USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ U.S. Coast Guard National Motor Lifeboat School ~ April 3 2003

U.S. Coast Guard National Motor Lifeboat School ^ | 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub and FRiends of the Canteen

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

U.S. COAST GUARD NATIONAL MOTOR LIFEBOAT SCHOOL

  Purpose:  The motor lifeboat is a standard resource platform used by the U.S. Coast Guard small boat fleet.  The central purpose of the USCG National Motor Lifeboat School is to teach coxswains standard practices and procedures to use in executing their missions.  The emphasis is on the ability to use the motor lifeboat (MLB) in the elements for which it was designed, extreme weather and surf conditions.  The goal of the USCG National Motor Lifeboat School is to promote the highest degree of professionalism in seamanship skills. 

History:  The National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) is located at the mouth of the Columbia River on the United States’ northwestern coast at a Point of land called “Cape Disappointment”.  The river’s strong current runs headlong into the strength of the Pacific Ocean tides at this river mouth and coupled with the frequent storms create some of the roughest waters in the world.  Since 1878 this area, also known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific”, has long been home for the Coast Guard rescue facilities and its predecessor the U.S. Lifesaving Service.  During the 1960’s and early 70’s local Coast Guard units pooled their resources in order to conduct coxswain and crew training on the then new 44-foot Motor Lifeboats.  It was acknowledged that these steel-hulled boats were more capable than the wooden 36-foot lifeboats they were replacing.  The crews manning them were typically very experienced with the leadership of seasoned veterans whose seamanship skills were passed on directly to each new crewmember.  The localized training allowed small groups of Coast Guard crews to share experiences and techniques.  A slow trend of decreasing experience base among Coast Guard crews could also be seen through this period.  The Coast Guard’s Thirteenth District (Oregon and Washington coastal area) sought out a method of sharing the lessons learned through hard practical experience with these junior members.  They established a training curriculum and routinely gathered their resources to put on classes focused at operating the 44-foot lifeboat in the surf environment.  The success of these gatherings in passing on skills was soon recognized as potentially valuable for all lifeboat coxswains nationwide.  The training concept was to use experienced Surfmen from the United States northwest coast to show other coxswains from around the nation how best to use the lifeboat in its designed element.  Resources and budget were identified to give dedicated lifeboats to the newborn school along with personnel to provide maintenance and instruction.  With the establishment of a formalized curriculum the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Motor Lifeboat School was established in 1980 in Ilwaco, Washington co-located with the existing rescue station at Cape Disappointment.   With surf conditions often causing 10 to 20 foot breaking waves and wind/sea state extremes such as Beaufort Force 10 across the wide river mouth (also known as a bar), the location was ideal for the lifeboat school.  Increased training needs and a focus on standardization have caused the lifeboat school to expand through the years.  This included new shore maintenance facilities, offices and classrooms that were dedicated in April 1993.  

Lifeboats:  The USCG National Motor Lifeboat School originally had five 44-foot (13.6-meter) Motor Lifeboats (MLB’s) in its inventory.  The coxswains attending the school from around the nation learned operating skills and maintenance techniques for this boat.  When the fiberglass 30-foot (9.2-meter) Surf Rescue Boat (SRB) was introduced to the Coast Guard inventory in the mid-1980’s, several were assigned to the school and similar skills sets were taught on this fast response supplement to the lifeboat fleet.  This changing inventory of boat types continues today.  The 30-foot SRB has been largely removed from Coast Guard use as well as from the school boat inventory.  The National Motor Lifeboat School was an integral part of the testing and development of the U.S. Coast Guard’s new 47-foot (14.7-meter) lifeboat from the beginning.  A team assigned to the school conducted extensive operational tests of the prototype lifeboat.  Their input was invaluable in improving the design and details before final production was begun in 1996.  The National Motor Lifeboat School now operates a fleet of two venerable 44-foot lifeboats and four of the 47-foot lifeboats.  This mix of old and new boat resources allows the school to provide training on both lifeboat types through the years it will take to fully transition the U.S. Coast Guard to the newest 47-foot Motor Lifeboats.   

The National Motor Lifeboat School is a unique U.S. Coast Guard training center that operates under the Office of Boat Forces (Commandant G-OCS). With a staff of about 40 personnel, it serves the Coast Guard as an operations Center of Excellence for the MLB platform providing "C" school resident training, MLB readiness and Standardization assessments, and 47 foot MLB transition training. The NMLB School is located near the mouth of the Columbia River at Cape Disappointment just outside of Ilwaco, Washington. The area known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific" provides the training grounds for Coast Guard personnel learning to care for and operate the 47 foot MLB.

The origin of the National Motor Lifeboat School comes from seasoned surfmen and crews getting together to share common practices and techniques for survival in these treacherous waters. The NMLB School continues this tradition through its hands-on classes for boat coxswains as well as the engineering and operational managers of the MLB fleet. The class for Heavy Weather Coxswain is one of the only ones in the world that teaches the art of boat operations in extreme weather and surf. The self-righting 47 foot Motor Lifeboat is the backbone of the USCG boat fleet and designed for up to 20 foot surf and 30 foot seas. Students turn classroom preparation into practical experience as they work these boats on the Columbia River Bar.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

The Coos River "Bar" is a sandbar located at the entrance to the river that will cause normal ocean waves to exceed 25 feet in the winter season! This river entrance is second in wave height only to Cape Disappointment on the Columbia River.

Click Here
for a Video of a 110-degree roll on
MLB 47234, Coos Bay OR

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Could you please correct the date?
Thank You

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

snippy_about_it is having computer problems so I'm doing today's thread for her.

USO CANTEEN FREEPER STYLE MISSION STATEMENT
Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

[tomkow6]

[Soaring Feather]

Canteen Blessing
for the Troops

May your heart be calm
your voice strong
steady of foot
radiant of smile
confident and willing
knowing you are safe
Blessings upon you...

bentfeather

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Tonk! Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY!

GOOD

MORNING

TROOPS!!

[tomkow6]

Chicagoland Weather
Current Conditions:
As reported at KORD, O'Hare Arpt.. ..
Last update Thu 3 Apr 2003 4:56 AM CST.

Cloudy
38°F Feels Like: 32°F
UV Index: 0 Minimal
Wind: From the NNE at 8 mph
Humidity: 93 %
Visibility: unlimited
Barometer: 29.79 inches and Falling

Today's Forecast Thu 03 Apr 2003 03:00 AM CST
AM Showers
Low 44°F
High 51°F

[tomkow6]

Today's FEEBLE attempt at humor:

Q: Why doesn't Saddam go out drinking?
A: Why should he go out when he can get bombed at home!


***


The recent referendum in Iraq has confirmed Saddam Hussein as president for
another seven-year term by 100% support.

An old man voted No at the first instance but was so worry about the
consequence. He therefore went back to the voting station and told the
administrator: "Look, I am such a old man and have probably made a mistake
by putting the X at the wrong position, I beg you not to punish me and wish
to correct my mistake". The adminstrator said to him, "Don't worry, we have
corrected it for you already".

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[Aeronaut]

Good morning all.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the USO Canteen, The Foxhole, and The Poetry Branch
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

.................................................................................................................................

Troop Prayer Thread 4
Posted by TEXOKIE

Fasting and Prayers for our Military
and the suffering People of Iraq
Posted by patriciaruth

[SpookBrat]

Good morning!

[JohnHuang2]

G'morning, friend

[JohnHuang2]

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning!

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Spook!!

Good to see you.

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Tonkin!!

[tomkow6]

Morning, Spooky! Long time no see.........

[Radix]

 

 

 

Good Morning Troops

 

 

[JohnHuang2]

Tonkin, don't know if you've read this (New York Post) piece by Ralph Peters, but here goes. Have yet to read a better article on our Spec. Ops guys.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES By RALPH PETERS

---

March 31, 2003 -- HAVE faith in the American soldier. Have particular faith in our special operations forces, the shadow warriors who are the most effective fighting men in history.

Over the weekend, special ops troops leading Kurdish freedom fighters overran a vast terrorist base near Iraq's border with Iran.

Perhaps a thousand members of Ansar al-Islam, a group with direct ties to both al Qaeda and Saddam's regime, had pledged to resist to the death. They ran like rabbits and died like sheep.

The surviving terrorists are now in detention in Iran. And their huge complex of caves and defensive positions is already yielding critical intelligence.

This victory in both the war against Saddam and the War on Terror was one of the rare times when our special operations forces stepped out into the light of day.

The Pentagon also showed a tape of Army Rangers raiding an Iraqi headquarters by night. Other reports tell of special operators tracking down a meeting place for over 200 leaders of Saddam's death squads in Basra. Allied aircraft wiped the building from the face of the earth.

Army Special Forces are active in An Najaf, rooting out the die-hards who have been tormenting the civilian population. Other special operators were in Iraq well before the start of the war, providing intelligence and locating Iraqi missile launchers.

We even have special operations forces operating in Baghdad, hunting for targets and killing Iraq's bloodstained leaders, one after another.

This is all mighty impressive. But it's only a fraction of what the Army's Special Forces, Rangers and Delta Force, the Navy's SEALs, and special operations elements from the Air Force and Marines are doing in this war - along with Brit, Aussie and other allied comrades.

These men work best in the darkness, both figurative and literal. So they rarely get credit for their phenomenal skills and courageous accomplishments.

Far more is happening behind Iraqi lines than we ever will know. Our special operators have extraordinary capabilities that must be kept secret to remain effective. But I can assure you that some of the most effective actions taken against Saddam's regime are happening far from any TV cameras.

I was fortunate during my Army career and afterward to know many special operators, from brilliant generals down to sergeants so tough they make steel feel like a down comforter. I was never less than deeply impressed by their skills, professionalism - and intellect.

And that leads me to a general misunderstanding. Hollywood portrayals of special ops troops tend to portray them as wild men, hot dogs whose calling is to perform amazing stunts. Well, these guys are certainly amazing, but show-offs and braggarts don't make the cut.

Special ops troops are rigorously self-disciplined. Every man in a team must be able to depend completely on every other man. No drunks, no punks. These are men who must be ready to walk through fire, if the mission requires it.

Physically tough, you bet. But their psychological toughness is even more important, given the enormous stresses under which they operate. And many of them speak multiple languages, have advanced degrees and possess such deep experience of the world that they are among the most intellectually sophisticated men I've ever known.

As for courage, well, it's required of many soldiers, often at unexpected times. But special operators know the risks they take going into a mission. And it's much easier to perform reliably when surrounded by hundreds of your buddies and backed up by armor and airpower, than when you are hundreds of miles from help, with the enemy all around you.

Our special operations troops aren't superhuman. But they're close.

Try to imagine the sort of courage it takes to serve in a hunter-killer team in downtown Baghdad. Or a Delta Force element on a direct-action mission deep in Iraq. Or an Air Force special ops pilot flying a helicopter in total darkness, skimming the sand, with only his skills and a pair of night-vision goggles to prevent a catastrophic crash that would kill the Special Forces A-team he's inserting.

These men are a breed apart. It is no slight to the magnificent performance of all our men and women in uniform to recognize the fearsome risks our special operations soldiers volunteer to undertake, or the extraordinary skills and dedication they bring to their missions.

Each one of these men is a national treasure, each one of them a strategic asset. As you read these lines, they are operating behind Saddam's lines, haunting him and hunting him. You may never see their faces. But you are going to see their results.

Ralph Peters is a retired military officer who wasn't remotely tough enough or smart enough to qualify for a special operations unit. And he doesn't mind admitting it.

Home

NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM
are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2003 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

[SpookBrat]

Hey there to the both of you.

School bell rings for us. I gotta go. I'm praying for our troops. Only 4 miles to Baghdad.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody !! Happy Thursday !

67 degrees right now, headin' for ~78 today. Possible showers late today. . .

Have a cup while you FReep !

For those who prefer hot chocolate.....

[MeekOneGOP]

[MeekOneGOP]

Hey, Flipper! CRUSH Saddam !!

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)

Los Angeles class airship
Length: 658 feet
Diameter: 90 feet 6 inches
Volume: 2.4 million cubic feet
Max speed: 76 mph

USS Los Angeles, a 2,472,000 cubic foot rigid airship was built at Friedrichshafen, Germany. Her construction was partially funded by German World War I reparations and was conditional on her being employed for "civil" purposes. Completed in August 1924 under the builder's number LZ-126, she departed Germany in mid-October 1924 for delivery to the U.S. Navy. After a three day trans-Atlantic flight, the airship arrived at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, where her hydrogen lifting gas was replaced with non-flammable helium. This greatly increased her safety, but also significantly reduced her payload and range. On 24 November 1924 she was placed in commission as USS Los Angeles by Mrs. Calvin Coolidge and began several years of flight activity to explore the potential of her type for commercial and Naval use.

Between February and May 1925, she voyaged twice to Bermuda and one time to Puerto Rico, and made test moorings to the Navy's floating airship base, the oiler Patoka.

In June 1925, Los Angeles began an overhaul at Lakehurst, while her expensive helium gas was transferred to the older dirigible Shenandoah (ZR-1). The latter's tragic loss, on 3 September 1925, produced a temporary shortage of helium, delaying Los Angeles' return to flight service until March 1926. However, she was actively employed for six years after that, five of them as the Navy's only rigid airship.

During this time, in addition to her normal training and experimental duties, she was used to calibrate East Coast radio compasses, made several cross-country flights around the eastern and southern United States, landed briefly on the aircraft carrier Saratoga and continued her work with Patoka. A unique incident on 25 August 1927, in which she briefly rose tail-high to a near-vertical position while attached to Lakehurst's tall mooring mast, demonstrated the dangers inherent with this type of facility and led to the adoption of the "stub" mast used for more than three more decades of dirigible and blimp operations.

Also in 1927, Los Angeles began a series of operations that developed techniques for basing airplanes on board airships, a concept that promised to greatly expand the dirigible's potential for fleet scouting. In the winter of 1931, with her "civil use" restrictions diplomatically eased, she flew to Panama to participate in Fleet Problem XII, the first time an airship had taken part in a major U.S. Fleet exercise since 1925. Later in 1931 she operated for a short time with the new USS Akron (ZRS-4), a much larger dirigible whose design owed much to Los Angeles's work.

At the end of June 1932, she was decommissioned and placed in preservative storage in Lakehurst's airship hangar. Following reconditioning in 1934, she began three years of non-flying experiments, including open-air moorings. Los Angeles left her hangar for the last time in November 1937 and, in October 1939, was stricken from the Navy list and began the dismantling process. Within a few months, USS Los Angeles, the most successful of the Navy's rigid airships, had been reduced to scrap.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning!

[Delta 21]

Hey Tonk! It does my heart good to know that you are keeping the young ones in line there at Coos Bay.

I did 3 years there from 85-88. The wave height at Cape D is usually more consistant, but Coos Bay channel will bite you in the ass when you least expect it.

When you want the pucker factor to go up a bit you should take the MLB Intrepid across the Bandon bar when its breaking all the way across. Talk about threading a needle!! The Coquille River Patrol was the Best!!!

[HiJinx]

Mornin', Tonk...

I like rolls in the morning, but over 100 degrees is not my idea of tea and crumpets!

One of our reporters asked that age old question again yesterday or the day before, "God, where do we get such men?"

Right here in the good ol' US of A, where we raise 'em on Liberty and Freedom and allow them to reach the pinnacle of their potential. You and your USCG Brothers fit that description...thanks for all you do, Bro!

[HiJinx]

Good Morning, Spooky!!!! How the Heck are you today?

Great picture of Marines getting ready for deployment.

How are your little angels today?

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

See You All tonight!
Off to the Coast Guard Station Operations office!

[Radix]

I will gladly pay you Tuesday, not Monday.

 

Pancakes on Wednesdays!

 

 

[Soaring Feather]

This will crack you all up!!

By the time Willard pulled into a little town
every hotel room was taken.
He finally pulled up to the very last hotel and
went into the office.

"You've got to have a room somewhere," he
pleaded. "Or just a bed - I don't care where."

"Well, I do have a double room with one
occupant," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he
snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms
have complained in the past. I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you."

"No problem," the tired travellers assured him.
"I'll take it."
The next morning Willard came down to breakfast
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"How'd you sleep?" asked the manager.

"Never better."

The manager was impressed. "No problem with the
other guy snoring, then?"

"Nope, I shut him up in no time" said Willard.

"How'd you manage that?" asked the manager.

"He was already in bed, snoring away, when I came
in the room," Willard xplained. "I went over, gave him a kiss on the cheek, said, 'Goodnight,
beautiful,' and he sat up all night watching me."

[HiJinx]

Take good care of those pups, Tonk!!

[grantswank]

THEY'RE HUGGING US

“U.S. commanders would be pleased if their reception in Baghdad resembled the scene Wednesday in the southern city of Najaf, where American journalists reported that thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets to welcome a Humvee column carrying an American colonel and his troops,” according to AP writer David Crary.

Imagine! The following data will shuffle into bad history, never to be repeated in Iraq:

* Sheikh Taleb Al Souhail, outstanding Iraqi leader and chief of the Bani Tamim tribe, was murdered by Hussein’s intelligence service, the Mukhabarat.

* The Faylee Kurds, mainly men ages 16 - 28, were tortured in Hussein’s detention camps while their families were sent away to Iran.

* Hetau Ibrahim Ahmad, prominent Kurdish spokesperson, tells of her having to flee her entire lifetime, in fact becoming a daily refugee. She sets forth detail of killings, oppression and displacement of Kurds by Hussein terrorists.

* Dr. Katrine Michael, 1988 victim of chemical weaponry, had to flee to Turkey because of the ongoing chemical bombardment of Kurds by Hussein.

* Nidhal Mhuk Shalal Aljuburi, Sabria Mahdi Naama and Peyman Halmat relate women’s public beheadings (while family members were forced to watch), women being dragged through village streets, rapes by Hussein’s security forces, kidnapping and mass killings, and displacements.

* Nidhal Muhi Shalal Aljuburi told of the practical extinction of her Jibour tribe, such including relatives, by Hussein. She related Hussein’s purposeful polluting of southern Iraq marsh areas, such yielding the dying out of animal life.

Crary reports on Thurday: “En route toward the capital, Marines ordered every passing vehicle to pull to the side of the road; passengers got out and put their hands over their heads. The roadside was strewn with black combat boots, discarded by Iraqi men who no longer wanted to be identified as soldiers.”

Imagine! Iraqis will never have to live out these bloody Hussein atrocities:

* Draining of the southern part of Iraq during the 1990s, such “cleansing” thousands of Iraqi Shiites.

* More ethnic obliteration of the non-Arab population of Kirkuk, blatantly murdering thousands of Hussein’s political opponents.

* Overseeing the murdering of more than 1000 Kuwaitis after his invasion of Kuwait, as well as holding foreign diplomats as hostages, stealing from Kuwaiti citizenry, raining down missiles upon Israeli civilians and seeing through war crimes against American militia.

* Amassing weapons of mass destruction and instigating global terrorism.

Associated Press gives further detail: “Jim Wilkinson, a Central Command spokesman, said American forces have received "reliable information" that the Iraqi regime may be planning to bomb some Shiite Muslim neighborhoods of Baghdad, then blame the U.S.-led coalition for the destruction.”

Imagine! No more such deceit from Hussein the Horrible. And no more of the following:

* Daily executions, secretly carried out, at the whim of Hussein. "In Iraq, not a day passes without us hearing that someone from a family we know has been executed," one refugee is quoted as saying.

"For example, my neighbor's son was shot outside her house and no one could save him. When he died, the special security forces came and asked her to pay 50,000 Iraqi dinars per bullet to be able to recover the body. She sold everything she had and paid to be able to bury him, on her own, with two police cars accompanying her, and the police buried him. Three days later they came to demolish her house and she was left on the street with her three daughters. I saw that with my own eyes," the refugee added.

* Brainwashing of children, beginning at age five. They are enrolled in “Ashbal Saddam” (“Saddam’s Cubs”) where they must undergo military training, the latter including cruelty to animals. "From the age of nine, children are put through ‘proper’ military training. A firearm is a physical part of the child's body," a mother was quoted as saying.

* Children are at times arrested, put in prison because a parent opposes Hussein, or merely because a soldier decides it is necessary. One mother told that her children, ages eleven and thirteen, were put behind bars for six months—all because her husband, prior to his being executed, refused to preach in favor of the Hussein war against Iran. Finally, to see her offspring set free, she had to pay the government.

* Another witness states: "In 1999, while I was under arrest in Abu Ghreb, I saw a group of women brought into prison with children of between three and five. It became standard practice to arrest women and children to put pressure on husbands, brothers, and father. They were kept from one to three months and released only if they confessed," the witness said.

* "We children were between four and twelve in 1981 when we were taken to prison with my mother and my aunt. I can remember the hunger that I felt. When we ran to embrace my mother, who had instruments on either side of her head and was screaming, we felt pain because she was full of electric current," another witness quoted in the report said.

* One million of internally displaced persons in Iraq is due to “forced population removal, known as Arabization.” Under this program, farmland is confiscated, citizens are harassed, imprisoned, tortured, and not permitted to inherit or purchase business or real estate. "The terror in Iraq is ubiquitous," the report says. "Every Iraqi, man, woman and child is a potential enemy -- of the party, of the regime, of the leader Saddam Hussein -- and must be dealt with accordingly."

AP reports: “A spokesman for British segment of the coalition, Group Capt. Al Lockwood, suggested the Iraqis' prospects around Baghdad were bleak. ‘They are in a position from which there is no escape,’ he said.

“In northern Iraq, government forces retreated in several areas, and abandoned hundreds of bunkers and command centers east of the city of Mosul. Thousands of local residents streamed into the vacated position, taking away metal sinks, chairs, pieces of wood and other items.”

IMAGINE!

[SpookBrat]

(((hugging a vet today))) I've missed you. I haven't seen you in so long. The angels are great. We're doing English right now.

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
Soccer
Sport That Knows No Borders

Member of the Juliet Company of the British forces' 42 Commando Marines, play a pick-up soccer game with local Iraqis in Khor az Zubahir in Basra, southern Iraq, in this Wednesday April 2 photo, made available Thursday April 3, 2003. The marines lost 9-3. (AP Photo/LA (Phot) Husbands/Crown Copyright /POOL)


A member of the Juliet Company of the British forces' 42 Commando Marines, left, during a pick-up soccer game with local Iraqis in Khor az Zubahir in Basra, southern Iraq, in this Wednesday April 2 photo, made available Thursday April 3, 2003.


A member of the Juliet Company of the British forces' 42 Commando Marines, right, during a pick-up soccer game with local Iraqis in Khor az Zubahir in Basra, southern Iraq, in this Wednesday April 2 photo, made available Thursday April 3, 2003.


Members of the Juliet Company of the British forces' 42 Commando Marines, right, during a pick-up soccer game with local Iraqis in Khor az Zubahir in Basra, southern Iraq, in this Wednesday April 2 photo, made available Thursday April 3, 2003

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"When you want the pucker factor to go up a bit you should take the MLB Intrepid across the Bandon bar when its breaking all the way across. Talk about threading a needle!!
The Coquille River Patrol was the Best!!! "

Located on the Coquille River approximately 14 miles south of the Coos River entrance is our summer SARDET. A Search and Rescue Detachment of CG Station Coos Bay spends the summer months guarding the entrance of this river. Normally this little river entrance doesn’t have the wave height of the Coos River Bar, but because it receives the same size swells and has a smaller opening to the ocean, the waves tend to break more often which can be very dangerous to the local recreational boating public. We relocate one of our 47' MLBs here along with two crews that switch duty every 48 hours. One of the reasons we have a summer detachment here is because of the boating traffic during those months. The bar tends to be calm during the summer months except occasionally on the ebb tide when we must restrict the bar as we do to the Coos River entrance. This bar has the tendency to be extremely dangerous to recreational vessels in the winter.

The town of Bandon is a local tourist attraction located here on the Coquille River also. It is home to commercial fisherman and recreational crabbers alike. Bandon is a historic little waterfront community with many tourist shops located in Old Town Bandon. Also in the area is the Bandon Dunes golf course, which was designed as a PGA tour course just recently built.

Also on the river is the Coquille River Lighthouse, which is being maintained by a local charity. Small compared to the other lighthouses of the Pacific Coat, it adds its own little flair to the river landscape.

SARDET Trailer	Coquille River Bar	Coquille River Lighthouse

[HiJinx]

I became real busy with the run-up to the war, and am now trying to catch up on things that got placed on the back burner.

I try to steal an hour or so each morning to have some fun and see what's happening in our world, then come back when I can.

English, eh? Very important subject...people do indeed judge us by the words we use and how we use them. The sad fact is that those who are judged to be lacking are rarely informed of their shortcoming, so never really have a chance to improve.

I wonder why public school teachers can't impress that fact on their students...never mind, I think I already know your answer!!!

{{{{Spooky}}}} - Back at you!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning!

PS Now I am really out the door. See everyone tonight!

[grantswank]

good morning and good evening.

have a good one.

yes yes yes.

[grantswank]

DOVE'S WINGS

They're hugging us
From street to street
Euphoria
In skies replete

With sympathies
And memories
To be forgot
For centuries.

The principle --
Morality --
Ensconsed in wills
Who ache to see

Beyond the blood,
Brutality,
Beyond the tears
A DREAM set free.

[HiJinx]

Today's early e-mail humor:

A sweet little boy surprised his grandmother one morning and brought her a cup of coffee.

He made it himself and was so proud.

He anxiously waited to hear the verdict on the quality of the coffee.

The grandmother had never in her life had such a bad cup of coffee, and as she forced down the last sip she noticed three of those little green army guys in the bottom of the cup.

She asked, "Honey, why would three little green army guys be in the bottom of my cup?"

Her grandson replied, "You know grandma, it's like on TV...The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup."

[grantswank]

much 'preciation once again for the flicks / pix.

just plain informative.

wonderful!!!!!

[Soaring Feather]

G'Morning Jinx!!!

Good one, I love that!!!

Fantastic!!

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 03:
---- Pak Tai Hong Kong
1245 Philip III king of France (1270-85)
1593 George Herbert English metaphysical poet (5 Mystical Songs)
1783 Washington Irving American writer (Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
1822 Edward Everett Hale US, clergyman/author (Man without a Country)
1823 William Macy "Boss" Tweed corrupt NYC political boss
1837 John Burroughs writer/nature enthusiast (Burroughs Medal namesake)
1893 Leslie Howard London, actor (Gone With the Wind)
1894 Dooley Wilson Tyler Tx, actor (Bill-Beulah)
1895 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Firenze (Florence) Italy, composer
1898 George Jessel toastmaster general/entertainer (Diary of Young Comic)
1898 Henry R Luce publisher (1965 Fisher Award)
19-- Anne DeSalvo Phila, actress (Compromosing Positions)
19-- John Laughlin Memphis Tn, actor (White Shadow)
19-- Kuan Yin buddhist/taoist deity
19-- Pat Proft Minneapolis Mn, comedy writer (Naked Gun, Airplane)
1904 Peter Van Steeden Amsterdam Neth, orch leader (Break the Bank)
1904 Sally Rand US, actress/ecdysiast/fan dancer (1933 Chic World Fair)
1916 Herb Caen Sacramento Calif, columnist (SF Chronicle)
1917 Bill Finegan Newark NJ, (Sauter-Finegan Band, Sat Night Revue)
1918 Sixten Ehrling Malm” Sweden, conductor (Royal Opera of Stockholm)
1920 Stan Freeman Waterbury Conn, pianist (Melody Tour)
1921 Harry Landers NYC, actor (Ted Hoffman-Ben Casey)
1921 Marilyn Maxwell Clarinda Iowa, actress (Grace-Bus Stop)
1923 Jan Sterling NYC, actress (1st Monday in October, HS Confidential)
1924 Doris Day Cincinnati Oh, "girl next door" actress (Pillow Talk)
1924 Marlon Brando Omaha Neb, actor (Superman, Godfather)
1925 Tony Benn British minister of technology (1968)
1926 Virgil Grissom Mitchell Ind, Lt Col USAF/astronaut (Merc 4, Gemini 3)
1927 Eva Sz‚kely Hungary, 200m backstroke swimmer (Olympic-gold-1952)
1929 Miyoshi Umeki Jap, actr (Mrs Livingston-Courtship of Eddie's Father)
1930 Helmut Kohl chancellor (Germany)
1930 Lawton Chiles (Sen-D-Fl)
1930 Max Frankel journalist (Tables of Id of Organic Compounds)
1931 Alex Cord Floral Park NY, actor (Jack-WEB, Michael-Airwolf)
1934 Jane Goodall London England, ethologist, studied African chimps
1934 Jim Parker NFL guard, tackle (Baltimore Colts)
1937 Simon Brown British high court judge
1937 William Gaunt Leeds England, actor (The Champions)
1938 Jeff Barry Bkln NY, rock writer (Tell Laura I Love Her)
1938 Phillppe Wynn rocker (Spinners)
1939 Vitaliy Davidov USSR, ice hockey player (Olympic-gold-1964, 68, 72)
1941 Eric Braeden actor (Victor Newman-Young & Restless)
1941 Jan Berry singer (Jan & Dean-Deadman's Curve)
1942 Marsha Mason St Louis Mo, (Blume in Love, Cinderella Liberty)
1942 Michael Elliott US, skier (Olympics-1968)
1942 Rick Sylvester parachute ski jumper (world record 3,300')
1942 Wayne Newton singer (Danke Sch”n)
1944 Richard Manuel rocker (Band-Cripple Creek)
1944 Tony Orlando NYC, singer (& Dawn-Tie a Yellow Ribbon)
1945 Catherine Spaak France, actress (Empty Canvas, Hotel)
1945 Richard Manuel pianist/vocalist (Up on Cripple Creek)
1946 Carlos Salinas de Gortari president (M‚xico)
1948 Garrick Ohlsson Bronxville NY, pianist (Intl Busoni winner 1969)
1948 Mary Gordon-Watson England, equestrian 3 day event (Oly-gold-1972)
1949 Lyle Alzado NFLer (LA Raiders)/actor
1949 Richard Thompson vocalist/guitarist (Shoot out the Lights)
1951 Mel Schacher bassist (Grand Funk Railroad-Some Kind of Wonderful)
1954 Mick Mars [Bob Allen Dale], IN, guitarist (M”tley Cre-Girls Girls)
1956 Miguel Bose Panama, spanish singer
1958 Alec Baldwin Amityville NY, actor, (Joshua-Knots Landing, Beetlejuice), (honorary frenchman)
1961 Eddie Murphy Bkln NY, actor (SNL, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Raw)
1962 John Gruffith rocker (Red Rockers)
1968 Sebastian Philip Clerk Bach Bahamas, rock (Skid Row-Psycho Love)
1972 Jennie Garth Champagn Ill, actr (Kelly Taylor-Beverly Hills 90210)

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Deaths which occurred on April 03:
1882 Jesse James shot dead in St Joseph Mo by Robert Ford
1936 Bruno Hauptmann convicted Lindbergh baby killer, executed
1946 Lt Gen Masaharu Homma (responsible for Bataan Death March), executed
1950 Carter G Woodson "father of black history," dies in Wash DC at 74
1980 Luella Gear actress (Joe & Mabel), dies at 82
1982 Warren Oates actor (East of Eden, Stoney Burke), dies at 53
1990 Sarah Vaughn jazz singer, dies of lung cancer at 66
1991 Grahame Greene author (3rd Man), dies at 86

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On this day...
245 -BC- Origin of Era of Arsaces
309 -BC- Origin of Seleucid Era
419 [Etalius] ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1679 Edmund Halley meets Johannes Hevelius in Danzig
1776 Washington receives honorary Ll.D. degree from Harvard College
1783 Sweden & US sign a treaty of Amity & Commerce
1848 Thomas Douglas becomes 1st SF public teacher
1860 Pony Express began between St Joseph Mo & Sacramento Calif
1865 Union forces occupy Confederate capital of Richmond Va & Petersberg
1868 An Hawaiian surfs on highest wave ever, he rides a 50' tidal wave
1872 J C Watson discovers asteroid #119 Althaea
1886 J Palisa discovers asteroids #256 Walpurga & #274 Philagoria
1889 Savings Bank of the Order of True Reformers opens in Richmond, Va
1905 M Wolf discovers asteroid #562 Salome
1908 Frank Gotch wins world heavyweight wrestling championship in 2 hrs
1910 Highest mountain in North America, Alaska's Mt McKinley climbed
1916 S Belyavskij disc asteroid 854 Frostia, 855 Newcombia & 856 Backlunda
1918 House of Reps accepts American Creed written by William Tyler
1926 2nd flight of a liquid-fueled rocket by Robert Goddard
1927 Interstate Commerce Comm transfers Ohio to Eastern time zone
1930 Mont Canadiens sweep Boston Bruins in 2 games for Stanley Cup
1930 Ras Tafari becomes Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
1933 1st airplane flight over Mt Everest
1933 Then longest North American hockey game requires a 1:44:46 overtime as Maple Leaf Ken Doraty scores to beat Canadiens 1-0
1935 C Jackson discovers asteroids #1354 Botha & #1948 Kampala
1936 Al Carr KOs Lew Massey on 1 punch, :07 of the 1st round
1936 Shortest boxing bout with gloves lasts only 10 seconds
1937 K Inkeri discovers asteroid #1425 Tuorla
1940 Y Vaisala discovers asteroids #2194 Arpola, #2512 Tavastia & #3099
1944 Supreme Court (Smith v Allwright) "white primaries" unconstitutional
1948 1st US figure skating championships held
1948 Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan ($5B aid to 16 European countries)
1949 KQW-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KCBS
1954 Don Perry climbs a 20' rope in under 2.8 seconds (AAU record)
1955 Balt Orioles pull their 1st triple play (3-6-2 vs KC Athletics)
1962 Jockey Eddie Arcaro retires after 31 years (24,092 races)
1964 Beatles hold the top 6 spots on the Sydney Australia record charts
1964 US & Panam agree to resume diplomatic relations
1965 1st atomic powered spacecraft (snap) launched
1967 113 East Europeans attending World Amateur hockey championships in Vienna, ask for political asylum
1968 N Vietnam agrees to meet US reps to set up preliminary peace talks
1970 Miriam Hargrave of England passes her drivers test on 40th try
1972 L Chernykh discovers asteroid #2142 Landau
1974 148 tornadoes are reported over an area covering a dozen states
1974 Gold hits record $197 an ounce in Paris
1975 Bobby Fischer stripped of world chess title for refusing to defend
1975 James Rupers kills his family to inherit
1976 N Chernykh discovers asteroid #3493
1976 Phila Flyers win record tying 20th straight NHL home game
1977 Boston Bruin Jean Ratelle scores his 1,000th NHL point
1977 Egyptian Pres Anwar Sadat 1st meeting with President Jimmy Carter
1981 Arnie Boldt of Saskatchewan jumped 6' 8.25", with 1 leg
1982 Buffalo Sabre Gil Perrault scores his 1,000th NHL point
1982 UN Security Council demanded Argentina withdraw from Falkland Islands
1984 E Bowell discovers asteroid #3676
1984 Soyuz T-11 carries 3 cosmonauts (1 Indian-Rakesh Sharma) to Salyut 7
1985 Vic Elliot pocketed 15,780 pool balls in 24 hours in London
1987 Bill Elliott sets NASCAR qualify record of 212.809 mph at Talladega
1988 Mario Lemieux wins NHL scoring title, stopping Gretsky 7 year streak
1988 NJ Devils beat Chicago to clinch their 1st ever playoff spot
1989 "Sunrise" a Gannett newspaper begins publishing for the Bronx
1989 Michigan beats Seaton Hall for NCAA basketball title
1992 1st exhibition game at Camden Field-Orioles beat NY Mets

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

Switzerland : Glarius Festival (1388) - - - - - ( Thursday )
Mass : Student Government Day - - - - - ( Friday )

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Religious Observances
Ang : Commemoration of Richard, Bishop of Chichester

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Religious History
1189 The Peace of Strasbourg was signed, resolving the differences between Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany and Pope Clement III.
1528 In Cologne, German reformer Adolf Clarenbach, 28, was arrested for teaching Protestant (some say Anabaptist or Waldensian) doctrines. The following year, Clarenbach was burned at the stake for his faith.
1593 Birth of George Herbert, English clergyman and poet. One of his verses endures today as the hymn, "The King of Love My Shepherd Is."
1759 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'I believe that love to God, and to man for God's sake, is the essence of religion and the fulfilling of the law.'
1950 Death of American hymnwriter Ira B. Wilson, 70. Associated with Lorenz Publishing in Dayton, Ohio for over 40 years, Wilson's most enduring sacred composition was "Make Me a Blessing" (aka "Out of the Highways and Byways of Life").

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Thought for the day :
"Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status."

[Radix]

What are you doing

[TxBec]

Some more humor..

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Q. What is the Iraqi air force motto?

A. I came, I saw, Iran.

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Q. Have you heard about the new Iraqi air force exercise program?

A. Each morning you raise your hands above your head and leave them there.

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Q. What's the five-day forecast for Baghdad?

A. Two days.

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Q. What do Miss Muffet and Saddam Hussein have in common?

A. They both have Kurds in their way.

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Q. What is the best Iraqi job?

A. Foreign ambassador.

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Q. Did you hear that it is twice as easy to train Iraqi fighter pilots?

A. You only have to teach them to take off.

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Q. How do you play Iraqi bingo?

A. B-52 ... F-16 ... B-52

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Q. What is Iraq's national bird?

A. Duck.

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Q. What do Saddam Hussein and General Custer have in common?

A. They both want to know where those Tomahawks are coming from!

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Q. Why does the Iraqi navy have glass bottom boats?

A. So they can see their air force.