The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Navy Divers - Jan. 24th, 2003

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq100-1.htm ^

[SAMWolf]

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Diving in the U.S. Navy:
A Brief History

The US Navy is the forerunner in the development of modem diving and underwater operations. The general requirements of national defense and the specific requirements of underwater reconnaissance, demolition, ordnance disposal, construction, ship maintenance, search, rescue, and salvage operations repeatedly give impetus to training and development.



Early History of US Navy Diving

The early history of diving in the US Navy parallels that of the other navies of the world. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, the Navy has employed divers in salvage and repair of ships, in construction work, and in military operations.

For the most part, early Navy divers were swimmers and skin divers, with techniques and missions unchanged since the days of Alexander the Great. During the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay, swimmers were sent in ahead of Admiral Farragut's ships to locate and disarm Confederate mines that had been planted to block the entrance to the bay.

In 1898, Navy divers were briefly involved in an international crisis when the second-class armored battleship USS Maine was sunk by a mysterious explosion while anchored in the harbor at Havana, Cuba. Navy divers were sent from Key West to study and report on the wreck. Although a Court of inquiry was convened, the reason for the sinking was not found.

The beginning of the twentieth century saw the attention of all major navies turning towards developing a weapon of immense potential - the military submarine. The highly effective use of the new weapon by the German Navy in World War I heightened this interest, and an emphasis was placed on the submarine that continues today.



The US Navy had operated submarines on a limited basis for several years prior to 1900. As American technology expanded, the US submarine fleet grew rapidly. However, throughout the period of 1912-1939, the development of the Navy's F, H, and S class boats was marred by a series of accidents, collisions, and sinkings. Several of these submarine disasters resulted in a correspondingly rapid growth in the Navy diving capability.

Until 1912, US Navy divers rarely went below 60 fsw (feet of seawater). In that year, Chief Gunner George D. Stillson set up a program to test Haldane's diving tables and methods of stage decompression. A companion goal of the program was to develop improvements in Navy diving equipment. Throughout a three-year period, first diving in tanks ashore and then in open water in Long Island Sound from the USS Walke (Destroyer No.34), the Navy divers went progressively deeper, eventually reaching 274 fsw.

The experience gained in Stillson's program was put to dramatic use six months later when the submarine USS F-4 sank near Honolulu, Hawaii. Twenty-one men lost their lives in the accident and the Navy lost its first boat in 15 years of submarine operations. Navy divers salvaged the submarine and recovered the bodies of the crew. The salvage effort incorporated many new techniques, such as the use of lifting pontoons, but what was most remarkable was that the divers completed a major salvage effort working at the extreme depth of 304 fsw, using air as a breathing mixture. These dives remain the record for the use of standard deep-sea diving dress. Because of the depth and the necessary decompression, each diver could remain on the bottom for only ten minutes. Even for such a limited time, the men found it hard to concentrate on the job at hand. They were unknowingly affected by nitrogen narcosis.



The publication of the first US Navy Diving Manual and the establishment of a Navy Diving School at Newport, Rhode Island were the direct outgrowth of experience gained in the test pro gram and the USS F-4 salvage. When the United Stares entered World War I, the staff and graduates of the school were sent to Europe, where they conducted various salvage operations along the French coast.

The physiological problems encountered in the salvage of the USS F-4 clearly demonstrated the limitations of breathing air during deep dives. Continuing concern that submarine rescue and salvage would be required at great depth focused Navy attention on the need for a new diver breathing medium. In 1924, the Navy joined with the Bureau of Mines in the experimental use of helium-oxygen mixtures. The preliminary work was conducted at the Bureau of Mines Experimental Station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Experiments on animals, later verified by studies with human subjects, clearly showed that helium-oxygen mixtures offered great advantages over air for deep dives. There were no undesirable mental effects and decompression time was shortened. This early work laid the foundation for development of reliable decompression tables and specialized apparatus, which are the cornerstones of modern deep diving technology.

One year later, in September of 1925, another submarine, the USS S-51 (SS-162), was rammed by a passenger liner and sunk in 132 fsw off Block Island, Massachusetts. Public pressure to raise the submarine and recover the bodies of the crew was intense. Navy diving was put in sharp focus and the Navy realized it had only 20 divers who were qualified to go deeper than 90 fsw. Diver training programs had been cut at the end of World War I, and the school had not been reinstituted.

Salvage of the USS S-51 covered a ten month span of difficult and hazardous diving, and a special diver training course was made part of the operation. The submarine was finally raised and towed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York.



Interest in diving was high once again and the Naval School, Diving and Salvage, was reestablished at the Washington Navy Yard in 1927. At the same time, the Navy brought together its existing diving technology and experimental work by shifting the Experimental Diving Unit (EDU), which had been working with the Bureau of Mines in Pennsylvania to the Navy Yard as well.

In the following years, EDU developed the US Navy Air Decompression Tables, which have become the accepted world standard, and continued developmental work in helium-oxygen breathing mixtures for deeper diving.

The loss of the USS F-4 and USS S-51 provided the impetus for expanding the Navy's diving ability. However, the Navy's inability to rescue men trapped in a disabled submarine was not confronted until another major submarine disaster occurred.

In 1927, the Navy lost the submarine USS S-4 (SS-109) in a Collision with the Coast Guard cutter USS Paulding. The first divers to reach the submarine in 102 fsw, 22 hours after the sinking, exchanged signals with the men trapped inside. The submarine had a hull fitting designed to take an air hose from the surface, but what had looked feasible in theory proved too difficult in reality. With stormy seas causing repeated delays, the divers could not make the hose connection until it was too late. All of the men aboard the USS S-4 had died. Even had the hose connection been made in time, rescuing the crew would have posed a significant problem.



The USS S-4 was salvaged after a major effort, and the fate of the crew spurred several efforts toward preventing a similar disaster. Lieutenant C. B. Momsen, a submarine officer, developed the escape lung which bears his name. It was given its first operational test in 1929 when 26 officers and men successfully surfaced from an intentionally bottomed submarine.

USS Squalus (SS-192)

The Navy pushed for development of a rescue chamber that was essentially a diving bell with special fittings for connection to a submarine deck hatch. The apparatus, called the McCann-Erickson Rescue Chamber, was proven in 1939 when a submarine sank in 243 fsw. The USS Squalus (SS-192) carried a crew of 50 [56 and 3 civilians]. The rescue chamber made four trips and safely brought 33 men to the surface. The rest of the crew, trapped in the flooded after-section of the submarine, had perished in the sinking. The USS Squalus was raised by salvage divers using air and helium-oxygen mixtures. Following renovation, the submarine, renamed USS Sailfish (SS-192), compiled a proud record in World War II.

[SAMWolf]

World War II

Navy divers were plunged into the war with the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. The raid began at 0755, 7 December 1941; by 0915 that same morning, the first salvage teams were cutting through the hull of the overturned battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) to rescue trapped sailors. Teams of divers were put to work recovering ammunition from the magazines of sunken ships, to be ready in the event of a second attack.

The immense salvage effort that followed at Pearl Harbor was highly successful. There were 101 ships in the harbor at the time of the attack and most sustained damage. The hardest hit were the battleships, being one of the primary targets of the raid. Six battleships were sunk and one was heavily damaged. Four of these were salvaged and returned to the fleet for combat duty; the USS Oklahoma was righted and refloated but sank en route to a shipyard in the United States. Only the USS Arizona (BB-39) and the former battleship USS Utah (AG-16) could not be salvaged.

Battleships were not the only subjects of the salvage effort. Throughout 1942 and part of 1943, Navy divers worked on destroyers, supply ships, and other badly needed vessels, often using makeshift shallow water apparatus inside water and gas-filled compartments. In the course of the Pearl Harbor effort, Navy divers spent 16,000 hours underwater during 4,000 dives. Contract civilian divers contributed another 4,000 diving hours.

While divers in the Pacific were hard at work at Pearl Harbor, a major challenge was presented to the divers on the East Coast. The interned French passenger liner Normandie, rechristened as the USS Lafayette (AP-53), caught fire alongside New York City's Pier 88. Losing stability from the tons of water poured on the fire, the ship capsized at her berth.

To clear the vitally needed pier, the ship had to be salvaged. The Navy took advantage of this unique opportunity for training by using the New York site for a new diving and salvage school. The Naval Training School (Salvage) was established there in September 1942, and was transferred to Bayonne, N J in 1946.

Salvage operations were not, of course, the only missions assigned to Navy divers during the war Many dives were made to inspect sunken enemy ships and to recover materials such as code books or other intelligence items. One Japanese cruiser yielded not only $500,000 in yen, but also provided valuable information concerning plans for the defense of Japan against the anticipated Allied invasion.

Combat Swimmers

The combat diving mission was the same in World War II as it had been in previous wars: to remove obstacles from enemy waters and to gather intelligence. The Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) were created when bomb disposal experts and SeaBees (combat engineers) teamed together in 1943 to devise methods for removing obstacles that the Germans were placing off the beaches of France.

The first UDT combat mission, however, was in the Pacific. It was a daylight reconnaissance and demolition project off the beaches of Saipan in June 1944. In March of the next year, preparing for the invasion of Okinawa, one underwater demolition team achieved the exceptional record of removing 1,200 underwater obstacles in two days, under heavy fire, without a single casualty.

Diving apparatus was not extensively used by the UDT during the war. No suitable equipment was readily available. UDT experimented with a modified Momsen lung and other types of breathing apparatus, but not until 1947 did the Navy's acquisition of Aqua-Lung equipment give impetus to the diving aspect of UDT operations. The trail of bubbles from the open-circuit apparatus limited the type of mission in which it could be employed, but a special SCUBA (self- contained underwater breathing apparatus) platoon of UDT members was formed to test the equipment and determine appropriate uses for it.

Through the years since, the mission and importance of the UDT has grown. In the Korean Conflict, during the period of strategic withdrawal, the UDT destroyed an entire port complex to keep it from the enemy.

Today Navy combat swimmers are organized into two separate groups, each with specialized training and missions. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has the mission of han dling, defining, and disposing of munitions and other explosives. The Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) special warfare teams make up the second group of Navy combat swimmers. SEAL team members are trained to operate in all of these environments. They qualify as parachutists, learn to handle a range of weapons, receive intensive training in hand-to-hand combat, and are expert in SCUBA and other swimming and diving techniques. In Vietnam, SEALS were deployed in special counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare operations. The SEALs, also participated in the space program by securing flotation collars to returned space capsules and assisting astronauts during the helicopter pickup

[SAMWolf]

Fleet Diving Since World War II.

Navy diving has not been limited to tactical combat operations, wartime salvage, and submarine sinkings. Fleet diving has become increasingly important and diversified since World War II. A major part of the diving mission is the inspection and repair of naval vessels to minimize downtime and the need for day-docking. Other aspects of fleet diving include the recovery of practice and research torpedoes, installation and repair of underwater electronic arrays, underwater construction, and location and recovery of downed aircraft. Ship sinkings and beachings caused by storm damage and human error continue to demand the fleet's salvage and harbor clearance capabilities in peacetime as well as in times of hostilities.

Loss of the USS Thresher (SSN-593)

Just as the loss of the USS F-4, USS S-51, USS S-4 and the sinking of the USS Squalus caused an increased concern in Navy diving in the 1920s and 1930s, a submarine disaster of major proportions had a profound effect on the development of new diving equipment and techniques in the postwar period. This was the loss of the nuclear attack submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) and all her crew in April, 1963. The submarine sank in 8,400 fsw, a depth beyond the survival limit of the hull and far beyond the capability of any existing rescue apparatus.

An extensive search was initiated to locate the submarine, and if possible, determine the cause of the sinking. The first signs of the USS Thresher were located and photographed a month after the disaster Collection of debris and photographic coverage of the wreck continued for about a year.



Two special study groups were formed as a result of the sinking. The first was a Court of Inquiry, which attributed probable cause to a piping system failure. The second, the Deep Submergence Review Group (DSRG), was formed to assess the Navy's undersea capabilities. Four general areas were examined: search, rescue, recovery of small and large objects, and the Man-In-The-Sea concept. The basic recommendations of the DSRG called for a vast effort to improve the Navy's capabilities in these four areas.

Deep Submergence Systems Project

Direct action on the recommendations of the DSRG came with the formation of the Deep Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) in 1964, and an expanded interest regarding diving and undersea activity throughout the naval service.

Submarine rescue capabilities have been substantially improved with the development of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) which became operational in 1972. This deep diving craft is air-transportable, highly instrumented, and capable of rescue to a depth of 5000 fsw.

Three additional significant areas of achievement for the Deep Submergence Systems Project have been that of Saturation Diving, the development of Deep Diving Systems, and progress in advanced diving equipment design.

US Navy Saturation Diving

The US Navy has developed and proved saturation diving techniques in its Sealab series as well as in ongoing programs of research and development at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU), Naval Medical Research institute (NMRI), and the Navy Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) as well as many institutional and commercial hyperbaric facilities. In addition, saturation diving using Deep Diving Systems (DDS) is now a proven capability.



The Navy developed two types of DDS. The DDS MK I supported two 2-man teams of divers through a 14 day mission profile. The DDS MX I system used in trial dives to 1,148 fsw is no longer in service. The DDS MX 2 MOD 1, designed for saturation diving, supports two 4-man teams for an extended mission time. DDS MK 2 is installed as part of the basic equipment of the ASR 21 class of submarine rescue ships

Open-Sea Deep Diving Records

Diving records have been set and broken with increasing regularity in the past 70 years. In 1915 the 300-fsw mark was exceeded when three U.S. Navy divers, F. Crilley, W. E. Loughman, and E. C. Nielson, reached 304 fsw using the MX V dress. In 1972 the MX 2 Mod 0 DDS set the in-water record of' 1,010 fsw which was subsequently broken in 1975 when divers using the MX 1 Deep Dive System descended to 1,148 fsw. A French dive team subsequently broke the open-sea record in 1977 with a depth of 1,643 fsw.

Summary

Throughout the evolution of diving, from the earliest breath holding sponge diver to the modem saturation diver, the basic reasons for diving have not changed. The needs of national defense, commerce, and science continue to provide the underlying basis for the development of diving What has changed, and continues to change radically, is diving technology.

Note: fsw = feet of seawater

[SAMWolf]

DoD and government agencies, allied forces and industry, will recognize NDSTC as the world's leader and premier facility for all diver and diver-related training, and will regard NDSTC as THE diving center of excellence. NDSTC will:

• Deliver only realistic, relevant training to student divers, and will infuse training with Navy core values to ensure dive training is a rich experience and a positive foundation for a military career.
• In addition to training conducted at the facility, deliver training on demand through a variety of e-learning methods to ensure uninterrupted training access for all constituents, and will be the source of lifelong learning and continuing education for diver related training. NDSTC will lead the CNET claimancy in this regard.
• Be recognized by Navy as a highly efficient training organization that utilizes best business practices and has no redundancy in its processes.
• Be recognized for its expertly maintained facilities, including state-of-the-art hyperbarics, craft and equipment that support all aspects of diving and diver training. Through employment of creative and modern training strategies, and commitment of instructors, provide skilled divers to fleet customers by making classroom training more efficient and focusing more on in-water proficiency.
• Be the nation’s greatest proponent for dive safety for military, commercial and recreational diving by providing education and making information available to the diver community at-large.
• Be the school of choice for diver training for federal, state and local government agencies and law enforcement agencies with dive missions.
• Remain relevant to DoD and Navy needs by being responsive and flexible, and maintaining an effective feedback mechanism with customers.

-- Vision Statement,
Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center

[SAMWolf]

Thanks, Doughty!

[SAMWolf]

[SpookBrat]

Fascinating SAM. Thanks for the thread. Diver Dave, thanks for your service to our country. I thought of you while reading this.

Gotta run. I'll be back later. Have a wonderful day.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Spooky. Thanks for opening the FoxHole this morning.

[SpookBrat]

I like to read about divers because it's something I know I'll never do. LOL It's interesting to read about the work and courage it takes to go underwater. Not for me. I like breathing oxygen outside of water using no equipment.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 24:
0076 Publius A Hadrianus 14th Roman Emperor (117-138)
1664 Sir John Vanbrugh London, dramatist/architect (baptized)
1679 Christian von Wolff German philosopher
1705 Farinelli "Carlo Broschi" Andria Italy, castrato
1712 Frederick II (the Great), king of Prussia (1740-86)
1712 Georg F Schmidt German engraver/etcher
1732 Pierre de Beaumarchais France, playwright (Barber of Seville)
1746 Gustav III king during Swedish Enlightenment (1771-92)
1750 Wybo Fijnje Dutch politician/patriot/journalist
1758 Johann Chrysostomus Drexel composer
1767 Antony CW Staring Dutch lawyer/poet (Jaromir)
1774 Karl Moser composer
1776 Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann German writer/judge/composer (Undine)
1778 Charles F duke of Berry/son of French king Charles X
1798 Karl von Staudt German math professor (projective geometrician)
1798 Karl von Holtei Silesian actor/playwright (Die Vagabunden)
1800 Sir Edwin Chadwick British social reformer
1814 Abraham van Stolk Dutch resources/art collector
1820 John Milton Thayer Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1906
1828 Adam Jacoby Slemmer Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1828 Ferdinand J Cohn German botanist/publicist
1828 Karol Studzinski composer
1829 William Mason composer
1832 John Pegram Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1865
1833 Bernhard Erdmannsdörffer German, historian (Deutsche Geschichte)
1859 Alexander Alexandrovich Il'yinsky composer
1862 Edith Wharton[-Jones] US, novelist (Ethan Frome, Age of Innocence, House of Mirth)
1874 Arthur Shomburg famous African
1880 Elisabeth Achelis creator (World Calendar)
1883 Estelle Winwood [Goodwin], England, actress (Miracle on 34th Street)
1888 Ernst Heinrich Heinkel German inventor (1st rocket-powered aircraft)
1888 Hedwig "Vicki" Baum Austrian/US author (Men Never Know)
1891 Walter Model German field marshal
1895 Albin Zollinger Swiss poet/author (Der Halbe Mensch)
1895 Eugen Roth writer
1895 Hans Fischböck Austria, Finance minister (Nazi-occupied Holland)
1902 Walter Keirnan New Haven CT, TV panelist (I've Got a Secret)
1902 Oskar Morgenstern German/US economist
1903 Robert Gwathmey artist (Arts & Letters)
1906 Norman Cook museum curator
1907 Alfonse Vranckx Belgian lawyer/politician
1907 Maurice Couve de Murville France premier (1968-69)
1909 Ann Todd Hartford England, actress (Paradine Case, 7th Veil)
1909 Tiny Winters musician
1911 C[atherine] L[ucille] Moore US, sci-fi author (Judgment Night)
1912 Ken Weekes cricketer (West Indies batsman vs England 1939, 137 at The Oval)
1913 Mark Goodson TV game-show producer (Goodson-Toddman)
1913 Norman Dello Joio [Dello Ioio], New York City NY, composer
1915 Ernest Borgnine Hamden CT, actor (Ice Station Zebra, McHale, Marty)
1915 Robert B Motherwell US, painter (Elegies to the Spanish Republic)
1915 Vitezslava Kapralova composer
1916 John Corner scientist
1916 Vic Stollmeyer cricketer (brother of Jeff Scored 96 in only Test innings)
1918 John McLiam Alberta, actor (Parker-Men From Shiloh)
1918 Oral Roberts Televangelist; needs $8,000,000 (Oral Roberts College)
1918 Gottfried von Einem Bern Switzerland, Austrian composer (Dantons Tod)
1919 Leon Kirchner Brooklyn NY, opera composer (Lily)
1919 Nora Beloff journalist/author
1920 Don Saddler Van Nuys CA, dancer (Holiday Hotel)
1920 Jerry Maren actor (munchkin-Wizard of Oz, Mayor McCheese)
1921 Bernard J Dwyer (Representative-D-NJ, 1981- )
1922 Neil Franklin soccer star
1923 Simeon ten Holt composer
1924 8th Earl Spencer English large landowner/father of Diane
1924 David Craighead composer
1924 Klaus George Roy composer
1924 Marvin Kaplan Brooklyn NY, actor (Top Cat, Henry-Alice)
1924 Robert W Kastenmeier (Representative-D-WI, 1959- )
1925 Maria Tallchief Fairfax OK, ballerina
1925 William Hudson California, actor (I Led 3 Lives)
1927 Paula Hawkins (Senator-R-FL, 1981-86)
1928 Desmond Morris English zoologist (Human Ape, Body Language)
1930 Bernard Matthews English turkey farmer/multi-millionaire
1931 Ib Norholm composer
1931 Kees Zÿlstra Dutch MP (PvdA)
1932 Werner Steger composer
1933 Zeke Carey US R&B-singer (Flamingos-I Only Have Eyes For You)
1936 Doug Kershaw Louisiana, plays electric fiddle
1936 Jack Scott Canada, rocker (My True Love)
1936 Daniel Goode composer
1938 Julius Arthur Hemphill saxophonist
1939 Ray Stevens Clarksdale GA, singer (Ahab the Arab, The Streak)
1940 Flip Buurmeijer Dutch MP (PvdA)
1941 Michael Chapman Leeds England, rocker (Looking for 11)
1941 Neil Diamond Brooklyn NY, singer/actor (Jazz Singer)
1941 Aaron Neville US singer/keyboardist (Neville Brothers)
1943 Sharon Tate Dallas TX, actress (Valley of the Dolls)
1943 Julie Bennett Beverly Hills CA, actress (Hey There It's Yogi Bear)
1944 David Gerrold [Jerrold David Friedman], author (World of Star Trek)
1946 Hubert M "Jubi" Kirindongo Curaçaos sculptor/painter
1946 John Harrison South African correspondent (BBC)
1946 Michael Ontkean Vancouver BC, actor (Rookies, Slap Shot, Twin Peaks)
1947 Giorgio Chinaglia soccer star (Lazio of Italy, New York Cosmos)
1947 Warren Zevon Chicago IL, rocker (Excitable Boy)
1947 David Randall priest
1948 Elliott Abrams assistant secretary of state/supplied arms to the Contras
1949 John Belushi Chicago IL, comedian/actor (SNL, Blues Brothers)
1949 Bart Gordon (Representative-D-TN, 1985- )
1950 Daniel Auteuil Algeria, actor (Elegant Criminal, Manon of Spring)
1951 Yakov Smirnoff Russia, comedian (It's a wonderful country)
1952 William F Readdy Quonset Point RI, astronaut (STS 42, 51, 79)
1953 Brian Matthews Philadelphia PA, actor (The Burning)
1955 James Montgomery US 100m swimmer (Olympics-3 gold-1976)
1955 Julian Holland rocker (Squeeze)
1958 Frank Ullrich East Germany, world biathlon champion
1960 Nastassja Kinski Berlin Germany, actress (Tess, Cat People)
1961 Krasimir Mikhailov Stoyanov Bulgaria, cosmonaut
1962 Sultan Zarawani cricketer (United Arab Emirates captain 1996 World Cup)
1964 Rob Dibble Bridgeport CT, pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
1964 Ronnie McCann Evander South Africa, Nike golfer (1993 Hawkeye-37th)
1965 Ross MacDonald Vancouver BC, star yachter (Olympics-96)
1966 Kim Saiki Inglewood CA, golfer (1994 Standard Register PING-13th)
1966 Mike Forgeron Main-A-Dieu Nova Scotia, rower (Olympics-96)
1967 Chris Warren NFL running back (Seattle Seahawks)
1967 Shannon Butler South Lake Tahoe CA, 10k runner
1968 Mark Burmester cricketer (Zimbabwe Test all-rounder in 3 Tests 1992)
1968 Mary Lou Retton Fairmont WV, gymnast (Olympics-gold/2 silver/2 bronze-84)
1968 Ross Powell US baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros)
1968 Scott Mercier Harbor City CA, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1969 Louise McPaul Australian javelin thrower (Olympics-silver-92, 96)
1969 Stephanie Romanov actress (Teri Spencer-Models Inc)/model (Elite)
1970 Chris Bartolone hockey defenseman (Team Italy 1998)
1970 Matthew Lillard actor (Scream)
1971 Tonya Crowe Long Beach CA, actress (Olivia-Knots Landing)
1971 Cory Bailey US baseball pitcher (Boston Red Sox)
1971 Joe Panos NFL guard/center (Philadelphia Eagles)
1971 John Reece WLAF/NFL cornerback (Amsterdam Admirals, Dallas Cowboys)
1971 Saalman Raelyn Fostoria Ohio, actress (Attack of 60' Centerfold)
1972 Jay Walker quarterback (Minnesota Vikings)
1972 Joe Garten WLAF center (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1972 Raphael Graetz WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1972 Salima Davidson Pittsburgh Penn, volleyball setter (Olympics-96)
1972 Shannon Garrett CFL defensive back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1973 Chris Ferraro Port Jefferson, NHL right wing (Olympics-94, New York Rangers)
1973 Erik Gervais Valleyfield Québec Canada, kayaker (Olympics-96)
1973 Peter Ferraro Port Jefferson, NHL right wing (Olympics-94, New York Rangers)
1973 Richard Aimonetto hockey forward (Team France 1998)
1974 Kristy Sargeant Edmonton Alberta, ice pairs (1994 Skate Canada)
1974 Layla Linn Miss New Mexico-USA (1996)
1974 Tim Biakabutuka running back (Carolina Panthers)
1975 Danielle Connors Miss Virginia-USA (1996)
1976 Laure Belleville Miss France-Universe (1996)
1976 Shae-Lynn Bourne Chatham Ontario, ice dancer (Bourne & Kraatz - 1995 World Champions-4th)
1977 Lenka Cenkova Trinec Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1995 Futures-Vaihingen-Germany)
1979 Tatyana M Ali New York City NY, actress (Sesame Street, Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
1993 Ashley Jade Stern daughter of radio personality Howard Stern

---

Deaths which occurred on January 24:
0041 Caligula [G C Germanicus], Roman emperor (37-41), assassinated at 28
0661 Ali ibn Abu Talib kalief of Islam (656-61), murdered
0772 Stefanus III/IV pope (768-72), dies
0817 Stefanus IV [V/Colonna], pope (816-17), dies
1336 Alfonso IV the Benignant, king of Aragon (1327-36), dies at 36
1473 Conrad Paumann German blind organist/composer, dies
1547 Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, executed for treason
1639 George Jenatsch Grisons leader, assassinated
1666 Johann Andreas Herbst composer, dies at 77
1678 Joan Maetsuyker Governor-General of Netherlands East-Indies, dies at 72
1805 Giacomo Conti composer, dies at 50
1812 Eligio Celestino composer, dies at 72
1851 Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini Italian composer, dies at 76
1862 James McIntosh US confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at about 33
1864 Otto Jonas Lindblad composer, dies at 54
1864 Stephen Gardner Champlin Brigadier General (Union), dies at about 36
1883 Friedrich von Flotow German baron/composer, dies at 70
1884 Johann Christian Gebauer composer, dies at 75
1885 Martin R Delany politician & black nationalist, dies at 72
1901 Simon Hassler composer, dies at 68
1904 Franz Coenen composer, dies at 77
1911 Carl Eilhardt composer, dies at 67
1913 Gustav Luders composer, dies at 47
1924 Thephilo Braga Portuguese poet/politician, dies at 80
1929 Willem Royaards theater director (Adam in Ballingschap), dies
1940 Emile van Bosch revue/operetta-artist, dies at 52
1943 John Burns English minister of Local Government (1905-14), dies
1947 Felix Timmermans writer/painter (Gift from St Nicholas), dies at 60
1950 Bull Montana actor (Son of Sheik), dies at 62
1953 [Karl R] Gerd von Rundstedt General-field marshal (Normandy), dies at 77
1957 Daniel Taylor cricketer (brother of Herbie, 2 Tests for South Africa 1914), dies
1960 John Miljan actor (Charlie Chan in Paris, Yankee Clipper), dies at 66
1960 Rutland Boughton composer, dies at 82
1961 Willem J M van Eysinga people rights scholar, dies at 82
1962 Tom Shirley actor/TV announcer (They're Off), dies at 62
1964 Joseph Schildkraut actor (Joseph Schildkraut Presents), dies at 68
1965 Winston Churchill PM of Britain (C) (1940-45, 51-55), dies at 90
1967 Howard Charles Shaiffer entertainer, dies at 49
1969 Pauline Hall composer, dies at 78
1969 Tom Zachary baseball pitcher (Washington Senators), dies at 72
1970 James "Shep" Shepherd rocker (Shep & Limelites), beaten to death
1972 Jerome Cowan actor (Mr Dithers-Blondie), dies at 74
1973 J Carrol Naish actor (Charlie Chan-Adventures of Charlie Chan), dies at 72
1973 Alan Lisette cricketer (took 3 wickets in 2 Tests for New Zealand 1956), dies
1975 Larry Fine actor (3 Stooges), dies at 72
1979 Jerry Damon comedian (That Was The Week That Was), dies at 51
1979 Mabel Taliaferro actress (My Love Come Back), dies at 91
1983 George Cukor director, dies of stroke & heart attack at 83
1986 Gordon MacRae singer (Oklahoma, Carousel), dies at 64
1986 L[aFayette] Ron[ald] Hubbard author/founder of Scientology (Dianetics,Death Quest), dies at 74
1988 Charles Glenn King biochemist (discovered vitamin C), dies at 91
1989 Ted Bundy serial killer of up to 100 women, executed in Florida at 42
1990 Madge Bellamy actress (White Zombie), dies at 87
1991 George Gobel comedian, dies of a heart attack at 71
1991 Lawrence Lott actor (Real Men, Philadelphia Experiment), dies of AIDS at 40
1992 Charles Moulin French actor (French Tarzan), dies
1992 John Bleifer actor (Highway to Heaven), dies at 90
1992 Tina Chow model, dies of AIDs at 41
1993 Thurgood Marshall 1st black supreme court justice (1967-91), dies 84
1993 Ugur Mumcu Turkish journalist (Cumhuriyet Murder), dies
1994 Michalis Vranopoulos head of Greek state bank, murdered at 48
1995 Ian Prestt English ornithologist, dies at 65
1995 Victor Reinganum artist, dies at 87
1995 Wim H Sinnige Amsterdam PvdA alderman of Finance, dies at 60
1996 Sandor Iharos athlete, dies at 65
1996 Ursula Heathcote Nicholls campaigner, dies at 75
1997 Callum Alexander MacDonald historian, dies at 49
1998 Jay Monahan husband of Katie Couric, dies of cancer at 42

---

On this day...
0772 Stephen III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0817 Stephen IV ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0817 St Paschal I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding Stephen IV
1076 Synod of Worms German King Henry IV fires Pope Gregory VII
1118 Giovanni Caetani elected Pope Gelasius II
1328 King Edward III of England marries Philippa of Henegouwen
1458 Matthias I Corvinus chosen king of Hungary
1534 François I signs classified treaty with evangelical German monarchy
1568 In the Netherlands, Duke of Alva declares William of Orange an outlaw
1568 Abdij Church in Middelburg destroyed by fire
1613 Amsterdam merchant Hans Bontemantel baptized
1616 Jacques Le Maire discovers Street Lemaire/Cape Receiver
1634 Emperor Ferdinand II declares Albrecht von Wallenstein a traitor
1639 Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders
1644 Battle at Nantwich Cheshire Parliamentary armies win
1652 Duke of Orléans joins Fronde rebels
1656 1st Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland
1659 Pierre Corneille's "Oedipe" premieres in Paris
1679 King Charles II disbands English parliament
1722 Edward Wigglesworth appointed 1st US divinity professor (Harvard)
1722 Czar Peter the Great begins civil system
1742 German leaders elect Charles VII Albert Emperor
1764 Governor Winthrop Telescope, is destroyed in a Harvard fire
1839 Charles Darwin elected member of Royal Society
1847 1,500 New Mexican Indians & Mexicans defeated by US Colonel Price
1848 James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill in Coloma CA
1861 Arsenal at Augusta GA seized by Confederacy
1861 Federal troops from Fort Monroe are sent to Fort Pikens
1862 Romania principality arises under King Alexander Cuza
1874 General J van Swieten conquers Kraton Atjeh, after 1000's die
1874 Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov" premieres in St Petersburg Russia
1875 Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre" premieres
1892 Battle at Mengo, Uganda French missionaries attack British missionaries
1899 Rubber heel patented by Humphrey O'Sullivan
1899 Belgium government of Vandenpeereboom forms
1900 Newcastle Badminton Club, world's oldest, formed in England
1900 Battle at Tugela-Spionkop, South Africa (Boers vs British army)
1901 1st games played in baseball's American League
1901 Emily Hobhouse views Lord Kitchener's concentration camp at Bloemfontein
1902 Denmark sells Virgin Islands to USA
1908 General Baden-Powell starts Boy-Scouts
1913 Franz Kafka stops working on "Amerika"; it will never be finished
1914 The opera "Madeleine" is produced (New York City NY)
1915 German-British sea battle at Doggersbank & Helgoland
1922 -54ºF (-48ºC), Danbury WI (state record)
1922 Eskimo Pie patented by Christian K Nelson of Iowa (not an Eskimo)
1922 Lehman Caves National Monument established
1923 Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico established
1924 Mussolini disallows non-fascists work union
1924 Russian city of St Petersburg renamed Leningrad
1925 Moving picture of a solar eclipse taken from dirigible over Long Island
1925 Sandler follows Branting as premier of Sweden
1930 J E Mills scores 117 on Test Cricket debut, New Zealand vs England, Wellington
1930 Stewie Dempster scores New Zealand's 1st Test century
1933 Noël Coward's "Design for Living" premieres in New York City NY
1935 1st canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale", is sold by Kruger Brewing Co in Richmond VA
1936 Benny Goodman & orchestra record "Stompin' at the Savoy" on Victor Records
1939 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile
1939 Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler & George Sisler elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1939 Spanish government moves to Figueras
1941 British troops march into Abyssinia
1942 Musical "Star & Garter" premieres in New York City NY
1943 Hitler orders nazi troops at Stalingrad to fight to death
1943 Jewish patients/nurses/doctors incinerated at Auschwitz-Birkenau
1944 Allied troops occupy Nettuno Italy
1945 Scottish 52nd Lowland division occupies Heinsberg
1947 NFL adds 5th official (back judge) & allows sudden death in playoffs
1948 "Music in My Heart" closes at Adelphi Theater New York City NY after 124 performances
1948 Australia all out 674 vs India (Bradman 201, Hassett 198*)
1948 Dutch Liberal Party forms-People's party for Freedom & Democracy (VVD)
1950 Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history
1951 Dutch government Drees-van Schaik resigns
1952 Fire in main building of French Port Martin Antarctic base
1952 1st NFL team in Texas, Dallas Texans formerly New York Yankees
1954 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Tampa Women's Golf Open
1954 BPAA All-Star Tournament won by Don Carter
1956 96.5 cm precipitation at Kilauea Plantation, Hawaii (state record)
1958 After warming to 100,000,000º, 2 light atoms are bashed together to create a heavier atom, resulting in 1st man-made nuclear fusion
1959 "Party with Comden & Green" closes at John Golden New York City NY after 38 performances
1959 Dmitri Shostakovich's comedy "Cheryomushk" premieres in Moscow
1959 WHCT TV channel 18 in Hartford CT (IND) begins broadcasting
1960 Algeria uprises against French President De Gaulle
1961 Lazard Brithers Ltd draw a check for $334,867,807.68
1961 Edward Albee's "American Dream" premieres in New York City NY
1962 28 refugees escape from East to West Germany
1962 Brian Epstein signs management contract with the Beatles
1962 Jackie Robinson is 1st Black elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1962 Mickey Wright/Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Naples Pro-Am Golf Tournament
1963 Buddy Rogers & Lou Thesz wrestle in Toronto, Rogers becomes WWF wrestling champ & Thesz becomes NWA champ
1964 CBS purchases 1964 & 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million
1964 24th Amendment to US Constitution goes into effect & states voting rights could not be denied due to failure to pay taxes
1964 Martin Kresses final comic strip of Eric the Viking
1966 WDIO TV channel 10 in Duluth MN (ABC) begins broadcasting
1969 Queen Juliana appointed honorary citizen of Addis Ababa
1969 Spanish General Franco announces state of emergency
1970 3rd ABA All-Star Game West 128 beats East 98 at Indiana
1970 Valeri Muratov skates world record 500m (38.99 seconds)
1971 NFL Pro Bowl NFC beats AFC 27-6 (1st Pro Bowl after NFL-AFL merger)
1972 WRIP (now WDSI) TV channel 61 in Chattanooga TN (IND) 1st broadcast
1973 Warren Spahn is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1975 "Hot l Baltimore" situation comedy premieres on ABC TV
1975 Fastest Earth-bound object, 7200 kph, in vacuum centrifuge, England
1976 Cleveland Cavaliers biggest margin victory-43 points (beat Milwaukee 132-89)
1976 George Foreman KOs Ron Lyle in 5th round of a real slugfest
1977 5 lawyers murdered by fascist in Madrid
1978 31st NHL All-Star Game Wales beat Campbell 3-2 (OT) at Buffalo
1978 Carter Executive Order on Intelligence (#12036)
1979 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1981 Islanders scored 5 power play goals against Nordiques
1981 Kim Hughes scores 213 vs India at Adelaide
1982 Super Bowl XVI San Francisco 49ers beat Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21 in Pontiac MI; Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana, San Francisco, Quarterback
1983 Hulk Hogan pins the Iron Sheik for World Wrestling Federation title
1984 Apple Computer Inc unveils its Macintosh personal computer
1985 15th Space Shuttle (51-C) Mission-Discovery 3 is launched
1986 New York Islander Mike Bossy scores his 1,000th point
1986 Voyager 2 makes 1st fly-by of Uranus (81,593 km), finds new moons
1986 43rd Golden Globes Whoopi Goldberg, Color Purple win
1986 South Yemen Premier Haydar Bakr al-Attas becomes interim-president
1987 61st Australian Women's Tennis H Mandlikova beat M Navratilova (75 76)
1988 1st WWF Royal Rumble - Jim Duggan wins
1988 76th Australian Men's Tennis M Wilander beats P Cash (63 67 36 61 86)
1988 9th ACE Cable Awards
1988 Australia beat New Zealand 2-0 to win the World Series Cup
1988 Cerebral Palsy telethon
1989 1st reported case of AIDS transmitted by heterosexual oral sex
1990 Japanese MUSES-A (Hiten) launched towards moon
1991 "Les Miserables" opens at Theatre St Denis, Montréal
1993 14th annual star-athon $24,000,000
1993 Polish ferry boat John Heweliusz sinks, 52 killed
1993 Soyuz TM-16 launches
1993 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Davis
1994 Dow Jones closes above 3,900 for 1st time (3,914.48)

---

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

Aymara Indians, Bolivia : Alacitis Fair
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Rooster (1993/4691)
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Snake (2001/4699)

---

Religious Observances
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Timothy, bishop/martyr (now 1/26)
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Francis de Sales, bishop/doctor

---

Religious History
1722 In Cambridge, Mass., Edward Wigglesworth was named to fill the newly created Thomas Hollis chair at Harvard College. Mr. Wigglesworth thereby became the first divinity professor commissioned in the American colonies.
1738 Four months before his celebrated Christian conversion, Anglican missionary John Wesley wrote in his journal: 'I went to America to convert the Indians. But oh! who shall convert me? I have a fair summer religion... But let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled.'
1818 Birth of Anglican clergyman John Mason Neale, who was one of the first to translate ancient Greek and Latin hymns into English. Neale thus rendered the hymns known today as "All Glory, Laud, and Honor," "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."
1975 Rev. F. Donald Coggan, 66, was consecrated the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (primate of Anglicanism). In the audience was Johannes Cardinal Willebrands Ä the first Vatican representative to attend this Anglican ceremony since the time of the Reformation.
1989 The Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 55, of Boston, was confirmed as the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican Church.

---

Thought for the day :
" Nothing beats reading a good book when there is work to do. "

[SAMWolf]

1941 Neil Diamond Brooklyn NY, singer/actor (Jazz Singer)

My wife's favorite singer.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning, Cote. Another good Poem.

USS S-4 (SS-109) was lost on 17-Dec-1927 with the loss of 34 officers
and men when it was sunk after being rammed by USCG Paulding.

On 17 December 1927, S-4, having recently received extensive refitting at PNSY, was one of the Navy's most serviceable submarines, albeit an old one of WWI vintage. She had just completed her run of the measured mile prior to returning to the fleet and, having checked the surface for other vessels in her vicinity, her periscopes were housed as she planed up to be rammed by USCGC PAULDING, sending her back down to the oceans depths for the last time.

Paulding was making nearly eighteen knots when a lookout spotted the periscopes and shears of S-4 coming up close aboard on the port bow. The lookout reported and the OOD ordered the engines full reverse and the rudder hard to port, hopefully to pass to port over the still submerged stern of S-4. Paulding, however, struck S-4 at nearly the point of max beam half-way between the forward and aft Battery Compartment bulkheads about two feet above the battery well deck. The blow was somewhat glancing. The forefoot of the cutter telescoped and broke off in the hole torn in S-4’s side. The hole in the sub was nearly four feet long and two feet high in the ballast tank and two and a half feet long by a foot high in the Battery Compartment pressure hull. About three feet of the crumpled forefoot girder was stuck in the hole, not enough to stem the blast of cold water hosing through.

S-4 heeled far to port and started down by the bow. Paulding got on her radio and announced she had just collided with a submerged object, probably a submarine and gave her position. She then stopped and waited for the sub to surface. It didn’t. The men inside the boat were thrown about by the impact. Some in the Battery Compartment started to jam whatever was handy into the stream of water to stem the flow. The inrush was, however, too great and it was readily obvious that the Battery Compartment would have to be abandoned. Six men were in the Torpedo Room and slammed the door shut, dogging it tight. The remainder of the crew that were in the Battery Compartment made their way up the steepening deck to the Control Room door and when all had made it through, the door was shut and dogged. The water continued to fill the Battery Compartment, compressing the air inside. The battery well held tight and did not leak too much. The pressure in the bubble of air in the upper aft end of the space rose to about 50 pounds per square inch flooding Control.

The initial stream of water spray and air had shorted sections of the switchboard throwing the entire boat into the dark. The commanding officer, ordered the space evacuated and when all the personnel in Control had made their way back to the Engine Room, he slammed and dogged the door. Now the crew was in serious trouble. There were fourteen men in the Engine Room with an additional fourteen in the Motor Room. The air was foul with chlorine, it was dark and getting cold fast. When at last, the noise of rushing water had stopped and the boat got quiet, it was obvious that access to Control Room was out of the question. There was no way to lift the stern of the boat as USS S-5 (SS-110) had done. The only thing left was to wait for help.

The rest of the story is a tragedy of divers struggling to save those left of the crew and failing. The boat was a pivot point in the story of submarine design. The first production model of a standard government design, she had a tragic accident which lead to better cooperation in navigation by setting aside areas for submarine operations and requiring other ships not transit these places. The death of her crew and the painful inability of the Navy to be able to rescue them became the basis for an effort to make submarine escape and salvage a viable option. The men died but the legacy they left saved the life of at least forty-six others because they used the devices invented and may have saved an untold number more because of the improved safety and navigation required after the accident.

S-4 was finally raised on 17 March 1928 and towed to the Boston Navy Yard for dry docking. She was decommissioned on the 19th.

S-4 was recommissioned on 16 October, after repairs. She served at Key West, Florida, early in 1929 and 1930, and in the northeast during the remainder of those years. In 1931, she operated again at New London until departing there on 3 January 1932 for Pearl Harbor. Sailing via the Panama Canal, she arrived at Pearl on 29 August. On 7 April 1933, S-4 was decommissioned and laid up. She was struck from the Navy List on 15 January 1936 and destroyed on 15 March by sinking.

[Valin]

My wife's favorite singer.

I'm sorry to hear that. :-)

[larryjohnson]

Good Mornin. You may have seen this:

Valentines for Troops a hearty cause
By Jennifer Harper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
     Little things mean a lot, particularly if they are made from red construction paper and library paste. Top Stories• U.S. not alone on Iraq, Powell says
• U.S. wins allies on war in spite of 'Old Europe'
• AIDS panel nominee withdraws
• 'Bug chaser' AIDS story disputed
• Rumsfeld criticizes top staff
• Lincoln statue dealings in doubt
• Outdoor workers brave bitter winter chill
     And one former police officer wants a million of them before Valentine's Day.
     "This is about the small but very powerful gesture," said Michael Fleming, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer on a sentimental but fiercely determined mission.
     Mr. Fleming has organized Valentines for Troops, a homespun outreach to American military service members overseas who have little to look forward to Feb. 14.
     "One little card can have a mighty impact," he said Wednesday.
     Thanks to publicity and a new Web site (www.valentinesfortroops.com), 100,000 cards have arrived in four days at the family-entertainment complex Mr. Fleming operates in the San Fernando Valley.
     And they keep coming. Mr. Fleming has 200 volunteers to help with the sorting.
     "Every card is handmade. That means it's from the heart," he said. "About 90 percent of these are from children, though we've gotten a few from women scouting for husbands."
     Some of the cards are crayon scribbles from toddlers, others elaborate constructions emblazoned with stars and stripes. Negative messages are few.
     "We have gotten some cards which ask, 'Why are you over there? Come home.' Now, I understand free expression," Mr. Fleming said. "We don't mean to censor. But this is a program of support and inspiration, not criticism. There are forums for criticism. This just isn't it."
     He offers spare editorial guidelines that nevertheless speak volumes about some visceral military challenges.
     "The more positive the message, the better," the project Web site notes. "Care should be taken not to refer to anything that may cause grief or uneasiness to the military reader — i.e., 'I hope you don't get killed' or 'Do you miss your family?'"
     Any size card is welcome, but no envelopes. Mr. Fleming asks artists to forgo glitter, candy and money. One boy sent his lunch money taped to the top of his card with the message, "You can use this more than I can."
     It is a massive project.
     Screened cards are packed off to California military bases to be sent overseas by Valentine's Day, an organizational challenge that Mr. Fleming, 51, shares with his business partner, Paul Kramer, and brother David, also a former LAPD officer.
     The three pay for incidental costs themselves and have set Feb. 12 as a deadline for receiving cards.
     "We tried this on a smaller scale last year," Mr. Fleming said. "And I had a card campaign during the Gulf war, too. My best moment was seeing a 19-year-old sailor read a card once. He couldn't believe how much people cared. But they do."
     Valentine's Day and the military, in fact, is an idea that resonates with Americans.
     Last year, cable music channel VH-1 taped Valentine's Day video dedications from troops in South Korea, Kuwait and aboard the USS Stennis for loved ones back home.
     The Department of Defense, meanwhile, organized Operation Valentine with a little feminine might: The project was organized by wives of ambassadors, lawmakers, federal judges, journalists and military leaders, including Mary Jo Myers, wife of Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman.
     Children in 4,000 schools blanketed overseas troops with cards while two candy-lobbying groups donated a veritable tankload of sweets.
     Although the Department of Defense has become skittish about soliciting greetings for troops because of increased security concerns in recent months, the support program founded by newspaper columnist Abigail Van Buren during the Vietnam era is still operational for e-mailed greetings (http://anyservicemember.navy.mil).
     New York-based volunteer organization Military Moms (www.militarymoms.net) sent several thousand Valentines to overseas troops last year.
     Now 20 years old, the California-based nonprofit group Support the Troops (www.supportthetroops.com) sends books as part of its America Remembers campaign.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! You and me both.

He had a some good early songs but give me a break, how many times can you watch "The Jazz Singer"

[SAMWolf]

100,000 cards have arrived in four days

Thanks Larry, makes one's heart feel good to read this.

[Fiddlstix]

Good Morning Everybody.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

Coffee & Donuts J

[Valin]

how many times can you watch "The Jazz Singer"

0.163 times :-)

[SAMWolf]

Morning Fiddlstix. Happy Organ - Good music to start the day off.

[SAMWolf]

Move the decimal to the right 3 digits, that's how many times my wife has watched it....

this month.