[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Friday Morning Everyone!


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

[snippy_about_it]

Veterans Day 2003 - Attention Northern California
PDN News Desk ^ | Monday, October 13, 2003 | Patriot Defenders Network

Veterans Day is right around the corner. 

It's an opportunity for us to support our troops, our country and show appreciations for our local veterans. It's another way to counter the Anti-Iraq campaign propaganda.  Would you like to help?  Are there any VetsCoR folks on the Left Coast?  We have a school project that everyone can help with too, no matter where you live.  See the end of this post for details.

Three Northern California events have been scheduled and we need help with each:

 

Friday evening - November 7th Veterans in School (An Evening of Living History, A Veterans Day Ice Cream Social)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003c.htm

 

Saturday - 11 a.m. November 8th: Veterans Day Parade (PDN & Friends parade entry)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003b.htm

 

Sunday November 9, 2003 Noon to 3:00 PM Support our Troops & Veterans Rally prior to Youth Symphony Concert

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003d.htm

 

Each of the WebPages above have a link to e-mail a confirmation of your interest and desire to volunteer.  These are family events and everyone is welcome to pitch in.  We'd really appreciate hearing from you directly via each these specific links.  This way, we can keep you posted on only those projects you want to participate in.

---

Veterans in School - How you can help if you're not close enough to participate directly. If you are a veteran, share a story of your own with the children.  If you have family serving in the military, tell them why it's important that we all support them. Everyone can thank them for having this special event.  Keep in mind that there are elementary school kids. 

Help us by passing this message around to other Veteran's groups.  I have introduced VetsCoR and FreeperFoxhole to a number of school teachers.  These living history lessons go a long way to inspire patriotism in our youth.  Lets see if we can rally America and give these youngsters enough to read for may weeks and months ahead.  If we can, we'll help spread it to other schools as well.

  Click this link to send an email to the students.

[Samwise]

Cool story today, snipppy.

Here's another cool WWII story that ran in the paper. I wish the online version had pictures; the paper version had them. Have you guys done a canine foxhole?

PLAINFIELD -- In 1944, Frank E. Sims, a Plainfield native, was sent to the Philippines to battle the Japanese. As part of the K-9 Division of the Quartermaster Corp. of the Army, Frank was assigned a dog named Queenie, said his brother Bob L. Sims.

"She was trained as a messenger dog," he said. "Frank rarely talked about his exploits but did tell that Queenie and he shared a mess kit at meal time and a fox hole at night."

During one of those nights, he said Frank was awakened by Queenie licking on his face to alert him that danger was at hand. The story is that three Japanese soldiers were sneaking up on his fox hole; Frank survived and the enemy did not.

When Frank was sent home to Plainfield in 1945, he petitioned the Army to let Queenie become his pet. His brother said the request was granted and after the dog was "de-trained," Queenie was shipped to Plainfield to live out her days with her beloved master.

"Eyewitnesses said that she nearly demolished her shipping crate upon seeing Frank approaching," Sims said.

Queenie became somewhat of a celebrity in town, he said, as many articles and pictures about her were published in the Friday Caller.

Frank worked for his brother George's Standard filling station on Main Street and that is where Queenie would hang out, Sims said.

Queenie died in the early 1950s. Frank died in 1994.

Two years ago, Sims began to petition Plainfield Plus to have Frank's name engraved on the war memorial flagpole in Friendship Gardens. His stipulation, however, was that Queenie be included in the stone remembrance. Bob said that some people in the organization objected to having the dog's name placed on a memorial for local men and women who served during wartime. But Sims protested that Queenie was also a member of the army and had as much right to be placed on the monument as Frank did.

"She had a serial number tattooed in her ear," Sims said. "They were as close as a human and a dog could be."

Two years may seem like a long time, but names are added to the monument only once a year. After awhile, the town agreed to include Queenie on the memorial.

Last month, the names were added to the memorial and Sims said every morning he walks by it and remembers.

Names may be added to the memorial at a cost of $75 each, Plainfield Plus President Scott Flood said.

[GailA]

Col Tony Lopez USAF (ret)Update: My Fellow Legionnaires, The Post Commander of Tipton County American Legion Post 67, Antonio (Tony) Lopez, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Indications are that the tumor is benign. He is scheduled to undergo major brian surgery on Wednesday, October 29, 2003, at the Baptist Hospital, 5019 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN 38120.

Hospital recovery period will be a week to 10 days, with 2 to 3 of those in ICU. After surgery, he will be unable to fly or travel for at least 2 to 3 months.

His four adult children are scheduling themselves to be here from just before surgery until the end of November in order to assist his wife, Ruth, with the driving and other necessary chores required during this period.

FROM Col Lopez

"I want to thank all that have called, sent cards and e-mails, and have stopped by the Hacienda to wish me well. Needless to say the many prayers that have been and are being said on my behalf are truly appreciated. I am going into this surgery as knowledgeable as a layman can be and fully aware of the attendant risks, knowing that God will be with me thanks to your petitions."

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good morning to you, Snippy and to everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

BTW, for those who use Windows on their computer, you'll be interested that Microsoft has implented a new schedule for Windows Critical Updates. Th updates will now be sent down on the First Tuesday of each calander. They're implenting this to allow Windows users to try out the new patches. They will still send out patches on a different schedule as events warrant.

Patches are what keep the computer running O.K. so that people like you and I can access message boards like this one. Be sure to download them when you get the chance.

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good morning to you, Snippy and to everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

BTW, for those who use Windows on their computer, you'll be interested that Microsoft has implented a new schedule for Windows Critical Updates. Th updates will now be sent down on the First Tuesday of each calander. They're implenting this to allow Windows users to try out the new patches. They will still send out patches on a different schedule as events warrant.

Patches are what keep the computer running O.K. so that people like you and I can access message boards like this one. Be sure to download them when you get the chance.

[The Mayor]

Look for my daily message..

What a fun jeep they were..

[SCDogPapa]

Mornin' Snippy! Mornin' Samwolf!

Well it's Friday,,,,finally. Hope y'all have a great weekend.

BTW,,,good info on the tuff little Jeep.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning snippy, SAM, everyone!

[manna]

Present!

[Darksheare]

I'm in.
I liked my M1097 HMMWV during my stay in uniform, never got to see or 'play with' any Jeeps.
:-(

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy. Gotta love the Jeep. Basic design in 49 days and it's a legend of WWII

The Hafner Rotabuggy
- a standard Army "Jeep" with free-wheeling rotor and stabilizing tail unit.

Austrian Raoul Hafner began preliminary work on helicopter models in the mid 1920s, and in 1928 began the design of his first aircraft, the Hafner R.l helicopter Financed by the Scottish cotton millionaire, Major J. A. Coats, this had a comparatively short fuselage and a large diameter (9.14 m/30ft) three-bladed main rotor; power was provided by a 22 4 kW (30-hp) ABC Scorpion flat-twin piston engine. When tested at Vienna in 1930 it was soon found that the gyroscopic action of this rotor was too great and as a result, only a few brief hops were made.

Raoul Hafner's wartime work included the design and development of the Rotachute, a man carrying glider with a rotating wing. Towed by an aircraft to he~ghts of some 1220 m (4,000 ft), it could be piloted in any direction after release. This was seen as a stage in the development of a man carrying 'parachute' with a rotating wing that could be carried in an aircraft in a folded state and would deploy automatically when used in an emergency. Other wartime work was concentrated on the development of a Rotabuggy, basically a 'jeep'-type general-purpose military truck with an easily attached/detached rotary wing that would allow such vehicles to be towed and deployed behind enemy lines. A prototype was flown extensively during 1943-44, but did not become operational. In the postwar years, Raoul Hafner's great experience of rotating wings proved valuable to the Bristol and est;and aircraft companies

The first trials connected with the development of the Rotabuggy consisted of loading a Jeep or, more formally, a Willys Truck 4x4 model MB, with concrete and dropping it from heights up to 2.35m to ascertain the amount of g that could be absorbed without incurring damage. It was found that 11g could safely be accepted, and a two-bladed rotor with a dimeter of 12.40m was the fitted, and a streamlined tail fairing, tailplane and twin fins (no rudders) were applied, together with a "hanging" control column, a rotor tachometer and glider navigational instruments.

The Rotabuggy was first towed along the runway at high speed behind a 4.5l supercharged Bentley, eventually attaining towed airborne speeds up to 105kph IAS, the Rotabuggy becoming airborne for the first time on 16 November 1943. These trials took place at Sherburn-in-Elmet, near Leeds, where, eventually, the Rotabuggy was towed into the air behind a Whitley. The initial test behind the Whitley allegedly left much to be desired, the "hanging" control column threshing about and the "pilot" having to exert all his strength to maintain control.

The initial problems were progressively ironed out, and the general handling and flying qualities of the Rotabuggy were eventually described officially as "highly satisfactory", but the availability of vechicle-carrying gliders rendered further development unnecessary.

The work of the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment at Ringway, Manchester, on the Rotachute from 1940 onwards led to the suggestion that the free-wheeling autogyro principles employed could also be applied to larger loads. The designer, Raoul Hafner, suggested the Rotabuggy, a Jeep (or "Blitz Buggy") with rotors, amd the Rotatank, a similarly modified Valentine tank. A development contract was placed with the M.L. Aviation Company at White Waltham in 1942, covered by specification 10/42. Preliminary tests involved loading a Jeep with concrete and dropping it from heights of up to 7 ft. 8 in. (2.35 m.), demonstrating that the standarg vehicle could survive undamaged from impacts of up to 11g. A 46 ft. 8 in. (12.4 m.) dia. two-blade rotor was then fitted., as well as a streamiled tail fairing with twin rudderless fins. Other additions were perspex door panels, a 'hanging' rotor control next to the steering wheel and a rotor tachometer and glider navigational instruments.

The Rotabuggy, camouflaged, carrying RAF roundels and a prototype "P", was tow tested behind a 4 litre supercharged Bentley, and achieved gliding speeds of up to 65 mph (105 km/h) IAS. The first flight was made on November 16, 1943. Later, some flights were made behind a Whitley bomber from Sherbourne-in-Elmet. One witness described how she watched a Whitley take off with a Jeep in tow, circle and land. The Jeep, still in tow, did not touch down at the same time, and the witness realised that its occupants "were unhappy".

With the pilot holding the hanging control column and the driver clutching the steering wheel, the Jeep made a series of up and down movements, whilst the audience hoped it would stall on a 'down' rather than an 'up'. This it fortunately did, the driver taking over and driving flat-out after the Whitley, to which it remained attached. When it stopped, nobody got out for a while; the pilot was then assisted out and lay down beside the runway to recover. Apparently he was exhausted from trying to control the joystick, which had whipped in circles for the whole flight.

Apparently this flight was one of the worst, and the handling and flying qualities of the Rotabuggy were officially recorded as "highly satisfactory", especially when large tail fins had been fitted and greater rotor blade articulation provided. However, development of Horsa II and Hamilcar vehicle carrying gliders made further development of the idea unnecessary.

The Hafner Rotabuggy

[radu]

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE AT THE FOXHOLE! IT'S THE WEEKEND AT LAST!! YEEEEHAAAAAAA!! I HOPE Y'ALL HAVE A FABULOUS ONE.

THANK YOU to our troops and veterans for doing your part to ensure our Freedom!!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Evening everybody. Good thread Snippy, thanks.

Hi Sam… where are you hiding? LOL!