The Freeper Foxhole Remembers Con Thien/Operation Buffalo - Dec. 27th, 2002

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[SAMWolf]

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A PLACE OF ANGELS

A mud-covered hill, 158 meters in height, anchoring the northeast corner of Leatherneck Square, the quadrilateral of Marine combat bases – Gio Linh, Dong Ha, Cam Lo and Con Thien – South of the DMZ (demilitarized zone), Con Thien loosely translated means “place of angels” of “hill of angels.” But no angels were in evidence there during the terrible summer and fall of 1967 when the base came under heavy ground and artillery attack by the invading North Vietnamese Army (NVA).

Situated less than two miles from the DMZ, elements of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, nervously eyed the hostile terrain in front of their perimeter at Con Thien. The date was May 8, 1967.

At approximately 0300, the all-too-familiar sound of a flare popping broke the eerie silence. Soon, the surrounding landscape was bathed in an artificial light, giving the battlefield a surrealistic touch. Suddenly, the deafening roar of rockets stabbed the night air, and the Marines dove for any available cover to escape injury. As the artillery fell, NVA units jockeyed to prepare a ground assault on the compound. Armed with flamethrowers and using Bangalore torpedoes, two NVA battalions managed to breach the wire. It was the first reported use of flamethrowers by the enemy since American troops had engaged NVA regulars. Company D was hit extremely hard and the leathernecks were engaged in hand-to-hand fighting as a platoon from the 11th Engineers raced into the line to plug the gap. After desperate fighting that lasted until dawn, the defenders were able to repel the attackers.

During the firefight, Lance Cpl. Michael P. Finley, a grenadier with Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, vaulted from his position and accurately lobbed two rounds from his M-79 “blooper,” destroying an enemy machine-gun emplacement. Despite being wounded, he dashed to another Marine’s aid. After finishing with him, he raced to administer medical treatment to his mortally wounded squad leader. Killed in the attempt, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest medal for bravery. When the attack ended, 44 Marines had been killed and 110 wounded. The NVA lost 197 killed and 8 captured. Why had the enemy pressed so hard at Con Thien – an undersized knoll a “stone’s throw” from the DMZ? What was so important here?

Burdened with construction of the strongpoint obstacle system, pejoratively called “McNamara’s Line” by the Marines, Con Thien overlooked enemy supply routes from the north and its capture would constitute an enemy foothold in Quang Tri province. As Colonel Richard B. Smith, commanding officer of the 9th Marines, put it: “Con Thien was clearly visible from the 9th Marines Headquarter on the high ground at Dong Ha 10 miles away, so good line-of-sight communications were enjoyed. Although Con Thien was only 160 meters high, it tenants had dominant observation over the entire area. If the enemy occupied it he would be looking down our throats.”



And the NVA wanted to be the new tenants. Consequently, several attempts would be made to seize Con Thien. Until mid-1967, the northern section of the DMZ had been a safe haven for the Communists. Here, they reorganized and prepared their plans for future assaults in Northern I Corps, including the strongpoint of Con Thien. The first of these thrusts was in the spring of 1967, as recorded above, and coincided with the anniversary of the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The second would be made in the summer, when the NVA utilized heavy artillery, for the first time, in support of ground units. The third would be made, during the months of September and October; the enemy fired punishing artillery barrages on the occupants of Con Thien.

After the May 8 offensive on Con Thien, Washington directed the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) to enter the southern portion of the DMZ. Previous to this, the NVA was using this area as a sanctuary and U.S. Forces were expressly prohibited from penetrating this region. Code-named Operation Hickory for the 3rd Marine Division, Lam Son 54 for the 1st ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Division, Beau Charger for Special Landing Force (SLF) Alpha, and Belt Tight for SLF Bravo, the Allies wasted no time in making contact with the enemy.



The Operation Hickory phase of the three-pronged advance into the DMZ began on May 18. By late morning, Lt. Col. Charles R. Figard’s 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, ran head-on into two NVA battalions. Fighting from well-camouflaged bunker complexes, the enemy delivered a hail of automatic weapons fire upon the leathernecks’ right flank.

Realizing his squad was unable to maneuver, Corporal Richard E. Moffit of Company G lunged forward at the hedge-row where the shooting was coming from and let loose a steady stream of rifle fire. Once there, he killed two NVA soldiers manning the trench. The following day, the intrepid Moffit braved another enemy machine-gun nest.

Again, he rushed the fortification, this time hurling fragmentation grenades. He would miraculously survive to be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions. During the intense combat, Lt. Col. Figard and his operations officer were hit by mortar fire. Soon, Lt. Col. John J. Peeler’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, was also heavily committed.

Meanwhile, Operation Lam Son 54 was initiated by two ARVN battalions from the 1st ARVN Division. Making no contact, the South Vietnamese units proceeded to the Ben Hai River, located in the center of the DMZ itself, and started sweeping southward.

While these two battalions were advancing on the east side of Highway 1, three ARVN airborne battalions did so on the west. On May 19, the 31st and 812th NVA regiments met the ARVN multibattalion sweep and fighting ensued that would continue for more than a week. The ARVN, while losing 22 killed and 122 wounded, dealt the Communists a greater blow: 342 dead, 30 enemy soldiers captured and 51 assorted weapons seized.

Beau Charger was another story. Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, the assault element for SLF Alpha, was greeted with a hot reception at its destination, Landing Zone (LZ) Goose. As the fifteen UH-34s (“Sea Horses” from Squadron HMM-263) prepared to land, enemy machine-gun fire blasted the vulnerable choppers.



The lead helicopter, flown by squadron commander Lt. Col. Edward K. Kirby, was struck by a broadside as it hovered less than 50 feet off the ground. The initial burst rendered the chopper’s radio inoperable and injured the copilot, crew chief, door gunner and three Marines from 1/3. Another leatherneck was killed outright and tumbled from the “bird.” Upon hearing of the “hot LZ,” SLF commander Colonel James A Gallo, Jr., scrubbed all further heliborne assaults into Goose and opted instead to disembark his Marines at LZ owl, 800 meters to the south.

However, A 1/3, already on the ground, was isolated. With the enemy so intertwined with the Marines, urgent requests for naval gunfire from warships just offshore had to be aborted. By 100, other units, plus a force of M-48 tanks, reached the trapped men a LZ Goose. The infantrymen met the enemy in hand-to-hand combat as fixed-wing aircraft hammered NVA trenches. After 11 jets pounded the positions, Companies A and B of 1/3 jumped off to continue the planned attack.

While attacking the enemy’s bulwarks, Corporal Russell F. Keck, a machine-gun squad leader with Alpha Company, dispersed his guns to deliver accurate fire upon the trench line. Coming under a heavy barrage, Keck ordered the automatic weapons moved to another location to prevent their being destroyed. Although wounded, Keck remained in his position to administer covering fire for another Marine, knowing this action would surely result in his death. Corporal Keck received the Navy Cross posthumously.

All told, the various operations carried out in the southern portion of the DMZ by the Marine and ARVN units snagged 789 enemy killed, 37 captured, and 187 weapons confiscated. Allied casualties would attest to the intensity of fighting as 142 Marines and 22 ARVN soldiers were killed, and 896 and 122 respectively, were wounded.

But the Marines were not idle either, In July the leathernecks counterattacked with another multibattalion operation code-named Buffalo.

[SAMWolf]

On July 2, Lt. Col. Richard J. “Spike” Schening’s 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, sardonically referred to as “The Walking Dead,” lived up to their reputation when Company B walked into a large NVA ambush about a mile or so east of Con Thien.

Pressing forward along route 561, nothing more than a 10-foot-wide cart path, the leathernecks met a determined enemy force deeply entrenched along the road’s waisthigh hedgerows. Hit on both flanks, and blasted with mortars and artillery, the company was cut to pieces. The NVA set the dense hedgerows ablaze with flamethrowers on each sided of the road, trapping the Marines between them. In fleeing the inferno, numerous men were cut down by the enfilading fire.

Among the casualties was the company commander, Captain Sterling K. Coates, his radio operator, several platoon leaders and the artillery forward observer. The forward air observer, the next-senior officer present, assumed command of the beleaguered unit. Soon, air strikes hammered Communist positions, which enabled the scattered platoons to regroup and form a perimeter defense. Napalm fell within 20 yards of the company’s lines. Meanwhile, the 1/9 command post (CP) at Con Thien was monitoring the action.

As reports trickled in, and the enemy strength was determined to be greater than a battalion, Schening quickly ordered Company C at Dong Ha “Choppered” in to assist Company B. To augment this, he also dispatched a platoon from Company D, with four tanks, to relieve the battered Marines of Bravo 1/9.

Upon reaching the ambush site, Captain Henry J.M. Radcliffe, 1/9’s operation officer, asked Staff Sgt. Leon R. Burns where the remainder of the company was. Burns answered, “Sir, this is the company, or what’s left of it.”

While extracting the besieged infantrymen, enemy shells rained down upon the LZ. Corpsmen and stretcher-bearers became casualties as the battle-weary troops made their way back to Con Thien. As the shocked and dazed wounded were placed aboard medevac helicopters, NVA artillery continued to blast the area.

The Communists used their artillery fire extensively throughout the battle, unleashing 1,065 rounds at Gio Linh and Con Thien. However, the bulk of the barrage, 700 rounds, was dropped upon 1/9.

By late afternoon, Schening’s Marines were exhausted. Meanwhile, Company A was also heavily engaged as the Marines beat back a large contingent of enemy soldiers that had come to within 50 meters of its lines. Only 27 leathernecks walked out of the action from Bravo Company. Staff Sergeant Burns was presented with the Navy Cross for moving “through the intense fire, with complete disregard for his own safety, to call in and adjust air strikes against the numerically superior enemy force. After the fulfillment of this mission, he led his men in a withdrawal along the highway. As the column moved along the highway, they were taken under devastating enemy mortar and artillery fire. Again exhibiting fearless leadership, he moved up and down the column encouraging his men and directing them into fighting holes to organize a defense position and personally carried two Marines to the landing zone.”



It had been a terrible experience for The Walking Dead battalion. By the end of Buffalo, 84 Marines were killed, 190 wounded and 9 were listed as missing from 1/9.

Colonel George E. Jerue, CO of the regiment, immediately sent Major Willard J. Woodring’s 3/9 into Con Thien, just north of “the trace,” a 200-meter area cleared by the 11th Engineers that would subsequently be enlarged to 600 meters.

On the morning of July 3 Air Force observer fortuitously spotted 100 NVA soldiers north of Con Thien combat base. Echo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, the artillery arm of the 3rd Marine Division, opened fire, killing 75 of the enemy.

While this was going on, fixed-wing fighter and fighter-bomber sorties continually saturated the Lang Son area, approximately 4,000 meters northeast of Con Thien, to prepare for an attack the following day. To bolster the assault elements, 1.3, from SLF Alpha, landed and tied in with 3/9’s right flank.

On Independence Day, July 4, the Marines moved back into the terrain that had been so difficult for 1/9 on July 2. The NVA fought back viciously. By day’s end, 2/3 from SLF Bravo was helilifted into LZ Canary, just north of Cam Lo. The battalion hastily advanced in a northwesterly direction to link up with the other units before nightfall.

The next several days witnessed the combat heighten in fury as additional enemy units began crossing the Ben Hai River into Northern I Corps near Con Thien.One air observer transmitted an urgent message to Captain Burrell H. Landes, Jr., CO of Bravo 1/3, saying he had seen a “large enemy force approaching [his] position.” When Landes asked the size of the NVA formation, the AO replied, “I’d hate to tell you, I’d hate to tell you.” The enemy force, numbering about 400, was marching directly for the Marine lines. As they neared, 500-600 artillery shells slammed into 3/9’s area, while 1,000 impacted in 1/3’s position.

Captain Albert Slater’s Alpha Company, 1/9, under operational control of 3/9, waited until the Communists were 150 meters from his perimeter before giving the order to commence firing. Slater remembered: “…the NVA alerted their unit with a bugle call…. Their initial reaction was [one] of confusion and they scattered. They quickly organized and probed at every flank of the 360-degree perimeter. Concealed prepared positions and fire discipline never allowed the NVA to determine what size of unit they were dealing with…heavy accurate artillery was walked to within 75 meters of the perimeter. The few NVA that penetrated the perimeter were killed and all lines held.”

All through the hellish night, the battle raged. Intelligence confirmed that the leathernecks were facing the elite 90th NVA Regiment. Sappers crept close enough to Marine lines to hurl hand grenades and blocks of TNT. In one instance, three enemy grenades were tossed at Lance Cpl. James Stuckey’s position. The fire team leader picked up each projectile and threw it at the enemy. Unfortunately, the last grenade exploded, leaving only a stump where a hand had once been. Stuckey remained with his fire team and refused medical aid. He received the Navy Cross as a result.



With the assistance of artillery helicopter gunships, naval gunfire and flare ships, the NVA assault was repulsed. By early next morning, the 90th NVA Regiment was withdrawing back across the DMZ. Operation Buffalo ceased on July 14. NVA killed were placed at nearly 1,300, with two soldiers captured. The Marines sustained 159 killed and 345 wounded.

Artillery and air support of the various services had saved the day. More than 1,000 tons of ordnance was dropped by aircraft, more than 40,000 artillery shells were expended by both Army and Marine howitzers, and warships offshore used 1,500 5-inch and 8-inch rounds. These tremendous barrages from land, sea and air caused the destruction of 164 enemy bunkers, 15 rocket and artillery emplacements, and 46 secondary explosions. However, NVA artillery, hidden deep within the safe haven of the DMZ, was also painfully accurate. Half the Marine dead came as a result of the enemy’s guns. Bases such as Con Thien were vulnerable. On July 7, the CP of 1/9 was hit by as 152mm shell. Eleven Marines were killed instantly, with Lt. Col. Schening, the battalion commander, receiving wounds.

Another frightening turn was noted during Operation Buffalo: the use of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). One A-4 aircraft was downed on July 6 while it was providing close air support for 1/3.

The area encompassing the Con Thien combat base was indeed hotly contested ground during the long, grueling summer of 1967. With the completion of Buffalo, the Marines were at least able to keep the enemy at arm’s length.

[SAMWolf]

NO FOXHOLE ATHEISTS

Incoming! To men in combat, this warning means just seconds to find any obtainable shelter before enemy shells land. And for the Marines manning the desolate outpost at Con Thien, those seconds meant the difference between life and death.

There is nothing more terrifying than to experience the feeling of sheer helplessness during an artillery barrage. There is something impersonal about the deadly whine of the metal fragments as they search out victims to maim. These thunderous projectiles would hurl white-hot shrapnel everywhere, both large and small, ripping, tearing and slicing human flesh. Prolonged shelling of this nature can also be psychologically detrimental.

“I can’t stand that artillery,” one shaken Marine confessed. “there’s no warning, no rhyme or reason to who gets hit and who doesn’t.”

While traveling between companies to hold religious services, Navy Lieutenant Leo Stanis, chaplain for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, had a rule. He never said Mass for more than 25 individuals at a time. He would state from the outset: “Men, before we start, look around you. In case we receive incoming, we don’t all want to jump into the same hole. Let us pray…”

It is during these terrifying moments in combat that the old adage applies: “There are no atheists in a foxhole.” And also when the comforting words of men like Leo Stanis are most needed. “Incoming at Con Thien many times makes us feel that the earth is removed and that the mountains are carried into the ocean,” the chaplain said.

Marines there found solace in Stanis’ words. Anywhere he opened his Bible on “the hill of angels,” that spot became his altar. And anytime a Marine feared for his life, he was there to alleviate his dismay. He was truly a man of compassion.

[SAMWolf]

'For the Marines manning that outpost just south of the DMZ, Con Thien was hell on earth when the NVA attacked.'

-- Al Hemingway

[The Real Deal]

Good morning Sam. I've been up the river to Dong Ha more times than I can remember. I can only recall one close call there. A Huey had landed on the boat ramp that night. The pilot was in the radio shack, and the crew was standing around smoking and shooting the $hit. There was an SVA camp on the other side of the river, that seemed to be having a loud party. Which was not all that unusual. When a round can across the river and hit the chopper the pilot came running out. He and the crew got in and took off. Lima 1, (the radio operator), could be heard screaming don't do it, don't do it, over the radio. The Huey got a little altitude across the river and started shooting, minigun and all. The next day when the Marines went over to check it out they found many SVA with their throats cut, and dozens of dead NVA. We all thought that the pilot would be up on charges, but no so. They must have gotten most of the NVA, or they would have hualed off the dead. It was quite a deal.

[The Real Deal]

I'm going to hate not being up for the first look a the Foxhole when I go back to work on the 2nd. I'm going to bed see you all in the morning.

[Jen]

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On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on December 27:
1555 Johann Arndt German Lutherian theologist
1571 Johann Kepler Württemberg Germany, astronomer (elliptical orbits)
1645 Giovanni Adb Viscardi Swiss architect, baptized
1654 Jean/Jacobus Bernoulli Swiss mathematician
1709 Pieter de Swart Dutch architect (Royal Palace, Hague)
1721 Franciscus "French" Hemsterhuis Frisian philosopher
1748 William Marshall composer
1752 Johann Georg Anton Mederitsch-Gallus composer
1755 Antons Klemens Theodor king of Saksen (1827-36)
1761 Michael A Barclay de Tolly Scottish/Russian minister of War
1773 George Cayley England, found science of aerodynamics
1800 John Goss composer
1801 Guillaume L Baud Dutch minister of Colonies (1848-49)
1802 Thomas Fearnley Norway, landscape painter
1803 John ACA van Nispen Sevenaer Member of Dutch 2nd parliament (1848-75)
1814 James Henry Carleton Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1873
1816 Eliakim Parker Scammon Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1894
1822 Louis Pasteur Dole France, bacteriologist (pasteurization)
1822 John Roberts composer
1825 Reinhold Finsterbusch composer
1829 James Clay Rice Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1864
1831 Lucius Fairchild Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1836 Henricus Oort Dutch theologist (Leidse translation)
1845 Augusto de Oliviera Machado composer
1852 Dom Joâo G da Câmara Portuguese journalist/songwriter
1855 Paul Ehrenreich German etnologist/mythologist
1856 Andre Gedalge composer
1859 William Henry Hadow composer
1869 Aurélien FM Lugné-Poe French actor/stage manager (La Parade)
1879 Sydney Greenstreet Sandwich England, actor (Maltese Falcon)
1879 Robert Greig Australia, actor (Horse Feathers)
1884 Bernard van Dieren composer
1890 Maurice Schoemaker composer
1892 Feliks Roderyk Labunski composer
1895 Sig Arno Hamburg, Germany, actor (Holiday in Havana)
1896 Arch Ward sportswriter (proposed baseball's all-star game)
1896 Ewan Calague economist/statistician (Social Security Board)
1896 Louis Bromfield Mansfield OH, writer (Early Autumn, Pulitzer-1926)
1896 Carl Zuckmayer German/Swiss/US playwright
1897 Iwan S Konew Russian marshal/supreme commander pact of Warsaw
1899 Paul Costello US, double sculls (Olympics-gold-1920, 24, 28)
19-- Jerry Gaskill rocker (King's X-Faith Hope Love)
1901 Marlene Dietrich Berlin Germany, singer/actress (Blue Angel)
1901 Irene Handl London England, actress (Riding High, Morgan)
1902 Ferenc Szabo composer
1906 Oscar Levant Pittsburgh PA, actor (American in Paris, Dance of Life)
1906 Ivan Brkanovic composer
1906 Ivan Mark Waller mountaineer
1907 Jan Willem Van Otterloo Winterwijk Holland, conductor (Melbourne 1967-71)
1907 Emile de Strijker Belgian philosopher
1907 Nils-Eric Ringbom composer
1908 Louis de Bourbon Dutch writer/poet (Black Banners)
1909 Johan[nes B] Schmitz Dutch actor/reciter (Lucifer, MacBeth)
1910 Jack Massey groundsman
1910 Neville Crump racehorse trainer
1911 Endre Szervanszky composer [or Jan 1]
1914 Giuseppe Berto Italian writer (Heaven Sees Red)
1914 Ivan Sutton British concert promoter
1915 Mary Kornman Idaho Falls ID, actress (Queen of the Jungle)
1915 William Howell Masters sex author/physician
1917 Earl of Inchcape English large landowner/industrialist (P&O)
1922 Larry Osborne navigator air traffic controller/supply specialist
1924 James A McClure (Senator-R-ID)
1924 Mokta Ould Daddah President of Mauritania (1961-78)
1924 Wouter Eijkelemboom Dutch architect (Holy-hospital, Vlaardingen)
1925 Allan Blank composer
1925 Michel Piccoli Paris France, actor (Topaz, Peril, May Fools)
1926 Jerome Courtland Knoxville TN, actor (Tonka, Tharus)
1930 Wilfrid Sheed England, writer (Boys of Winter, The Hack)
1930 Jacqueline Fontijn Flemish composer
1930 Meg Greenfield US politician(?)
1931 Scotty Moore guitarist (for Elvis)
1934 Larisssa Latynina Ukraine, gymnast (Olympics-gold-1956, 60, 64)
1935 Norma Rae Beatty Ashby broadcaster/TV producer
1936 Lee Salk doctor (CBS TV)
1936 Phil Sharpe cricketer (England middle order batsman during 60's)
1939 John Amos Newark NJ, actor (Good Times, Coming to America)
1940 Jerry Lambert jockey (rode Native Diver)
1940 Pete Brown rocker
1941 Leslie Maguire rocker (Gerry & Pacemakers-Ferry Cross the Mersey)
1941 Michael Pinder rocker (Moody Blues-Nights in White Satin)
1943 Cokie Roberts newscaster (ABC-TV)
1943 Dave Rowberry Newcastle, rocker (Animals)
1944 Tracy Nelson Madison WI, singer (In The Here And Now)
1944 Mick Jones rock guitarist (Foreigner-I Want to Know What Love is)
1946 Janet Street-Porter British TV personality (Youth)
1947 Peter Criss rocker (Kiss-Beth)
1948 Larry Byrom rocker (Steppenwolf-Hour of the World)
1948 Gérard Depardieu France, actor (Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Danton)
1948 Tovah Feldshuh New York NY, actress (Idolmaker, Terror out of the Sky)
1950 Terry Bozzio rock drummer (Missing Persons-Hello I Love You)
1950 Jack van Gelder Dutch TV host
1951 William Waldorf 4th viscount Astor/English large landowner
1952 Karla Bonoff rock singer (New World, Restless Nights)
1952 Tovah Feldshuh New York NY, actress (Idolmaker, Terror out of the Sky)
1953 Arthur Kent newscaster [Scud Stud], (NBC-Gulf War coverage)
1953 Kevin Wright cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1979)
1956 Doina Melinte Romanian running star (world record 1500 m/mile indoor)
1957 Connie Chillemi Eglin AFB FL, golfer (1994 Standard Register-13th)
1957 James Sanford US runner (world record 50 meter indoor)
1958 Steffen Mensching writer
1958 Steven Glen Jones Artesia NM, PGA golfer (1988 AT&T Pebble Beach)
1959 Andre Tippett NFL linebacker (New England Patriots)
1959 Mary Holland San Diego CA, WPVA volleyballer
1960 Maryam D'Abo London, actress (Living Daylights, Xtro, Until Sept)
1960 Terry Price Rockhampton Queensland, Australasia golfer
1961 Caroline Gowan Greenville SC, LPGA golfer (South Carolina Women's Amateur-1981, 83)
1962 Barbara Crampton Levittown NY, actress (Body Double, The Young & the Restless)
1962 Sherri Steinhauer Madison WI, LPGA golfer (1992 du Maurier Ltd)
1962 Timothy Hacker Milwaukee WI, 10k runner
1963 Dana Chladek Decin Czechoslovakia, US slalom Kayak (Olympics-bronze/silver-92, 96)
1963 Jim Leyritz Lakewood OH, catcher (New York Yankees)
1963 Mark Pike NFL defensive end (Buffalo Bills)
1964 David Tikolo Kenyan cricket batsman (1996 World Cup)
1964 Randy Kirk NFL outside linebacker (Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers)
1964 Steve Wallace NFL tackle (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs)
1965 Gamini Wickremasinghe cricketer (Sri Lanka wicket-keeper)
1967 Niels Meijer Dutch rock keyboardist (Bob Color)
1968 Dean Palmer Tallahassee FL, infielder (Texas Rangers)
1969 Chris Humbert Modesto CA, water polo 2 meter offense (Olympics-96)
1969 Suzanne Paxton Baltimore MD, fencer-foil (Olympics-96)
1970 Frank Messmer WLAF defensive end (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1970 Lorenzo Neal NFL fullback (New Orleans Saints, New York Jets)
1970 Mike Salmon NFL/WLAF safety (Houston Oilers, Rhein Fire, San Francisco 49ers)
1970 Steve Hoyem WLAF offensive tackle (Rhein Fire)
1971 Bryan Smolinski Toledo OH, NHL forward (Team USA, Pittsburgh Penguins)
1971 James Stewart NFL running back (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1972 Thomas Wilson Brown actor (Jason-Knots Landing)
1972 Charles Way NFL fullback (New York Giants)
1972 Dewayne Washington NFL cornerback (Minnesota Vikings)
1973 Bill Clay Yokosuka Japan, US sprint cyclist (Olympics-96)
1973 Wilson Cruz actor (My So Called Life, Ally McBeal)
1975 Heather O'Rourke San Diego CA, actress (Happy Days, Poltergeist)
1975 Patrick Paauwe Dutch soccer player (PSV, Graafschap)
1977 Kate Nelson Evanston IL, rhythmic gymnast (Olympics-96)

---

Deaths which occurred on December 27:
0418 Zosimus Greek Pope (417-8), dies
0975 Balderik bishop of Utrecht (918-75), dies
1065 Ferdinand I the Great, king of Castile, dies
1590 Emmanuel-Philibert of Lalaing marquis of Renty, dies at 33
1595 Pietro Pontio composer, dies at 63
1603 Thomas Cartwright English Presbyterian publicist, dies at about 68
1631 John Pijnas Dutch painter, buried at about 47
1641 François van d'Aerssen ruler of Sommelsdijk/diplomat, dies at 69
1805 Belle van Zuylen Netherlands/Swiss writer (Trois Femmes), dies at 65
1836 Stephen Fuller Austin founder of state of Texas, dies at 43
1858 Alexandre Pierre François Boely composer, dies at 73
1877 Nikolai A Nekrasov Russian poet (Metshty into Zvuki), dies at 56
1880 Alessandro Nini composer, dies at 75
1916 Nikolay Feopemptovich Solov'yov composer, dies at 70
1919 Achilles Alferaki composer, dies at 73
1919 Theodoor H de Meester Dutch liberal premier (1905-08), dies at 68
1924 William Archer Scottish critic/playwright (Green Goddess), dies at 68
1925 Louis Dosfel Flemish lawyer/literary (Assault!), dies at 44
1930 William Courtleigh actor (Madame X, Eyes of Youth), dies at 63
1931 Peter Christian Lutkin composer, dies at 73
1931 Walter Courvoisier composer, dies at 56
1936 Hans von Seeckt German general/advisor of Chiang Kai-shek, dies at 70
1938 Emile Vandervelde Belgian Secretary of State (BWP), dies at 72
1938 O Mandelstam writer, dies
1944 Amy Marcy Cheney Beach composer, dies at 77
1950 Max Beckmann German painter/graphic artist, dies at 66
1952 Henri G Winkelman Dutch supreme commander army/navy 1940, dies at 76
1957 Alan Bridge actor (Hail the Conquering Hero), dies at 66
1959 Alfonso Reyes Mexican poet/historian/diplomat, dies at 70
1972 Lester B Pearson (L) 14th Canadian PM (Nobel 1957), dies at 75
1974 Amy Vanderbilt US author (Complete book of etiquette), dies at 66
1974 Raymond Glenn actor (Raisin in the Sun, Carmen Jones), dies at 76
1978 Bob de Lange Dutch actor/director (Daniel), dies at 62
1978 Chris Bell rock guitarist (Big Star), dies at 27 in car crash
1978 Houari Boumédiene Algerian President, dies after 40 days in a coma at 53
1979 Hafizullah Amin President of Afghánistán (1979), murdered
1981 Hoagy Carmichael US actor/songwriter (Stardust), dies at 82
1982 John Leonard Swigert Jr astronaut (Apollo 13), dies of cancer at 51
1983 Houari Boumediene Algerian President dies after 40 days in a coma
1983 Walter Scott rocker, dies
1985 Dian Fossey US naturalist (Gorillas in Mist), found dead in Rwanda
1986 Cliff Burton bass player (Metallica), dies in a bus crash at 24
1986 Lars-Eric Vilner Larsson composer, dies at 78
1987 Rewi Alley New Zealand author, pro Chinese communist, dies at 90 in Beijing
1987 Priscilla Dean actress (Outside the Law), dies of injuries at 91
1988 Fox Harris actor (Alienator, Warlords, Sid & Nancy), dies
1988 Hal Ashby academy-award winning director (Shampoo, 8 Million Ways to Die), dies of cancer at 59
1991 Edward M Love choreographer/dancer, dies of AIDS at 43
1991 John Morgan Evans actor, dies after lengthy illness at 49
1991 W Hudson US "strongest man to the world" (540 kg), dies
1992 Cardew "the Cad" [Douglas] Robinson English comedian (Alfie), dies at 75
1992 Jan Peeters Dutch watercolorist/monument artist, dies
1993 Blandine Ebinger [Loeser] actress (Mädchen in Uniform), dies at 94
1993 Youssef Sebti Algerian scholar/poet, murdered at 50
1994 Hans Berghuis author/poet (Kleitabletten), dies at 70
1994 Karl AF Schiller West German economist/SPD-minister, dies at 83
1994 Peter Barker Howard May cricket (4537 runs-England 1951-61), dies at 64
1994 Sadi de Gorter Dutch author/diplomat (Abscess), dies at 82
1995 Jeremy John Beadle writer/broadcaster, dies at 39
1995 Peter Refn Danish journalist/director (Violets are Blue), dies at 54
1995 Shura Cherkassky pianist, dies at 86
1997 Brendan Gill journalist, dies at 83
1997 Dorothy Stroud garden historian, dies at 87
1997 Ewart G Abner Jr president (Motown Records), dies at 74
1997 Tom Hudson artist/teacher, dies at 75

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On this day...
0418 [Etalius] begins his reign as Catholic Pope
0537 St Sofia-church in Constantinople, initiated
1437 Albrecht II von Habsburg becomes king of Bohemia
1503 Battle at Garigliano - Spanish army under G Córdoba beats France
1521 "Zwickauer profeten" appear in Wittenberg
1679 Dutch troops capture Madurees prince Trunudjojo in Java
1703 England & Portugal sign Methuen-Asiento-trade agreement
1741 Prussian forces took Olmutz, Czechoslovakia
1825 1st public railroad using steam locomotive completed in England
1831 Darwin begins his voyage to South America on board the HMS Beagle
1836 Worst English avalanche kills 8 of 15 buried (Lewes Sussex)
1845 Ether 1st used in childbirth in US, Jefferson GA
1850 Hawaiian Fire Department established
1862 Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs MS (Chickasaw Bayou)
1862 Battle of Elizabethtown KY
1867 Ontario & Québec legislatures hold 1st meeting
1871 World's 1st cat show (Crystal Palace, London)
1884 Netherlands recognizes king Leopold II's Congo Free State
1887 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of The Blue Carbuncle" (BG)
1892 Foundation Stone of the Cathedral of St John laid (New York NY)
1892 N C Biddle beats Livingston 4-0 in 1st black college football game
1897 Stanley Cup: Montréal Victorias beat Ottawa Capitals, 15-2
1900 Carrie Nation's 1st public smashing of a bar (Carey Hotel, Wichita KS)
1903 "Sweet Adeline", a barbershop quartet favorite, is 1st sung
1904 Duke of York Theatre opens in London (1st musical Peter Pan)
1904 W B Yeats/Lady Gregory's "On Baile's Strand" premieres in Dublin
1905 M A Noble scores 281 (369 minutes, 21 fours) New South Wales vs Victoria
1906 1st annual meeting of American Sociological Society, Providence RI
1919 Red Sox owner Harry Frazee announces they will deal any player except Harry Hooper, Hooper is sent to the White Sox after 1920 season
1923 Unsuccessful attempt on prince-regent Hirohito of Japan
1926 Depot Square in the Bronx renamed Botanical Square
1926 Latkin Square in Bronx named for 1st US Jewish soldier to die in WWI
1927 Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, Trotsky expelled
1927 Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II's "Show Boat" premieres at the Ziegfeld Theater (New York NY)
1927 Philip Barry's "Paris Bound" premieres in New York NY
1932 Radio City Music Hall opens (New York NY)
1934 1st youth hostel in US opens (Northfield MA)
1934 Shah of Persia declares Persia now Iran
1937 German immigration officials with no explanation bar Juan Carlos Zabala (Argentina), 1932 Olympic marathon champion, from entering Germany
1937 Bradman scores 246 South Africa vs Queensland, 364 minutes, 20 fours
1937 Mae West performs Adam & Eve skit that gets her banned from NBC radio
1939 1st American skimobiles (North Conway NH)
1939 8.0 Earthquake in Erzincam Turkey, about 50,000 die
1941 Japan bombs Manila even though it was declared an "open city"
1941 Siberia: Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 7th Symphony
1942 1st Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use
1942 NFL Pro Bowl: NFL All-Stars beats Washington 17-14
1943 France transfers most of her powers in Lebanon to Lebanese government
1943 German warship "Scharnhorst" sinks in Barents Sea
1943 Montgomery discusses Overlord with Eisenhower & Bedell Smith
1944 Greece: British premier Churchill flies back to London
1945 International Monetary Fund established - World Bank founded
1945 Arthur Laurent's "Home of the Brave" premieres in New York NY
1946 US wins 1st Davis Cup since 1938
1947 1st "Howdy Doody Show" (Puppet Playhouse), telecast on NBC
1949 Queen Juliana (Netherlands) grants sovereignty to Indonesia
1951 40th Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Sydney (3-2)
1953 Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-16 in NFL championship game
1954 Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Saint of Bleecker Street" premieres at Broadway Theater NYC for 92 performances
1956 Bill Sharman (Boston) ends NBA free throw streak of 55 games
1956 45th Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Adelaide (5-0)
1959 Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants 31-16 in NFL championship game
1960 France performs nuclear test
1961 Belgium & Congo resume diplomatic relations
1961 Styne/Comden/Green's musical "Subways are for Sleeping" premieres at St James Theater NYC for 205 performances
1962 28th Heisman Trophy Award: Terry Baker, Oregon State (QB)
1964 Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Colts 27-0 in NFL championship game
1966 "At the Drop of Another Hat" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 105 performances
1968 Apollo 8 returns to Earth
1968 China People's Republic performs nuclear test at Lop Nor People's Rebublic of China
1970 "Hello, Dolly!" closes at St James Theater NYC after 2,844 performances
1972 Los Angeles Kings start Islanders on 12 game losing streak
1972 New North Korean constitution comes into effect
1972 "Purlie" opens at Billy Rose Theater NYC for 14 performances
1972 Belgium recognizes German Democratic Republic
1973 Los Angeles Dodgers announce night games will start at 7:30 instead of 8
1974 FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional/Sandinista National Liberation Front) seizes government hostages at a private Managua party
1974 40th Heisman Trophy Award: Archie Griffin, Ohio State (RB)
1974 Dear Abby show ends run on CBS radio after 11 years
1974 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1975 Explosion at Chasnala Colliery collapses drowning 350 (Dhanbad India)
1976 Albania constitution goes into effect
1978 King Juan Carlos ratifies Spain's 1st democratic constitution
1979 "Knots Landing" premieres on CBS-TV
1979 Red Army beats New York Rangers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden
1979 Soviet troops invade Afghánistán, President Hafizullah Amin overthrown
1980 Calvin Murphy (Rockets) begins longest NBA free throw streak of 78
1981 Oiler Wayne Gretsky becomes fastest NHLer to get 100 points (38th game)
1981 Lillee becomes the leading wicket-taker in Test Crickets with 310
1981 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1982 Imran Khan 8-60 to bring innings victory vs India at Karachi
1983 Propane gas fire devastated 16 square blocks of Buffalo NY
1983 Pope John Paul II pardons man who shot him (Mehmet Ali Agca)
1984 Padres' free agent pitcher Ed Whitson signs with New York Yankees
1985 Terrorists kill 20 & wound 110 attacking El Al at Rome & Vienna airports; President Reagan blamed Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi
1986 "Les Miserables" opens at Kennedy Center, Washington DC
1986 10th Soap Opera Digest Poll Awards - Young & Restless wins
1987 Steve Largent sets all-time NFL record for career catches when he catches his 752nd pass
1987 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1988 Bulgaria stops jamming Radio Free Europe after more than 3 decades
1989 Oregon begins taking bids on NBA games
1991 Bengals hire Dave Shula as youngest NFL coach (32)
1991 Chuck Knox retires as Seattle Seahawk coach
1991 "Carol Burnett Show" last airs on CBS-TV
1992 "3 From Brooklyn" closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 45 performances
1992 "Les Miserables" opens at Ostregaswerks, Copenhagen
1992 "Tommy Tune Tonite! Song & Dance Act" opens at Gershwin NYC for 10 performances
1992 13th United Negro College Fund raises $11,000,000
1992 Harry Connick Jr is caught with 9mm gun in New York's JFK airport
1992 Nancy Sheehan wins LPGA Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge Golf Tournament
1993 "Candles, Snow, & Mistletoe" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 7 performances
1993 Actress Teri Garr (44) weds John O'Neil (42)
1993 Dow-Jones hits record 3792.93
1995 Boon completes his 21st Test Cricket century (110 vs SL, MCG)
1996 Carquest Bowl 7: Miami beats Virginia, 31-21

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

Australia, Channel Islands, England, Nauru : Boxing Day
Bhutan : Day of 9 Evils
Indonesia : Independence Day (1949)
Namibia, South Africa : Family Day
Canada, United Kingdom (except Scotland), Australia, New Zealand : Boxing Day celebrated - - - - - ( Monday )

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican : Feast of St John, apostle/evangelist

---

Religious History
1774 English founder of Methodism, John Wesley wrote in a letter: 'God...frequently...makes young men and women wiser than the aged, and gives to many, in a very short time, a closer and deeper communion with himself than others attain in a long course of years.'
1784 In Baltimore, at its first General Conference held this side of the Atlantic, Francis Asbury, 39, was ordained the first bishop of the Methodist Church in America.
1899 American Christian temperance leader Carry Nation, 53, raided and wrecked her first saloon in Medicine Lodge, KA. She went on similar rampages in Wichita and Topeka, and in other cities in Iowa and Illinois as well.
1943 The film "The Song of Bernadette" was released by 20th Century Fox. It told the true story of 14_year_old French Catholic peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous, who experienced 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France in 1858.
1949 In Cincinnati, Ohio, the Evangelical Theological Society was organized. A conservative fellowship of North American theologians and Bible scholars, ETS promotes theological discussion and exploration within the context of a firm belief in the truthfulness of the Bible.

---

Thought for the day :
" The plural of spouse is spice. "

[LibWhacker]

Hi, SW . . . Appreciate the pings and all the fantastic war stories. Unfortunately, I don't always have time to read them and so I've missed a whole bunch of them . . . Do you happen to have a list of all the FR urls where they were posted? I did a FR search on 'Foxhole,' but strangely, none of them came up. Thanks.

[E.G.C.]

Bump for the Freeper Foxhole.

[MeekOneGOP]

[SLB]

BTTT

[Stew Padasso]

Bump!

[facedown]

U.S. Marine tending to his Machine Gun. He is dug in with the Marines in the trenches surrounding Con Thien, September 25, 1967.

ONTOS FIRE MISSION, CON THIEN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1968. DENNIS WITH PLT. S/SGT. ED LAVOY IN THE FLACK JACKET.

Joe Mannino, Hotel Co. 67' Con Thien

[facedown]

A few more.

I had gone to the rear,as if there is any rear at Con Thien to scrounge a carton of milk from Pfc Kenneth Birdsong, the helicopter landing zone controller. Two choppers had touched down, unloaded and shoved off. Enemy spotters must have seen them and radioed their 152-mm guns hidden 10 miles away. There was no warning when the shells came there never is when they come on top of you. The first salvo of three hit 100 meters away. A Marine dived for a trench. Others piled into a bunker. Five of us wedged there with ammo stacked all around.

Four (4) man "keyhole" 3rd Force Recon Team At the "Rockpile" , left to right- Bob Nixten, Eddie DeLezen (Me), Joe Jennings and Clyde Poole.

Operation Buffalo.We (Teams from 3rd Force and 3rd Bn.) left Con Thien with A-1-9. The operation began a couple days after this photo was taken when B-1-9 walked into a huge ambush. (July 1967 Con Thien)

[Oldeconomybuyer]

SF Chronicle EDITORIAL: Take care of the troops [they admit "there is much catching up to do"]

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Jen and all.

[gatex]

Senator McCain, "war hero," should read miltary history to the Senate at least one day each week -- instead of campaigning against "loopholes" in the First and Second Amendments.

[cavtrooper21]

Once again, a great post by SAMWolf, thanks!
Hope all had a Merry Chistmas... Without too much "some assembly required" EEw, how I hate that phrase!
Scouts Out!
CT21

[cavtrooper21]

Really good Semper Fi ping...

[SAMWolf]

I'm gonna have to start posting it at around 6 am again too.

Enjoying your vacation?