United States operates. During World War II, in order to monitor Japanese military movements, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which eventually became the CIA, established observation stations in Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia). Many people believe that the recommendations made from their observations led to the first U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
President Truman believed that if North Vietnam succeeded in overtaking South Vietnam, there would be a greater Soviet (communist) influence in Europe. The French also believed that if they lost control of Indochina, their government would fall to the Communist Party. The French government used Truman's beliefs (global security rested in Europe through the containment of the Soviet Union) to persuade the U.S. government to assist the French in Indochina.

2. There were many events concerning what happened in the Vietnam War, and some of the most well known and well-remembered by the Veterans was the battle of hamburger hill. This battle wasn't just one battle; it was a series of battles. The US eventually won these battles. The Tet offensive was also another very well known event in the Vietnam War. This was another series of battles that American troops basically lost. This resulted in North Vietnam taking over some parts of South Vietnam. When American troops left South Vietnam, it was a major turning point. It basically told America’s allies that they were done with the war, and that they couldn’t do anything more. The South Vietnamese people were being invaded as the Americans were leaving and they were pushing helicopters off into the water to try to get to the US embassy for safety.

3. Although Lyndon B. Johnson was the president of the United States during much of the Vietnam war, there are multiple things that make him more remembered than some of the other presidents. Johnson started his term in office after the Kennedy assassination, on the morning of November 22, 1963. During his term the most remembered event was the "Tet Offensive". The Tet Offensive was a series of battles in Indochina that the U.S. forces continued to lose to North Vietnamese forces, which eventually took over some of South Vietnam. One of the main things that the United States lost in those battles was known as the "Credibility Gap". Certain public officials were being distrusted by the American people because it seemed that they were lying to them about the real progress in the war. When Johnson stated that he was not going to run for re-election on March 31, 1968, the nation believed that he had given up hope for the Vietnam War, and it was hard for them to believe in something that even the President of the United States didn't believe in. Because of his perceived attitude towards the war, the American people began to think that America would lose the war, and that being in Vietnam was a waste of lives, time, and resources.

4. What were some of the reasons that some Americans protested the war?
The main reasons that some Americans protested the war in Vietnam was because they didn’t know why the US forces were there. They thought that nothing that is happening in Vietnam could ever effect them. The protestors thought that America was losing its men and women with no real cause.

5. The public responded to the Vietnam War by being against the war all-together or supporting the war completely. To find an issue that Americans disagree with each other as much as they did about Vietnam, you would have to look at the civil war disagreements. No other time have Americans been so divided. You could have seen anti-war activists fighting with the Vietnam Supporters all over the United States. Many people in the media began to show their dislike of America's involvement in the war. News reporters would say that they do not like the war, and this made the American people think twice about supporting the war. Media began to question America's role in Vietnam and if American lives were being lost for a just cause. Because the media was the most significant tool used for showing the destruction of the war to the American people, and because those covering the issues in Vietnam were biased (anti-war), more and more people started to believe that US's involvement in the war was not necessary.

6. During the Vietnam War, the power of the federal government increased in short term. The way it increased was by the way the draft was instituted and enforced. And it increased it’s power by mobilizing the National Guard units to suppress riots at college campuses and other strategic places. The long-term effects of the Vietnam War however, caused the federal government’s power to decrease. The Credibility of the government was questioned because of what Robert Mc.Namara, the defense secretary at the time, stated. He said that America should arrange a negotiated settlement with the North Vietnamese, and stop the bombing campaign all together. Being the defense secretary, people listened to what he had to say about the war, naturally. Still today, people in general have a distrust of the government and its policies. There is always a consistent vocal opposition to the government no matter what political power is in charge at the time.

7. Vietnam was essentially the only war fought by Americans that was lost. Americans are continually haunted by the logistical failures by 58,000 men lost with no positive result. The lack of support for the military left a certain amount of disrespect for the government and for the militia. We now know from the haunting experience of Vietnam, that in any conflict, it is necessary to have a clear objective, to have an exit strategy and to be prepared to commit the necessary resources for nation building in the aftermath.

8. On September 11, 2001, everything started off like a normal day, but little did America know, that at that very same time, there were American planes being hijacked and the terrorists were planning on running the planes into the most prominent military buildings in the United States. At 8:46 am, the first hijacked plane crashed into one of the World Trade Centers. Not even a half an hour later, a second plane crashed into the other World Trade Center building, at 9:04 am. Both of these planes that crashed into the World Trade Centers both took off at approximately the same time from an airport in Boston and completely turned around from their normal routes and headed toward New York City. As soon as this happened, the White House, Capital Building, and some of the Pentagon were evacuated. And then at 9:45 am, a third plane crashed into the southeastern side of the Pentagon, which had been recently renovated. There were approximately 50,000 people working in the Pentagon at the time of the attack. The World Trade Center that was attacked second basically broke almost in half and crumbled to the ground at 10:02 am. The first attacked Trade Center collapsed under its own weight at 10:37 am. During the time between the attacks and the collapsing of the World Trade Centers, workers in the twin towers could be seen jumping from the seventy, eighty or ninetieth floor so that they didn’t have to bear the 1,000-degree temperatures within the towers. New Yorkers who would be going to work were running as fast as they can away from the billowing smoke and fire caused by the collapsing towers. Then, at 10:41, a hijacked plane thought to be headed for the White House, crashed into a field south of Pittsburgh. The passengers on board apparently wrestled this plane away from the terrorists. If they didn’t act in the way they did, there could very well be a hole in the side of the White House.

9. What does this document say about America’s policy considering terrorists?
This document shows that America wants justice. They want Osama bin Laden to be caught, no matter what the cost. If he is caught, then America believed (at the time) that the terrorist groups would fall apart also.
10. Ever since the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, the United States have made an effort to be able to stop terrorism. Such as bombing places where terrorist leaders are and finding and capturing Saddam Hussein, Iraqi dictator. The United States has troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq, looking for possible terrorist threats. The primary objective after the September 11th attacks was to find out who did it. America almost immediately blamed Osama bin Laden, and his terrorist network known as al-Qaeda. Later, we found out that it wasn’t only Osama Bin Laden that was responsible for the attacks, it was also Saddam Hussein. American soldiers later found and captured Hussein.

11. Ever since the attacks, the American domestic policy has changed. One example of this is at most of the airports. There are security checking based partly on how a person is dressed or the color of their skin. The search for American terrorists has also been raised. Like the Buffalo Terrorists, many others have been suspected of terrorism in the United States.

12. Since the attacks, the way that people look at life all together has changed. The patriotism has grown and respect for the military has grown very much. The respect for the military might be different if they haven’t succeeded in as many things as they have, such as killing or capturing terrorists, and finding weapons of mass destruction that the Iraqis said that they did not have. A greater distrust of immigrants from the Middle East has risen. Never before have people from the middle east been looked down on so much as they are now. Multiple stereotypes have been created about Arabians and Iraqis. Ground Zero (the place where the World Trade centers once stood) has kind of like a monument by itself. There doesn’t need to be anything there to tell us what happened because we lived through it.

13. We have learned many things from the Vietnam War that we put into play in the War on Terror. We didn’t go into the foreign country without proper supplies, and we have an exit strategy. We are prepared for what could happen, and we know more about the terrain in Iraq than we did in Vietnam. We are prepared to accomplish our objective, and then help the Iraqi people continue with their lives in peace and with a Democracy.

[SAMWolf]

I have a book around here somewhere with pictures of planes the Germans were designing at the end of the war, they had some really bizarre ideas.

[SAMWolf]

No way

I would have been a basket case the first 10 feet.

[snippy_about_it]

1975 "Barney Miller" premieres on ABC TV

Abe Vigoda (Detective Fish) was my favorite on that series.

[SAMWolf]

They won because they had to will and desire to win, sadly our politicians did not.

[Mudboy Slim]

I get the claustrophopic heebie-jeebies just reading about these tunnels...took a lotta guts to go searchin' fer the enemy in them...MUD

[SAMWolf]

Pretty good report, Mayor.

I'd disagree with the "we lost the Tet offensive" part though. Militarily the Tet offensive was a disaster for the Communists, their losses were horrendous, they didin't hold onto any of their objectives, the "popular uprising" they expected never happened and the VC were pretty much destryed as a large scale effective fighting force. We lost Tet back in the States, it widened the "credibilty gap" and started more people to question our involvement in Vietnam.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Mud.

Heebe-jeebies is exactly right, makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

[SAMWolf]

Robot Tunnel Rats In Afghanistan

Transferring technology from the lab to the battlefield, American forces have added robots to the hunt for terrorists.

Four robots--nicknamed Hermes, Professor, Thing and Fester--earned their stripes in summer 2002 by helping the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division search cave and tunnel complexes surrounding Qiqay, Afghanistan.

The 42-pound tread-driven warriors are adaptations of PackBot, a sort of robot scout developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Initially, the 3-ft.-long x 1-ft.-tall robots were envisioned for reconnaissance duty in war-torn cities. Their video cameras and ability to navigate narrow passages and avoid obstructions make them the perfect tunnel rats.

Hermes and his buddies are operated using a remote-control unit that is worn like a flak jacket. Pleased with the little robots' performance on recon missions, the Army plans to give each one a 12-gauge shotgun or a grenade launcher.

In World War I, tanks ended the stalemate of trench warfare. PackBots might have a similar effect by defeating armies that hide in caves.

[SCDogPapa]

Hey, tell us what South Carolina REALLY thinks of Edwards?

Well, the wife and I were kinda looking at him,,but not now.

Up North here we see him as an expensive ambulance chaser who's daddy "worked in a mill". LOL.

I cannot speak for all of South Carolina,,,but that about covers it.

He was born in Seneca, SC but moved to North Carolina. We don't need him here. I know that's not the kind of answer you were wanting, but that's all the answer I can give at this time.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks for sharing your son's report with us. It is interesting to see what our children are learning in school nowadays. Was this an assignment specific to Vietnam or was it a choice each child got to make for a report?

[Valin]

Indeed.