The FReeper Foxhole Looks at PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) - Jan. 25th, 2003

http://www.angelfire.com/va3/companyg/ptsd.html ^

[SAMWolf]

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What is PTSD?

The psychiatric definition of "trauma' is "an event outside normal human experience". Trauma leaves you feeling powerless, helpless, paralyzed. It tends to be sudden and overwhelming. It "owns" you. You can not think clearly during a severe trauma, yet you are forced to focus your consciousness in an attempt to deal. Trauma has been defined as "any sudden and potentially life-threatening event".

As the name implies, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs after (post) an extremely stressful event (trauma). The more severe the trauma and the longer the person is exposed to it, the greater the likelihood is of developing PTSD.

The traumatic event is relived repeatedly. This can take the form of recurrent images, thoughts, dreams or "flashbacks" of the event. Even reminders of the event can cause extreme distress, so many people go out of their way to avoid places or events that bring to mind the traumatic event. Many experience increased anxiety, restlessness, sleeplessness, irritability, poor concentration, hypervigilence or an exaggerated startled response. Some are even plagued by feelings of "survivor's guilt" because they survived when others did not. The symptoms are obviously very disruptive and stressful to the victim, as well as their family and loved ones. It can even impair job performance and social functioning.

It has been called shell shock, battle fatigue, accident neurosis and post rape syndrome, and is too often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. PTSD is a diagnosis which was first made following the Viet Nam War. Veterans who saw combat in Viet Nam were found to have a number of symptoms not clearly documented in any other diagnostic category. These symptoms had been observed in combat veterans in many previous wars, so it seems that PTSD is constantly being rediscovered.

War has always taken a toll. Throughout history, accounts tell of nightmares and other emotional problems associated with the horrors of war. We repeatedly discover the effects of trauma on human beings every time we go to war. Terms like "combat fatigue" and "shell shock" were used in the past to describe the effects of combat. These terms were misleading because they imply that the effects of combat are short-term.



PTSD is not a mental sickness, but a "syndrome". In other words, a collection of symptoms. It describes the often chronic reaction experienced by people exposed to the particular kind of intense stress encountered in war zones and other catastrophic situations. This reaction is a normal human response to the impact of abnormal situations and events. The specific type of PTSD suffered by soldiers is known as Combat PTSD. There is no shame attached to it; it is often the most courageous man in a unit who gets hit by this syndrome.

A delayed stress reaction may surface after months or even years, including some or all of the symptoms below. Few suffer every symptom listed here; but if you recognize several of your own or some loved one's behavior, the chances are that person suffers more or less from severe post traumatic stress.

**"Intrusion" refers to the unwanted invasion of one's mind and body by memories of past traumatic events.

**"Constriction" refers to the strategies taken by the mind to stop this invasion.

**"Hyperarousal" refers to the state of constant alertness that is the legacy of having been involved in such events.

1. Nightmares, flashbacks, hallucinations and other forms of uncontrollable invasion of the present by memories of the past (intrusion).

2. Intense distress at exposure to events that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event, including anniversaries of the event; certain smells can trigger waves of fear, as can loud noises and certain television shows (intrusion).

3. Difficulty in recalling events from the war years, especially those that were traumatic; unwillingness to remember the war; reluctance to meet people, read books, see films, etc. that remind one of the war (constriction).

4. Sleeplessness; difficulty concentrating (hyperarousal).

5. Hypervigilance; unmotivated, keyed-up alertness (hyperarousal).

6. Episodes of severe rage (hyperarousal).

7. Violent impulses towards what may be indiscriminate or innocent targets; unnecessarily violent reaction on being taken by surprise (hyperarousal).

8. Severe survival guilt; feelings of guilt at having survived the war while other (who the victim sees as more deserving) have died (constriction).

9. Psychic numbing; feeling that one has no feelings (constriction).

10. Alienation from one's own feelings; reacting with emotions that do not seem appropriate to the situation; periods of acute depression, interrupted by periods of sometimes manic behavior (constriction/hyperarousal).

11. Markedly diminished interest in significant activities; apathy (constriction).

12. Feelings of detachment or estrangement from others (constriction).

13. Sense of foreshortened future; feeling of being older than one's true age (constriction).

14. Doubt about whether one can ever love or trust someone else again; pessimism about the very nature of love and life itself (constriction).

PTSD is defined in the following way:

A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:

** The person experienced, witnessed or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others;

** The person's response involved intense fear, hopelessness or horror.

B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:

** Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts or perceptions;

** Recurrent distressing dreams of the event;

** Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated);

** Intense psychological distress or reactivity at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

** Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations associated with the trauma;

** Efforts to avoid activities, places or people that arouse recollections of the trauma;

** Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma;

** Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities;

** Feeling detachment or estrangement from others;

** Restricted range of effect (as in, unable to have loving feelings);

** Sense of a foreshortened future (does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or a normal life span).

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following:

** Difficulty falling or staying asleep;

** Irritability or outbursts of anger;

** Difficulty concentrating;

** Hypervigilance;

** Exaggerated startled response.

E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C and D) is more than one month.

F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
When identifying trauma and its' symptoms, it is always best to ask "What HAPPENED to this person" rather than "What is WRONG with this person"!

I understand when someone says they have PTSD. It can be very debilitating, affecting one's ability to work, maintain relationships and to simply function in everyday living.

But there is a light in the darkness where PTSD resides -- it is a treatable disorder. With the help of medications, therapy and an adequate support system, there is hope for healing.

Please remember ..

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

[SAMWolf]

PTSD AND THE FAMILY

When any family member experiences psychological trauma and suffers PTSD, the entire family is profoundly affected. Some traumas are directly experienced by only one family member, but other family members may experience shock, fear, anger and pain in their own unique ways simply because they care about and are connected to the survivor. Living with an individual who has PTSD does not automatically cause PTSD, but it can produce "secondary" traumatization. Whether family members live together or apart, are in contact often or rarely, and feel close or distant emotionally from one another, PTSD affects each member of the family in several ways.

* Family members may feel hurt, alienated, frustrated or discouraged if the survivor loses interest in family or intimate activities and is easily angered or emotionally isolated and detached. family members often end up feeling angry or distant towards the survivor, especially if he or she seems unable to relax and be companionable without being irritable, tense, anxious, worried, distractible or controlling, overprotective and demanding.

* Even if the trauma occurred decades ago, survivors may act (and family members may feel) as if the trauma never stops happening. They may feel as if they're living in a warzone if the survivor is excessively on-guard, tense or easily startled or enraged. Family members can find themselves avoiding activities or people and becoming isolated from each other and from friends outside the family. They may feel that they have no one to talk to, and that no one can understand.

* They may find it very difficult to have a cooperative discussion with the survivor about important plans and decisions for the future because they feel there is no future to look forward to, because they have difficulty listening and concentrating without becoming distracted, tense or anxious, or because they become angry and overly suspicious toward the family member or towards others (hypervigilant). They may find it difficult to discuss personal or family problems because the survivor becomes either controlling, demanding or overprotective, or anxious and fearful about problems becoming terrible catastrophes.

* Family members may become over involved with their children's lives due to feeling lonely and in need of some positive emotional feedback, or feeling that the partner can't be counted on as a reliable and responsible parent.

* They may find their sleep disrupted by the survivor's sleep problems (reluctance to sleep at night, restlessness while sleeping, severe nightmares or episodes of violent "sleepwalking". Family members also often find themselves having terrifying nightmares, afraid to go to sleep, or difficulty getting a full and restful night's sleep, as if they are reliving the survivor's trauma in their own feelings and sleep.

* Ordinary activities, such as going shopping or to a movie or taking a drive in the car, may feel like reliving of past trauma when the survivor experiences trauma memories or flashbacks. The survivor may go into "survival mode", suddenly and without explanation shutting down emotionally, becoming pressured and angry, or going away abruptly and leaving family members feeling stranded, helpless and worried.

* Trauma survivors with PTSD often struggle with intense anger or rage and can have difficulty coping with an impulse to lash out verbally or physically. Family members can feel frightened of and betrayed by the survivor, despite feeling love and concern.

* In addition it exposes family members to emotional, financial and domestic problems. Survivors experiencing PTSD may seek relief and escape with alcohol or other drugs, and through addictive behaviors such as gambling, workaholism, overeating or refusing to eat (bulimia and anorexia). Addictions offer false hope to the survivor by seeming to help for a short time but then making PTSD's symptoms of fear, anxiety, tension, anger and emotional numbness far worse. Addictions may be very obvious, such as when binge drinking or daily use of drugs occurs. However, they may involve lighter or less frequent episodes of "using" that are a problem because the survivor is dependent ("hooked" on the habit and can't cope without it.

* When suicide is a danger, family members face these unavoidable strains: worry, guilt, grief and anger.

What can families of trauma survivors with PTSD do to care for themselves and the survivor?

* Continue to learn more about PTSD by attending classes.

* Continue to learn more about PTSD by viewing films or reading books on the subject.

* Encourage, but don't pressure, the survivor to seek counseling from a PTSD specialist.

* Seek personal, child, couples or family counseling if troubled by "secondary" trauma reactions such as anxiety, fears, anger, addiction or problems in school, work or intimacy.

* Children often have low self-esteem and blame themselves for their father's unhappiness. There is a good chance that the child will feel unwanted, unloved and inadequate.

* Anyone can have sexual problems, but there is a greater likelihood that they will occur in couples where one partner has PTSD. For some veterans, it just doesn't mean anything anymore. The wife will feel rejected. The feeling of being unloved will diminish her self-esteem and she will feel that the veteran is not meeting her needs.

* Like other working women, spouses of veterans with PTSD play many roles. But a veteran's spouse also needs to worry about her husband's psychological condition while continuing to function at work. For financial reasons, she can not afford to lose her job. Often she has to play the role of both mother and father. Eventually, she realizes that she doesn't have time to take care of herself, and blames herself for all shortcomings.

Secondary PTSD in Wives

MEMORIES:

Preoccupation with the veteran. Constant tension and anxiety because she "never knows what he'll do next". Critical or self-righteous martyr attitude because of "what he puts me through". Continual manipulation of veteran and/or circumstances in order to be in control in a situation that is out of control.

ISOLATION:

May have a few friends or be unable to relate to friends as she would like because the Vet has alienated them with his attitude and actions in the past. The Vet has isolated the family and/or is jealous of them. She has alienated friends because of her constant family hassles. The friends and family she does have tell her to "get rid of him".

EMOTIONAL NUMBING:

Sexual problems. She feels that she cannot be truly intimate with her Veteran husband. Distrust of God ("How could He let this happen?"). Low self-esteem. Escapes into a fantasy world, television, thoughts of affairs, compulsive buying, etc. May lean on children, friends or her mother too heavily for emotional support.

DEPRESSION:

Sense of helplessness and hopelessness. "Tired of trying". Low self-esteem, evidenced by poor appearance, dirty home, etc.

ANGER and OTHER RELATED EMOTIONS:

Resentment and bitterness developed over the years not only toward the Vet, but others. Withdrawal from Vet and family emotionally. Constant fear and anxiety. May provoke or instigate fights or arguments with Vet or take it out on the kids.

OVER-RESPONSIBILITY (the "Enabler"):

In an attempt to keep the family stable, may take over the financial and other responsibilities as well as the "wife" and "mother" roles leading to such traits as: feeling responsibility for others, perfectionism, nagging or silence, peace at any price, does things out of a sense of duty, feelings of anxiety, pity, guilt, need to "help" husband, pressure, constant time pressure, blames the husband for the situation the family is in, feelings of anger, victimization, lack of appreciation and being used.

GUILT:

Guilt for having married a Vet, as well as guilt for thoughts of leaving him. Sorry for putting the children through such a life. Constant financial stress, never knowing how they will be able to pay mounting bills, how long he will work, "if I were a better wife, he would be different". Feels guilty about spending money no themselves or having a hard time just having fun. Feels guilt about just about everything. Fears rejection. Feels that if "one more thing happens, I'll lose my mind". Over-commitment leading to constant pressure.

EMOTIONAL EXPLOSIONS OR PROJECTION:

Takes out frustrations on the children. Children may become severely withdrawn or demanding, hyperactive and agitated. Children may have less friends because of a negative home environment leading to their own loss of self-esteem. They may try to find fulfillment in other worthy causes, including getting overly involved in the church, children's activities and other "worthy" organizations or projects.

DENIAL:

Denies that she or the children have problems. Denial that husband has problems or totally blames him for ALL the problems. Denial that the Lord or others can help her husband or her family.

[SAMWolf]

Here are some very common signs and signals of a stress reaction:

PHYSICAL SIGNS:

*Fatigue
*Muscle remorse
*Chest Pain
*Difficulty Breathing
*Elevated Blood Pressure
*Rapid Heart Rate
*Thirst
*Visual Difficulties
*Weakness
*Dizziness
*Profuse Sweating
*Chills
*Shock Symptoms
*Fainting
*Trouble Sleeping

COGNITIVE SIGNS:

*Blaming Someone
*Confusion, Disorientation
*Poor Attention
*Poor Decisions
*Heightened or Lowered Alertness
*Hyper-Vigilance
*Poor Concentration
*Memory Problems
*Poor Problem Solving
*Difficulty Identifying Familiar Objects or People
*Loss of Time, Place or Person Orientation
*Disturbed Thinking
*Nightmares or Unwanted Thoughts
*Intrusive Images

EMOTIONAL SIGNS:

*Anxiety
*Insecurity
*Guilt
*Grief
*Denial
*Uncertainty
*Severe Panic
*Shock, Numbed Emotions
*Crying
*Inflexibility
*Fear
*Agitation
*Depression
*Disassociation, Feelings of Unreality
*Apprehension
*Irritability
*Inappropriate Emotional Response
*Intense Anger
*Feeling Overwhelmed
*Loss of Emotional Control

BEHAVIORAL SIGNS:

*Change in Activities
*Chance in Speech Patterns
*Emotional Outbursts
*Suspiciousness
*Withdrawal
*Inability to Rest
*Erratic Movements
*Change in Sexual Functioning
*Change in Usual Communications
*Hyper-alert to Environment
*Loss or Increase in Appetite
*Alcohol Consumption
*Antisocial Acts
*Non-specific Bodily Complaints
*Startle Reflex Intensified
*Pacing

Trauma survivors spent a lot of time thinking about what they could have done differently. The truth is, they couldn't have done it differently -- the body takes over. And the important thing is not what you did -- it's that you survived.

During a traumatic experience, you adapt and choose new approaches that are survival-oriented for the situation you're in. The problem comes after the trauma, when those approaches and responses are no longer functional. Recovery involves recognizing what responses are and aren't functional, and getting rid of the ones that hurt you. In effect, trauma reprograms your reactions very quickly; recover is a kind of process of "deprogramming".

Some practitioners believe that trauma causes changes in brain chemistry, changes that are helpful in the short term by reducing the level of emotion to something bearable, but that are harmful in the long term because they reinforce the PTSD symptoms.

Crucial to helping someone survive trauma is realizing that you, too, are affected by the trauma, that deciding to help is a big commitment, and that you need helpers, too.

One of the best ways to help a traumatized person is simply to listen compassionately and actively, and make the person aware that you are willing to listen. Reassure the person that there are realistic ways to make it okay, they can survive, that you are willing to help.

DO NOT criticize the person's reaction, minimize the trauma, suggest it was fate or "God's doing", minimize the person's feelings, or say you know exactly how they feel. Do not interfere with actions the person has chosen to take unless they are endangering themselves or others. If you think an action is too extreme, encourage the person to slow down and talk it through.

Healing begins when the survivor realizes that the trauma was real and had real effects on their life, not all of which are adaptive in terms of "ordinary living".

Trauma creates overwhelming fear and leaves behind a feeling that the world is not a safe place. Many practitioners believe recover begins with establishing a safe place, a situation within which the survivor can feel some sense of safety and predictability. This usually involves developing an honesty about and awareness of the fear. As the fear subsides, the survivor is able to focus on other feelings and symptoms, to recognize them, sear for meaning and decide whether or not to act on them.

In summary, here are ten ways to recognize PTSD. Recognizing these symptoms is the first step toward recovery and finding treatment.

1) Re-experiencing the event through vivid memories or flashbacks.

2) Feeling "emotionally numb".

3) Feeling overwhelmed by what would normally be considered everyday situations, and diminished interest in performing normal tasks or pursuing usual interests.

4) Crying uncontrollably.

5) Isolating oneself from family and friends, and avoiding social situations.

6) Relying increasingly on alcohol or drugs to get through the day.

7) Feeling extremely moody, irritable, angry, suspicious or frightened.

8) Having difficulty falling or staying asleep, sleeping too much or experiencing nightmares.

9) Feeling guilty about surviving.

10) Feeling fears and a sense of doom about the future.

THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF PTSD

It can help the healing process occur faster if you remember:

DO learn about the disorder

DO talk to others about the problems you're having

DO expose yourself to situations that remind you of the trauma

DO take medication if prescribed, in the recommended dosage

DO give your medication time to work

DO join a support group

------------------------

DON'T ignore what you're experiencing and reexperiencing

DON'T avoid situations that remind you of the trauma

DON'T keep the traumatic experience to yourself

DON'T drink alcohol or use other drugs to numb your pain

DON'T give up hope (!!!)

DON'T forget ... you are not alone and you are not to blame!

[SAMWolf]

'PTSD is the enemy within ... in the mind, slowly exploding before our very eyes, but unidentified, and therefore invisible, even to those who suffer directly from its effects'

-- Peter Tucker

[SAMWolf]

Thanks, Doughty!

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
Bagram Bazaar

Local Afghan merchants gather just outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, to sell everything from clothes to trinkets to guns to the large multinational military population stationed at Bagram. The bazaar, which brings a touch of Afghanistan culture to the military members, also brings a significant amount of money to the local economy. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


U.S. and coalition forces shop at a bazaar set up just outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Local Afghan merchants gather just outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, to sell everything from clothes to trinkets to guns to the large multinational military population stationed at Bagram. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Local Afghan merchants watch as U.S. and coalition forces look over their wares at a bazaar just outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Two service members spread out an Afghan rug at a bazaar just outside of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Afghan children try to sell merchandise through concertina wire to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Cherie Thurlby, 1st Combat Camera Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., who is on her way to the weekly bazaar at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Local Afghan merchants gather just outside the base to sell everything from clothes to trinkets to guns to the large multinational military population stationed there. The bazaar, which brings a touch of Afghan culture to the military members, also brings a significant amount of money to the local economy. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby

[Jen]

PING to the FReeper Foxhole. Bring your shovel and dive on in to today's thread in the VetsCoR Forum!

To be removed from this list, Click this link and send a BLANK FReepmail to AntiJen.

If you have comments for me to read, use this link. Thanks!

[backhoe]

Here's what I have:

Gulf War Syndrome- Where there's smoke, *is* there fire?

[Jen]

	Citizens	Business
	Government	Employees

[Mudboy Slim]

Good Mornin', AJ...gonna be a seriously-fun coupla weeks, IMHO...MUD

[Jen]

Thanks for your exhaustive research! I bookmarked your thread so I can explore the many links.

[E.G.C.]

Howdy AntiJen, Freepers. It's been a busy week for this freeper. Been involved a number of threads this week. Trying to keep one bumped right now to save conservative talkradio so we can continue to live in freedom. Hope everyone here is doing well.
BTTT!!!!!

[Jen]

Good morning! What on earth am I doing up at this early hour???

Anybody need coffee besides me?

[Mudboy Slim]

I'm UP 'cuz I'm RARIN' TA GO!!

Coffee would be great, thanks...MUD

[Jen]

Jen's Genuine GI coffee is ready! I also scrounged up some bagels. Well.... I think they're bagels, but they may be some petrified donuts...

Hurry back Fiddlstix!

[Jen]

Oh my heavens! You're not one of those 'morning' people are you? I'm definitely an owl, not a lark If you start chirping, I may have to hurt you. ;-)

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking- that post is old, but there is still a lot to look at. The only conclusion I ever reached on that issue was "we haven't been told the full story."

[Mudboy Slim]

I be a nightowl and a mornin' person...sleep SUCKS...MUD

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING MUDDY!

[Mudboy Slim]

Mornin' to you, too, my FRiend...MUD

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING Backhoe!

It's been awhile since I saw yoy posting.

Good to know you'tr still around! :^)

[backhoe]

Well, I've been around, but the last fews days were spent wrapping pipes, putting visqueen around the base of the house, checking on relatives, etc., anticipating the Big Freeze. It hasn't been this cold in 13 years here.

[Pippin]

You must be in the eastern part of the country or the southern part. either place is really COLD!

[backhoe]

Georgia coast- about a block from the river... my Mom swears she never got as cold in Ohio as she does here!

[aomagrat]

Photo of USS Tampa goes here. Anyone got one?

Today's classic warship, USS Tampa (ex-USS Miami)

Unalga class revenue cutter.
Displacement. 1,181 t.
Lenght. 190'
Beam. 32'6"
Draft. 14'1"
Speed. 13 k.
Complement. 70
Armament.3 6-pdrs.

Miami--a cutter built for the Revenue Cutter Service by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.--was launched on 10 February 1912 ; sponsored by Miss Bernes Richardson ; and placed in commission by the Revenue Cutter Service at its depot at Arundel Cove, Md., on 19 August 1912.

During the following five years. Miami performed duties typical for cutters. She served several times on the ice patrol off the North American coast between New York and Newfoundland to locate icebergs which might be hazardous to navigation. On other occasions, she operated out of various stations along the eastern seaboard enforcing navigation and fishing laws. Her most frequent bases of operation during that period were Key West and Tampa, Fla. ; Arundel Cove, Md.; and New York City. The cutter served overseas once during that half decade, in late June and early July 1914, when she served with the International Derelict Patrol out of Ponta Delgada in the Azores. On 28 January 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service and the Lifesaving Service were merged and named the United States Coast Guard. A year later, on 1 February 1916, Miami was renamed Tampa.

On 6 April 1917, when the United States entered World War I, Tampa was transferred to Navy jurisdiction for the duration of hostilities, During the next four months, she received heavier armament by trading her three six-pounders for four 3-inch guns and a pair of machine guns. After preparations at the Boston Navy Yard, Tampa moved to the New York Navy Yard on 16 September and reported for duty to the commanding officer of Paducah (Gunboat No. 18). Ordered to duty overseas, the warship departed New York on 29 September in company with Paducah, Sterling, B.H.B. Hubbard (SP-416), and five French-manned, American-made submarine chasers in tow. After stops at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Tampa and her sailing mates reached Gibraltar on 27 October 1917.

USS Tampa's Navy career and war service lasted just 11 months. During that time, she was assigned ocean escort duty protecting convoys from German submarines on the route between Gibraltar and the southern coast of England. On the average, she spent more than half of her time at sea and steamed more than 3,500 nautical miles per month. Between 27 October 1917 and 31 July 1918, she escorted 18 convoys between Gibraltar and Great Britain, losing only two ships out of all those escorted. Though she brought her 4-inch guns into action several times against U-boats, Tampa's only verifiable run-in with a German undersea raider proved fatal to the Coast Guard cutter. During the late afternoon of 26 September 1918, Tampa parted company with convoy HG-107, which she had just escorted into the Irish Sea from Gibraltar. Ordered to put into Milford Haven, England, she proceeded independently toward her destination. That evening, as she transited the Bristol Channel, the warship crossed the sights of UB-91. The U-boat made a submerged attack which sank Tampa with a single torpedo.

Little further information on the sinking is available. It appears that the action took place sometime between 2030 and 2100. She disappeared over the horizon at about 1900, and the radio operator on board the convoy flagship reported having felt the shock of an underwater explosion at about 2045. Furthermore, German records of UB-91's war cruise specifically identify Tampa as the ship she sank "at evening twilight" on 26 September. In all probability, Tampa went down rapidly without ever seeing her adversary or bringing her defenses into action. She sank with all hands--115 officers and men as well as 16 passengers. Search and rescue efforts over the succeeding three days turned up only some wreckage, clearly identified as coming from Tampa, and a single unidentified body. Her name was struck from the Navy list as of the date of her sinking.

Admiral William S. Sims, a senior naval officer on duty in Great Britain, received the following letter from the Lord of the British Admiralty:

"Their Lordships desire me to express their deep regret at the loss of the USS TAMPA. Her record since she has been employed in the European waters as an ocean escort to no less than 18 convoys from Gibraltar, comprising of 350 vessels, with a loss of only two ships through enemy action. The commanders of the convoys have recognized the ability with which the TAMPA carried out the duties of the ocean escort. Appreciation of the good work done by the USS TAMPA may be some consolation to those left behind and Their Lordships would be glad if this could be conveyed to those concerned."

[ImpBill]

"War has always taken a toll. Throughout history, accounts tell of nightmares and other emotional problems associated with the horrors of war."

Thanks for the posting.

To be honest, I didn't read every word, as once again the "demons" begin to rear their ugly head.

Having had now 35 plus years to look back upon, which gives me the additional wisdon of hindsight, I believe I understand why so many of us that served in RVN seemed to have had more problems with PTSD/Battle Fatigue than perhaps those that fought before and since.

A. We fought in a "war" that was not executed with the goal of "total victory".

B. We came home to a nation that, in the main, neither supported us, but even more a vast majority that opposed the war and somehow enjoyed the perverse satisfaction of blamming those who served, for its folly.

It has taken this vet, and I am sure many others a long time to find a way to manage the emotional hang ups formed within us as a result of the experience, both going, serving, and then coming home.

I guess the greatest fear I have of the coming engagement in the mid-East is that it is appearing a growing number of our citizenery (the anti-everything/hate America first crowd) will be duping more citizens into joining their sick cause and in the end it will be our new young centurions who will pay the ultimate penalty for their honored service as so many did 30 to 40 years ago. Let's pray not.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on January 25:
0749 Leo IV (the Khazar) Byzantine emperor (775-80)
1477 Anna de Bretagne wife of Maximilian of Austria & Louis XII
1509 Giovanni Morone Italian theologist/diplomat/cardinal/"heretic"
1540 Edmund Campion London, saint/Jesuit martyr (December Rationes)
1615 Govert Flinck Dutch painter (Isaac blesses Jacob)
1626 John van de Cappelle Amsterdam, landscape painter
1627 Robert Boyle Ireland, physicist/chemist/author (experiments with color)
1634 Gaspar Fagel lawyer/pension advisor of Holland (1672-88)
1693 Anna Ivanova Romanova daughter of Ivan V/empress of Russia (1730-40)
1708 Pompeo Girolamo Batoni Italian painter
1728 Antoine Court de Gébelin French vicar/writer
1736 Joseph-Louis comte de Lagrange, Turin, French mathematician
1741 Benedict Arnold General /traitor (US revolution)
1750 Johann Gottfried Vierling composer
1759 Robert Burns Alloway Scotland, poet (Auld Lang Syne)
1766 Hans Freiherr von Gagern German advisor to Dutch king Willem I
1770 Francis Burdett British politician
1777 Elias Canneman Dutch liberal minister of Finance (1813-14)
1796 William McGillivray Old Aberdeen, naturalist
1806 Daniel Maclise Irish painter
1814 Francis Harrison Pierpont Governor (Union), died in 1899
1826 Rembt van Boneval Faure Dutch MP
1834 Pablo Hernandez Salces composer
1839 Seldon Connor Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1917
1841 John Arbuthnot Fisher Ceylon, 1st Baron Fisher/admiral of the fleet
1844 Frederick E Kitziger composer
1851 Arne Garborg Norwegian playwright (Bondestudentar)
1851 Jan Blockx Belgium, opera composer (Sea Bride princess of Herberg)
1858 Giuseppe Radiciotti composer
1860 Charles Curtis (R) 31st US VP (1929-33)
1866 Emile Vandervelde leader of Belgian BWP party
1874 Hewlett Johnson [Red Dean of Canterbury], English bishop
1874 [William] Somerset Maugham Paris, novelist/poet (Of Human Bondage)
1880 Francis George Scott composer
1881 Emil Ludwig German biographer (Diana, Son of Man)
1881 Gustave Frederic Soderlund composer
1882 Virginia [Adeline] Woolf London, author (Jacob's Room, To the Lighthouse)
1884 Edward Kilenyi composer
1885 A J Else Mauhs German/Dutch actress (Eline Vere, L'aiglon)
1886 Wilhelm Fürtwängler Berlin Germany, conductor/composer
1887 Diego Valeri Italian author/poet (Le Gaie Tristezze)
1889 Vladimir Vladimirovich Scherbachov composer
1891 Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies Britian, actress (Cleopatra)
1891 William C Bullitt 1st US ambassador to USSR
1896 John Moores British gambling magnate/multi-millionaire
1898 Joachim Wach German/US philosopher/sociologist (Understanding)
1899 Ace Goodman Kansas City MO, comedian (Easy Aces)
1899 Paul-Henri Spaak Belgium, statesman, leader in European integration
1900 Mildred Dunnock Baltimore MD, actress (Baby Doll, Nun's Story)
1900 Theodosius Dobzhansky Ukraine, geneticist/writer (Mankind Evolving)
1901 Eric Brown architect
1902 Gerard P M Knuvelder Dutch literature historian (Vocation, Kitty)
1903 "Sleepy" John Estes rocker
1904 Frans Goedhart Dutch journalist/founder (Het Parool)
1904 Géza Frid Hungarian/Dutch composer/pianist
1908 Lord Iliffe English publisher (Coventry Evening Telegraph/Autocar)
1908 W H V "Hopper" Levett cricket keeper (England in 1 Test in Calcutta)
1910 Harold Watkinson politician/businessman
1910 Hendrik Willem Hans Osieck composer
1911 Julia Frances Smith composer
1912 Lucius E Burch Jr US lawyer/civil rights leader
1913 Witold Lutoslawski Warsaw Poland, composer (Jeux Vénitiens)
1915 Michael Duane educationalist
1918 Ken Mayers actor (Robbie Robertson-Space Patrol)
1919 Edwin Newman New York City NY, newscaster/journalist/author (NBC-TV, Comment)
1919 Patricia Louise Dalton chair (Sherlock Holmes Society of London)
1921 Alfred Reed composer
1921 Russell Reading Braddon Australian author
1922 Jules P de Palm Antilles writer
1922 Raymond Baxter British TV host/author (Fast Lady)
1923 Eva Zeller writer
1924 Lou "The Toe" Groza AAFC, NFL tackle, kicker (Cleveland Browns)
1925 Eric Dempster cricketer (New Zealand slow bowl of mid-50's, bowling average 109.5)
1927 Gregg Palmer San Francisco CA, actor (Scream, To Hell & Back)
1927 Antonio Carlos Jobim composer
1927 Seung Sahn Zen teacher (Korean line)
1928 Eduard Shevardnadze Soviet Georgia, foreign minister of USSR (1985-91)
1931 Dean Jones Decatur AL, actor (Ensign O'Toole, Company, Love Bug)
1931 Harold Lloyd Jr actor (Frankenstein's Daughter)
1931 Paavo J Haavikko Finnish writer/poet/husband of Marja-Liisa Vartio
1931 Stikkan Stig Anderson, music entrepreneur
1933 Corazón Aquino President of Philippines (1986-92)
1934 Elizabeth Allen Jersey City NJ, actress (Laura-Bracken's World)
1936 Dan Schaefer (Representative-R-CO, 1983- )
1936 Diana Hyland Cleveland Heights OH, actress (Peyton Place, 8 is Enough)
1937 Don Maynard NFL receiver (New York Jets), #13
1937 Kathleen Tynan Halton writer
1938 Betico Croes Arubian politician (Status Aparte)
1938 Etta James [Jamesette Hawkins], US singer (Roll With Me Henry)
1941 Elzie "Buddy" Baker race-car driver
1945 Leigh Taylor-Young Washington DC, actress (Peyton Place, Alice B Toklas)
1946 Ronnie Brandon rocker (McCoys)
1946 Josephine M Verspaget sociologist/Dutch MP (PvdA)
1946 Silvio Blatter writer
1950 Michael Cotton rocker (Tubes)
1950 Gloria Naylor US author (Women of Brewster Place)
1951 Steve Prefontaine Coos Bay OR, 5K (Olympics-4th-1972)
1953 Malcolm Green rocker (Split Enz-I Got You)
1954 Condredge Holloway Alabama, CFL quarterback (Ottawa, Toronto)
1954 Richard Finch rock bassist (KC & Sunshine-That's the Way I Like It)
1956 Andy Cox Birmingham England, rock guitarist (Fine Young Cannibals-She Drives Me Crazy)
1957 Martha Elizabeth Thomsen Moses Lake WA, playmate (May, 1980)
1957 Edmund Theodore Sylvers rocker (Sylvers)
1957 Jeff Gossett NFL punter (Oakland Raiders)
1957 Jenifer Lewis actress (Girl 6, Meteor Man, Sister Act)
1958 Dinah Manoff New York City NY, actress (Elaine-Soap, Carol-Empty Nest)
1958 Gary Brian Tibbs London, rock bassist (Adam & The Ants, Roxy Music-Let's Stick Together)
1958 Harti Weirather Austrian alpine skier
1961 Michele Tobin Chicago IL, actress (Fitzpatricks)
1962 Chris Chelios Chicago IL, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks, Team USA)
1963 Carl Fysh rocker (Brother Beyond-Can You Keep a Secret)
1963 Joe Lloyd Highland Park IL, Canadian Tour golfer (1993 Space Coast)
1963 Suzanne Klemann Dutch singer (Loïs Lane-I Wanna Be)
1964 Chip Foster actor/twin of Pepper (Chip & Pepper's Surf's Up Saturday)
1964 Pepper Foster actor/twin of Chip (Chip & Pepper's Surf's Up Saturday)
1964 Bob Sweeney Concord, NHL center (New York Islanders, Calgary Flames)
1964 William Thomas Andrade Fall River MA, PGA golfer (1991 Kemper Open)
1965 Brian Holman Winfield KS, pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners)
1965 Esa Tikkanen Helsinki Finland, NHL left wing (Panthers, Canucks, Olympics-B-98)
1966 John [Vo] Velyvis North Adams MA, rower (Olympics-1996)
1966 Mark Schlereth NFL guard (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl XXXII)
1966 Paul Ranheim St Louis MO, NHL left wing (Hartford Whalers)
1966 Pavel Torgajev Nizhnij Novgorod, NHL left wing (Calgary Flames)
1966 Richie Lewis US baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins)
1967 Mario Brunetta hockey goaltender (Team Italy 1998)
1967 Marty Calder St Catharine ON, 62 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympics-12-92,96)
1967 Randy Mckay Montréal Québec Canada, NHL right wing (New Jersey Devils)
1968 Lynette Brooky New Zealand, golfer (New Zealand Open 1993/94)
1968 Roosevelt Collins WLAF DL (Amsterdam Admirals)
1968 Tim De Leede cricketer (Holland batsman 1996 World Cup)
1969 Jesse Harte Rome GA, heavy metal vocalist (Southgang-Tainted Angel)
1969 Heidi Wolfgramm rocker (Jets)
1969 Nolan Harrison NFL defensive tackle (Oakland Raiders, Pitt Steelers)
1969 Penny Moore WNBA guard/forward (Charlotte Sting)
1970 Chris Mills NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks)
1970 Milt Stegall CFL receiver (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1970 Pau Coll WLAF kicker/safety (Barcelona Dragons)
1970 Scott Hendrickson CFL guard (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
1971 China Slick rocker (daughter of Grace Slick)
1971 Herman Smith NFL/WLAF defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, London Monarchs)
1971 Jordan Young Thunder Bay Ontario, Canadian Tour golfer (1992 Purdue)
1971 Kerry Taylor US baseball pitcher (San Diego Padres)
1971 Kevin Williams receiver/kick returner (Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys)
1971 Konstantin Matoussevich Israel, Men's high jump (Olympics-7th-1996)
1971 Tommie Jones WLAF cornerback (Amsterdam Admirals)
1971 Vincent Brisby NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots)
1973 Anthony Harris linebacker (Miami Dolphins)
1973 Elvis Presley Jr alleged son of Elvis Presley
1973 Marco Battaglia tight end (Cincinnati Bengals)
1973 Rodney Young NFL safety (New York Giants)
1973 Terrell Wade Rembert SC, pitcher (Atlanta Braves)
1974 Jonathan Bryan Colling Boston MA, rocker (4 Fun-Unbelievable Fun Boys)
1974 Adam Meadows offensive tackle (Indianapolis Colts)
1974 Daniel Sproule Australian field hockey halfback (Olympics-96)
1975 John Piersma US, 200m/400m freestyle swimmer (Olympics-4th-96)
1976 Tara Fleming N York Ontario, LPGA golfer (1992 LPGA Corning-10th)
1978 Christine Lakin actress (Alicia Lambert-Step by Step)
1978 Mandy Carraway Miss Kansas Teen-USA (1996)
1980 Amanda Michelle Burns Miss West Virginia Teen-USA (1997)

---

Deaths which occurred on January 25:
1138 Anacletus II [Pietro Pierleone], Jewish anti-pope (1130-38), dies
1139 Godfried I with the Beard, duke of Brabant/Earl of Leuven, dies
1494 Ferdinand I cruel king of Naples, dies
1547 Lieven Algoet Flemish humanist, dies
1586 Lucas Cranach "the Young" German painter, dies at 70
1640 Robert Burton author (Anatomy of Melancholy), dies
1726 Guillaume Delisle French geographer (Atlas géographique), dies at 50
1733 Reinier V van Hompech Dutch General-Major cavalry, dies
1744 Domenico Natale Sarro Italian opera composer, dies at 64
1820 Joseph F Weigl German/Austria violin cellist, dies at 79
1821 Johan Valckenier Dutch politician/patriot, dies at 62
1829 William Shield composer, dies at 80
1855 Dorothy Wordsworth writer, dies at 83
1875 Leopold Jansa composer, dies at 79
1882 Peter Singer composer, dies at 71
1896 Frans C Baeckelmans Flemish architect (Court of Justice), dies at 68
1896 Frederic Leighton President of the Royal Academy (1878-96), dies
1899 Alfredo d'Escragnolle French/Brazilian writer (Innocencia), dies
1906 Joseph Wheeler II Confederate General, dies at 70
1906 Pierre L Goossens Belgian archbishop of Malines/Cardinal, dies at 78
1910 Léon Walras French economist (School of Lausanne), dies at 75
1917 Edwin Tyler cricketer (slow-lefty played once for England 1896), dies
1920 Amadeo Modigliani Italian sculptor/painter, dies at 35
1921 Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych composer, dies at 43
1942 Eugene Samuel-Holeman composer, dies at 78
1947 Al Capone Chicago gangster, dies of syphilis at 48
1949 Emil Axman composer, dies at 61
1952 Sveinn Bjørnsson Danish 1st President of Iceland (1944-52), dies at 70
1960 Diana Barrymore actress (Ladies Courageous), dies at 38
1960 Rutland Boughton composer, dies at 82
1963 Wilson Kettle Newfoundland, dies at 102, leaving 582 living descendents
1965 Staff Nees Flemish composer (Maria-oratorio), dies at 63
1968 Virginia Maskell actress (Only Two Can Play), dies at 31
1969 John Zajíc Czech student, self incinerates
1970 Eunice Hunton Carter 1st black female District Attorney in NY, dies at 70
1970 Marie Benavente actress (Paradise), dies at 84
1975 Vivien Kellems TV hostess (The Power of Women), dies at 78
1977 Donald Kerr actor (Devil Bat, Killer Bats), dies at 85
1978 Tango Duke dies in Australia at 42; oldest known thoroughbred horse
1979 J Robertson Hare actor (Fighting Stock), dies at 87
1980 David Newell actor (Dangerous Curves, White Heat), dies at 75
1981 Adele Marie Astaire actress/sister of Fred Astaire (Last Man on Earth, Millie), dies at 82
1981 Richard Talmadge actor (Speed Reporter), dies
1982 Mihail A Suslov Soviet party ideologist, dies at 79
1986 Ernst Schnabel writer, dies at 72
1986 Horace Smith cricketer (1 Test New Zealand vs England 1933, one wicket at 113), dies
1987 Emil Hlobil composer, dies at 85
1988 Colleen Moore actress (These Girls Won't Talk), dies at 87
1990 Alexander Lockwood actor (Duel), dies
1990 Ava Gardner actress (Barefoot Contessa), dies from pneumonia in London at 67
1990 Ian Dudley Hardy entertainer, dies
1991 Stanley Brock actor (Tin Men), dies of heart attack at 59
1992 John Touchstone actor (Across Five Aprils), dies of cirrhosis at 59
1992 Mahmoud Riad Secretary-General of Arab League (1972-79), dies
1992 Nico Schuyt Dutch composer, dies at 70
1992 Vernon William Reed Sr singer, dies after a long illness at 73
1994 Stephen Cole Kleene mathematician (Regular Expressions), dies at 85
1995 Peter Black TV critic, dies at 82
1995 Tom Brugman Dutch puppeteer (Brave Dodo), dies at 62
1995 William Sylvester actor (2001, Devil Doll, Blind Corner), dies at 72
1996 Jonathan Larson composer, dead Aortic aneurysm at 35
1996 Ruth Berghaus choreographer/director, dies at 68
1997 Herbert Eugene Caen columnist, dies at 80
1997 Jeanne Dixon psychic (Gift of Prophecy), dies of a heart attack at 79
1998 Mohammad Yusuf Khan prime minister of Afghanistan in (1963-65), dies

---

On this day...
0844 Gregory IV begins & ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1139 Godfried II the Young becomes duke of Brabant
1327 King Edward III accedes to British throne
1348 Earthquake destroys Villach, killing 5,000
1494 Alfonso II replaces his father as king of Naples
1533 England's King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn (approximate date)
1554 Sir Thomas Wyatt gathers an army in Kent, rebels against Queen Mary
1565 Battle at Talikota India Moslems destroy Vijayanagar's army
1579 Treaty of Utrecht signed, marks beginning of Dutch Republic
1721 Czar Peter the Great ends Russian-orthodox patriarchy
1775 Americans drag cannon up hill to fight British (Gun Hill Road, Bronx)
1787 Shays' Rebellion suffers a setback when debt-ridden farmers, led by Captain Daniel Shays, fail to capture an arsenal at Springfield MA
1799 1st US patent for a seeding machine, Eliakim Spooner, Vermont
1802 Napoleon elected President of the Italian (Cisalpine) Republic
1817 Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" premieres in Rome
1825 1st US engineering college opens, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Troy NY
1835 Vincenzo Bellini's opera "I Puritani" premieres in Paris
1844 Recontre between Representatives Weller & Shriver, US House of Representatives
1851 Sojourner Truth addresses 1st Black Women's Rights Convention (Akron)
1854 Aleksandr Ostrovsky's "Bednost ne Porok" premieres in Moscow
1856 Battle of Seattle; skirmish between settlers & Indians
1858 Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" 1st played, at wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Victoria, to crown prince of Prussia
1863 Battle of Kinston NC
1863 General Joseph Hooker replaces Burnside as head of Army of Potomac
1865 The CSS Shenandoah arrives in Melbourne, Australia
1870 Soda fountain patented by Gustavus Dows
1875 Anti-slavery society formed in NY
1877 Congress determines presidential election between Hayes-Tilden
1882 Bilu, a Russian Zionist organization, forms
1885 Vincent d'Indy's "Saugefleurie" premieres
1890 National Afro-American League forms in Chicago
1890 Nellie Bly beats Phileas Fogg's time around world by 8 days (72 days)
1890 United Mine Workers of America forms
1894 James J Corbett KOs Charley Mitchell in 3 for heavyweight boxing title
1902 Aleksandr Skriabin's 2nd Symphony in C premieres in St Petersburg
1904 179 die in coal mine explosion at Cheswick PA
1904 J M Synge's "Ruders to the Sea" premieres in Dublin
1906 Del Valle Inclans "El Marqués de Bradomin" premieres in Madrid
1907 Julia Ward Howe is 1st woman elected to National Institute of Arts & Letters
1908 John Blocks' opera "Baldie" premieres in Antwerp
1909 Richard Strauss' premier of "Electricity" in Dresden
1910 1st stumping by a 12th man in Tests (N C Tufnell, South Africa vs England)
1910 Children initiate idea of planting trees in Jerusalem
1915 Transcontinental telephone service inaugurated (New York to San Francisco)
1915 Giordano, Sardou & Moreau's opera "Madame Sans Gêne" premieres in New York City NY
1916 Montenegro surrenders to Austria-Hungary
1918 Russia declared a republic of Soviets
1919 Founding of League of Nations, 1st meeting 1 year later
1921 Karel Capék's "RUR" premieres in Prague
1923 NVV donates ƒ100,000 to mine workers of Ruhrgebied
1924 1st Winter Olympic games open in Chamonix, France
1929 Bradman scores 340* for New South Wales vs Victoria, 488 minutes, 38 fours
1932 1st commencement exercises at Hebrew University in Jerusalem
1932 Bradman scores 167 New South Wales vs Victoria, 224 minutes, 22 fours
1937 Miami-to-Tampa bus overturned in a canal, kills 13
1937 Soap Opera "Guiding Light" premieres on NBC radio
1938 Ian Hay's "Bachelor Born" premieres in New York City NY
1939 Earthquake hits Chillán Chile, 10,000 killed
1939 Joe Louis KOs John Henry Lewis in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
1940 Nazi decrees the establishment of Jewish ghetto in Lodz Poland
1945 Grand Rapids MI becomes 1st US city to fluoridate its water
1945 Dan Topping, Del Webb & Larry MacPhail purchase New York Yankees for $2.8 million
1945 Japanese occupiers of Batavia arrest Indo-European youths
1945 West Africa 82nd division occupies Myohaung, Burma
1946 United Mine Workers union rejoins American Federation of Labor
1946 Richard Strauss' "Metamorphosis" premieres in Zurich
1949 1st Emmy Awards NBC's "The Necklace", Shirley Dinsdale & Pantomime Quiz (KTLA) win
1949 1st Israeli election - Ben-Gurion's Mapai party wins
1950 73ºF (23ºC) highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in January
1951 UN begins counter offensive in Korea
1952 Test debut of Richie Benaud, vs West Indies at the SCG
1953 WABI TV channel 5 in Bangor ME (CBS) begins broadcasting
1953 Yuri Sergejev skates world record 500m in 40.9 seconds
1955 Jill Kinmont hits a tree & breaks her back in Snow Cup Ski Race
1955 Russia ends state of war with Germany
1955 Columbia University scientists develop an atomic clock accurate to within one second in 300 years
1955 US & Panama sign canal treaty
1956 96.5 cm (38.0") of rainfall, Kilauea Plantation, HI (state record)
1957 FBI arrests Jack & Myra Sobel, charged with spying for the USSR
1959 1st transcontinental commercial jet flight (American) (Los Angeles to New York for $301)
1959 Pope John XXIII proclaims 2nd Vatican council
1961 1st live, nationally televised Presidential news conference (JFK)
1961 Walt Disney's "101 Dalmations" released
1961 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Naples Pro-Am Golf Tournament
1961 Military coup in El Salvador
1964 Beatles 1st US #1, "I Want to Hold your Hand" (Cashbox)
1964 Echo 2, US communications satellite launched
1966 WCMC (now WMGM) TV channel 40 in Wildwood New Jersey (NBC) 1st broadcast
1968 Risse St in the Bronx named for Louis Risse (engineer who pioneered underpasses at major intersections)
1968 Robert Anderson's "I Never Sang for My Father" premieres in New York City NY
1969 US-North Vietnamese peace talks begin in Paris
1970 Robert Altman's "M*AS*H" premieres
1971 Charles Manson & 3 women followers convicted of Tate-LaBianca murders
1971 Himachal Pradesh becomes 18th Indian state
1971 Philadelphia mint's 1st trial strike of the Eisenhower dollar
1971 Military coup in Uganda under General Idi Amin Dada
1971 WHMB TV channel 40 in Indianapolis IN (IND) begins broadcasting
1972 7' Ohio State center Luke Witte is stomped in face during a brawl in a game with Minnesota
1972 25th NHL All-Star Game East beats West 3-2 at Minnesota
1974 Bülent Ecevit forms government in Turkey
1974 Ray Kroc, CEO (McDonald's), buys San Diego Padres for $12 million
1974 South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard transplanted the first human heart without removal of the old one
1975 10th hat trick in Islander history-Denis Potvin's 1st
1975 Parliament disposes of premier sheik Mujib ur-Rahman
1976 Surinder Amarnath scores 124 on Test debut India vs New Zealand Auckland
1978 Muriel Humphrey (D-MN) appointed to fill late husband's Senate seat
1978 Padres trade pitcher Dave Tomlin & $125,000 to Rangers for Gaylord Perry (He wins 1978 Cy Young Award)
1979 22.2-km Oshimizu railroad tunnel holed through, central Honshu, Japan
1979 Pope John Paul II's 1st overseas trip as supreme pontiff
1980 Highest speed attained by a warship, 167 kph, USN hovercraft
1980 Paul McCartney is released from Tokyo jail & deported
1980 Bani Sadr elected President of Iran
1980 Dutch Government demands boycott of Olympics
1981 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived back in US
1981 Mao's widow Jiang Qing sentenced to death
1981 Super Bowl XV Oakland Raiders beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10 in New Orleans; Super Bowl MVP Jim Plunkett, Oakland, Quarterback
1982 9th American Music Award Kenny Rogers win
1983 China's supreme court commutes Chiang Ch'ing's death sentence to life
1983 Infrared telescope satellite launched into polar orbit
1983 Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie arrested in Bolivia
1985 "Black & Blue" premieres in Paris
1985 Test debut of Wasim Akram, vs New Zealand at Auckland (2-105)
1986 General Tito Okello's government flees Kampala Uganda
1987 75th Australian Mens Tennis S Edberg beats Pat Cash (63 64 36 57 63)
1987 Super Bowl XXI New York Giants beat Denver Broncos, 39-20 in Pasadena; Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, New York Giants, Quarterback
1988 George Harrison releases "When We Was Fab"
1988 Longest winless streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (15 games)
1988 Vice President Bush & Dan Rather clash on "CBS Evening News" as Rather attempts to question Bush about his role in the Iran-Contra affair
1988 15th American Music Award Anita Baker, Paul Simon & Whitney Houston
1988 Ramsewak Shankar sworn in as President of Suriname
1989 Michael Jordan scores his 10,000th NBA point in his 5th season
1989 Yank owner George Steinbrenner meets with Pope John Paul II
1989 Augusto Alcalde, 1st South American Zen teacher, receives Dharma Transmission
1990 Former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is transferred to a Miami jail
1990 Avianca Flight 52, runs out of fuel & crashes in Cove Neck NY, 73 die
1990 West-Europe's strongest hurricane
1991 Manuel Noriega is given access to assets frozen by US government
1991 Brett Hull is 3rd NHLer to score 50 goals in less than 50 games (49)
1991 Mark Waugh scores ton in 1st Test Cricket innings, vs England Adelaide
1991 Soap opera "Generation's" last episode after a 2½ year run
1992 66th Australian Women's Tennis Monica Seles beats M Fernandez (62 63)
1992 Dan Jansen skates world record 500m in 36.41"
1992 Hubble space telescope optics finds NGC3862/3C264
1993 20th American Music Award Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey win
1993 Puerto Rico adds English as its 2nd official language
1993 Sears announces it is closing its catalog sales department after 97 years
1994 Accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, Michael Jackson settles a civil lawsuit out of court
1994 Australia beat South Africa 2-1 to win the World Series Cup
1994 Mine fire at Asansol India, kills 55
1994 US space probe Clementine launched
1995 Jacques Santer succeeds Jacques Delors as chairman of European Committee
1997 71st Australian Women's Tennis Martina Hingis beat Mary Pierce (62 62)
1998 "Grease" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater New York City NY after 1,503 performance
1998 "Patti LaBelle On Broadway" closes at St James Theater New York City NY
1998 Britain's Queen Mother, 97, gets an emergency hip replacement
1998 Helen Alfredsson wins Office Depot LPGA tournament
1998 Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Posh) & soccer David Beckham gets engaged
1998 Super Bowl XXXII Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers 31-24 in San Diego; Super Bowl MVP Terrell Davis, Denver, Running Back
1985 "We are the World" is recorded

---

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

Uganda : 2nd Republic Day

---

Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Ananias of Damascus
Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran : Feast of the Conversion of St Paul the Apostle

---

Religious History
1534 German Reformer Martin Luther gave his understanding of "conversion" in a sermon: 'To be converted to God means to believe in Christ, to believe that He is our Mediator and that we have eternal life through Him.'
1841 The Oxford Movement in England reached its apex with the appearance of John Henry Newman's Tract No. 90. The storm of controversy which ensued brought the series (begun in 1833) to an end. Later, Newman resigned his Anglican parish and in 1845 converted to Roman Catholicism.
1861 Missouri Synod Lutheran founder C.F.W. Walther wrote in a letter: 'The church, as a fellowship...of those who are born again... corresponds to the nature of living Christianity, whereas...the church as a fellowship of the orthodox, whether converted or unconverted, will necessarily lead to a dead Christianity.'
1944 In the Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong and South China, Florence Tim-Oi Lee of Macao was ordained a priest in Kwangtung Province, China. Although considered an emergency wartime measure (owing to the lack of male priests in Macao), it nevertheless made Florence Tim-Oi Lee the first-ever ordained female Anglican clergyperson.
1959 Pope John XXIII, 90 days after his election, announced his intention to hold an ecumenical church council. (The Vatican II Council officially opened October 11, 1962 and closed December 8, 1965.)

---

Thought for the day :
" While forbidden fruit may be sweeter, it spoils faster. "

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Jen.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the links to the Gulf War Sydrome threads.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Jen, Good link to the Homeland Security Site

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Pippin

[Jen]

Good morning Sam! I had to get up too stinkin' early today to take my daughter to the airport. Yawn!

You did a terrific job with the thread today. I hope vets reading this thread will be helped by the information you gathered, and by talking about their experiences in the Foxhole with fellow veterans and military supporters who can truly understand and empathise with them. I think that's such an important mission of the FReeper Foxhole.

Did you see Aomagrat's post? I think he's issued you a scrounging challenge... hehehe

[Jen]

.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking, Sam.

[Jen]

1992 Hubble space telescope optics finds NGC3862/3C264

I suppose you can tell me what this is.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Everybody.

Hurry Back Fiddlstix!
No one makes Coffee and Donuts like you.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics

[Jen]

1974 Adam Meadows offensive tackle (Indianapolis Colts)

Sure are a lot of NFL players born on this date.

Go Colts! All the way to the Super Bowl in 2004!

[Jen]

Hi Pip! It's good to see you in the Foxhole. What's new with you?

[Jen]

Click the logo for more information.

The Veterans History Project is a unique opportunity for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to play an important role in the preservation of our national collective memory and to learn important lessons from the rich historical resource we have in our military veterans and civilians who served in support of the war effort.

[SAMWolf]

Best I could do Aomagrat, there doesn't seem to be any pictures available of the USS Tampa or any of the Unalga Class Cutters.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks ImpBill, for your service and for your insight.

There are those who are going to do our best to see that the treatment the Vietnam Veterans received doesn't happen to our new Veterans.

Welcome Home.

[SAMWolf]

1970 Robert Altman's "M*AS*H" premieres

I always thought the movie was better than the TV series

[SAMWolf]

LOL! Yep and I can't find any pictures of the ship nor any in it's class.

[SAMWolf]

You're getting the Foxhole used to seeing a poem each morning. Thanks for your contribution Cote.

[Humal]

SAMWolf
This article really hits home for me. My father died of "Shell Shock" (he was in WWII), and my father-in-law won't talk about his experiences in the South Pacific during the same war. Even though my father died when I was two years old, my mother talked about some of these symptoms and how they affected him. It was a very sad situation for ALL concerned: my father, his parents, my mother, and for me, since I had to grow up without a father.

I have a cousin, Viet Nam veteran, who also experiences "Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome", and it has cost him his healthy out-look on life and his wife. Also, my brother, Korean vet, has it to some degree. There are some things he just will not do, view, or talk about.

Hopefully, with more understanding of the disease and newer drugs and treatment, future warriors and their families won't have to go through this.

[aomagrat]

Thanks. You'd think that a ship that went down in combat with all hands would have more info on her. She seems forgotten except for American Legion Post 5 in Tampa FL.

BTW, can you guess which classic warship will be featured tomorrow?

[fatima]

Here's a bump