Search Results for air force birthday
US Air Force Birthday
Happy Birthday to all our Flyboys!!
Thunderbird pilots w/ their planes
The official birthday for the US Air Force is 18 September 1947 as enacted under the National Security Act of 1947.
See the video for the US Air Force 67th Birthday right Here!
HIGH FLIGHT
by: John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of – Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flug My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delicious burning blue I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod The high untresspassed sanctity of space, Put…View original post 147 more words
US Air Force Birthday
Thunderbird pilots w/ their planes
The official birthday for the US Air Force is 18 September 1947 as enacted under the National Security Act of 1947.
See the video for the US Air Force 67th Birthday right Here!
HIGH FLIGHT
by: John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of – Wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flug My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delicious burning blue I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod The high untresspassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
US Army Air Corps, “Hap” Arnold’s wings
From Andrew Reynolds in our comments, the Air Force Song –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl3I-fYYaoA&feature=youtu.be
############################################################################################
Air Force Humor – 
With all the cut backs – they need to test the new equipment
###################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Jay Angell – Wellsville, NY; US Army Air Corps, SSgt., WWII
May they soar w/ their fellow pilots forever….
John Archer – Boise, ID; US Air Force, Korea, (Ret. 20 years)
David Blatchford – Colorado; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Robert Morris – Glen Ridge, NJ; US Army Air Corps, 2nd Lt., WWII
Edwin Neff – Richmond Hill, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Middle East
Homer Scales Jr. – Newburgh, IN; US Air Force, Korea
James Slayter – Topeka, KS; US Air Force, Korea
P.J. Thomas – Jacksonville, FL; US Army Air Corps, Col. (Ret.), Bronze Star
Leslie Utley – Mayville, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII
####################################################################################################
U.S. Air Force 72nd Birthday
The official birthday for the US Air Force is 18 September 1947 as enacted under the National Security Act of 1947.
HIGH FLIGHT
by: John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed
and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of –
Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flug
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delicious burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
############################################################################################
Military Humor – Air Force Style –
They won’t be singing “Love Shack”!
Maybe “What ya gonna do, send me to McMurdo?” wasn’t the best comeback to the Colonel.
############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Akika A. Abe – Oakland, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, G-2, 11th Airborne Division
Charles Brannan (103) – Meade, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, B-24 pilot / Korea & Vietnam, Lt. Col. (Ret. 31 y.)
Michael Dux – Denver, CO; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-25 flight engineer / State Dept.
‘Last Flight’, by Rhads
Jeremy Griffin – Cristobal, PAN; US Army, Afghanistan, 3/1st Special Forces Group, KIA
Carl Kalwaitis – Elkton, VA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO
Robert McClelland – Gilmer, TX; US Air Force, surgeon
Auburn Smith – Picayune, MS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, paratrooper
Robert Werschey – Licoln, NE; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Charles Whisenant – Washington D.C.; US Navy, WWII, aircraft mechanic
John Yaeger (100) – White Sulphur Springs, WV; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Captain
############################################################################################
USMC Birthday | Veterans Day
US Marine Corps Birthday
10 November 2021 – The United States Marine Corps’ 246th Birthday
Prior to 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry. On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin North McClellan, in charge of the Corps’s fledgling historical section, sent a memorandum to Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting the Marines’ original birthday of 10 November be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps. Lejeune so ordered in Marine Corps Order 47:
Sketch of the original Tun Tavern
11 November 2021 – U.S. Veterans Day
On November 11th, we pause to reflect on the history of this great Nation and honor all those who fought to defend it. Originally titled “Armistice Day” and intended to celebrate the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars,” Veterans Day allows us to give thanks to veterans past and present, men and women from all walks of life and all ethnicities, who stood up and said, “Send me.” We recognize your sacrifices, your sense of duty and your love for this country.
Poppy from MaryLou
Remembrance Day around the world!
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of WWI, to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V, in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente.
Click on still pictures to enlarge.
#########################################################################
Military Humor – 
#########################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
George Ankomeus – Ft. Atkinson, WI; US Army, Korea, Co. A/187th RCT
Santina Breen – Elizabeth, NJ; US Navy WAVES, WWII
Eric David – brn: Koln, GER; US Navy, WWII, electrician’s mate
Edward Fay Jr. – Bradenton, FL; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Robert J. Herynk – Hanover, KS; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pvt., Co K/3/126/32nd Infantry Division, KIA (Soputa-Sanananda Track, NG)
Allan F. Hicks – MO; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, SSgt. # 19145765, 319th Bomber Group/440th B Squadron, KIA (Italy)
Harold W. Lindsey – San Antonio, TX; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 2nd Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Stephen C. Mason – Jersey City, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Pvt. # 12165894, HQ Co/505/82nd Airborne Division, Bronze Star, Silver Star, KIA (Beek, NETH)
James McDonald – Leveland, TX; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Fireman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Walter C. Stein – Cheyenne, WY; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Michaux Turbeville – Dillon, NC; US Army, Korea, Pfc., HQ Co/3/31/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
Leon S. Wheeler – Conklin, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co. E/188/11th Airborne Division
##################################################################################################
Why is the only person standing, the one in the wheelchair?
###########################################################################################################################################################################################
Adm. Nimitz – 136th Birthday & USMC Raiders
Pacific War Museum, Nimitz statue
Chester W. Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885 – and today would have been his 136th birthday. The National Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg. Texas because Nimitz grew up here and he was a major figure in the U.S. victory over Japan in WWII.
Nimitz reached the pinnacle of naval leadership when he was promoted to the 5-star rank of Fleet Admiral in late 1944. As the Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Area, he led more than two million men and women, 5,000 ships and 20,000 planes in the Pacific Theater.
Adm. Nimitz at the “Old Texas Roundup”
He was known to be a congenial and accessible leader and that sailors loved and respected him. He is pictured here at the “Old Texas Roundup” speaking to his guests – sailors, soldiers and Marines who hailed from Texas. The barbeque was held on January 1944 on Oahu, Hawaii, and Nimitz reportedly invited 40,000 Texans to celebrate their heritage.
The following video may be too long for some to watch, but I do recommend a little scanning through it. The original films are included, and I’m certain you will enjoy that.
***** ********** *****
Maj. Gen. James F. Glynn, commander of Marine Forces Special Operations Command, addresses MARSOC personnel during the rededication ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Feb. 22, 2021. On Feb. 24, 2006, the Marine Corps combined several of its specialized and uniquely trained units, gave them a name and a commander and directed them to become pioneers in a new chapter of Marine Corps history. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Jesula Jeanlouis)
Fifteen years ago, the Marine Corps combined several of its specialized and uniquely trained units to become pioneers in a new chapter of Marine Corps history within Special Operations Command. While MARSOC can still be considered a relatively young unit, the history of Marine Corps specialized forces can be traced back much further than 2006.
The original Marine Raiders date back to World War II when the Marines were called on to solve complex problems posed by our nation’s adversaries. These specially trained Marines helped turn the tide in the early stages against the imperial Japanese Army. In honor and recognition of those that came before, the Marine Corps officially re-designated those serving with MARSOC as Marine Raiders in 2015.
################################################################################################################
Military Humor – Navy style –
################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Scot Ames Jr. – Pekin, IN; US Air Force, 50th Flying Training Squadron, instructor pilot
Tanner W. Byholm – Ashland, WI; US Air Force Reserve
Joseph Couris – Philadelphia, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Captain, pilot B-17 “Rose of York”
B. Paul Hart – Williams, AZ; US Navy, WWII, PTO, radioman
Harry Lord – Farmingham, MA; US Navy, PTO, Chief Boatswain’s Mate (Ret. 30 y.)
Paul Mitchem – McDowell County, WV; US Army, Cpl. Korea, Co K/3/34/24th Infantry Division. KIA (Ch’onan, SK)
John Osgood – Claremont, NH; US Army, WWII, ETO
Lada Smisek – Cleveland, OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Chief Machinist’s Mate, POW, KIA (P.I.)
William D. Tucker – USA; US Navy, WWII, Fireman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Michaux Turbeville – SC; US Army, Korea, Pfc., HQ Co/ 3/31/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
################################################################################################################
################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Current News – Lee Greenwood & the Air Force Band Singing Sergeants
Home Free – Greenwood & the Air Force Band Singing Sergeants
The traditional rendition of country music singer Lee Greenwood’s iconic “God Bless the U.S.A.,” already has a broad appeal as an uplifting song inspiring patriotism and love of country.
It’s likely you have listened to the song in recent days as Americans celebrated the 244th birthday of our nation on Independence Day.
But a stirring new version of the song that features members of the U.S. Air Force Band joining Greenwood and a cappella group Home Free has been produced that might just blow you away.
Recordings were done during the corona virus pandemic in studios in Nashville, Tenn., Los Angeles, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis, Minn. There are no guitars, drums, keyboards, but the sound is unbelievably full and strong.
If you like a cappella, and if you’re a fan of military members in uniform with a talent to sing, you will very likely love this new rendition of a song that has been a perennial favorite since 1984.
Give it a listen. We got this article and song from “Stars & Stripes”
################################################################################################################
Military Humor – from Stars & Stripes –
“Shape up or ship out …..”
“Snap out of it Ed … other guys have received ‘Dear Johns’.
################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Robert Alleyne – Brooklyn, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, Sgt.
David “Bill” Breen – Elsmere, KY; US Navy, WWII, SeaBees
Mary Cecce – Bath, NY; Civilian, WWII, Mercury Aircraft
Thomas W. Chase (100) – Warroad, MI; US Navy, WWII / Honeywell Aerospace
David Geiser – Waukon, IA; US Navy, WWII, PTO
Richard L. Henderson Jr. – USA; US Army, Korea, Cpl., HQ Battery/57 FAB/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
William Kovaly – Bound Brook, NJ; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Cabot
William H. Melville – USA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 2nd Lt., P-39Q pilot, 38/8th Fighter Group, KIA (New Guinea)
Francis J. Rochon – Superior, WI; US Army, Korea, Cpl., Co. C/1/23/2nd Infantry Division, KIA (Changnyeong, SK)
Donald Slessler – Belchertown, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Chief Warrant Officer (Ret. 36 y.)
################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Smoky and the Army Airborne
SMOKY
At the beginning of of 1944, Smoky, a Yorkshire terrier, was found by an American soldier with a stalled jeep in the New Guinea jungle where she had been abandoned in a foxhole. She did not respond to either English or Japanese commands. After taken to the soldier’s camp, in need of cash for a poker night, she was sold to Cpl. William A. Wynne for 2 Australian pounds. Smoky weighed 4lbs. and stood 7 inches.
Bill Wynne & Smoky
For the next 2 years, Smoky accompanied Wynne on combat fights in the Pacific where temperature and living conditions were deplorable. Smoky shared his C-rations, and fearful of her contracting scrub typhus, was bathed in his helmet daily.
Wynne had a knack for training dogs and taught Smoky tricks like climbing ladders, going down slides, and walking tightropes while blindfolded. She entertained the troops in her spare time. “Yank Down Under” magazine named her “Champion Mascot of the Southwest Pacific” in 1944.
Wynne’s job was to photograph ‘search and rescue’ missions and Smokey slept through 12 combat missions hanging from the ceiling of a Catalina PBY5a. Smoky flew on 22- hour bombing missions so low, they threw grenades down on the Japanese. In all, Smoky survived 150 raids on New Guinea.
She managed to save Wynne and 8 men of the 5th Air Force 26th Photo Recon Squadron from incoming shells on their transport ship. The convoy of 2,300 headed to Luzon when a kamikaze attack destroyed part of the fleet. Smoky led Wynne to a Jeep just as the attack began. The attack went on around them, with 150 men killed, but they were unhurt.
Bob Gapp and Bill Wynne prepare Smoky for the culvert
When the squadron set up in Lingayen, about 80 miles NW of Manila, they asked Wynne if Smoky could pull a telephone line through a 70-foot long culvert under the airfield. After tying the cable to her collar, Wynne coaxed Smoky through the far end. She navigated through muddy, moldy pipes and climbed mounds of sifted sand every 4 feet. She did it in a few minutes. The feat earned her a steak and official “war dog” status.
When Wynne came down with dengue fever, Smoky was so popular, she was allowed to visit him in the hospital. She eventually accompanied the doctors and nurses on their rounds. She is the first recorded “therapy dog” in history.
Smoky parachuted from 30′ many times
Smoky wasn’t just dedicated and brave, she learned numerous tricks, that she performed for the troops of the Special Services in hospitals from Korea to Australia.
When orders came through to ship home, regulations did not allow the animals, but Wynne would not abandon Smoky. He hid her in his oxygen mask’s carrying case and smuggled her aboard the USS William H. Gordon. Sailors stashed larger dogs in a safe compartment. Despite threats from the commander, all the animals did receive permission to enter the United States.
Once at home, Smoky continued to entertain. She did 45 shows around the country without doing any repeated tricks. Cleveland recognized her as a celebrity and ran her 1957 obituary in the newspaper.
HERE – things go beyond coincidence…..
Smoky, the war hero monument
Former Army nurse Grace Guderian Heidenreich read the obit and contacted Wynne. In December 1943, as a LT. stationed in Australia, she received a Yorkshire puppy from her fiance. When the Lt.’s hospital unit was transferred to New Guinea, the Yorkie went with her. Unfortunately, at a USO show, the puppy wandered off.
Given that very few purebred Yorkshire terriers were registered during those years, she believed it was the same dog. After the war Grace married Capt. Heidenreich and they settled in Cleveland, just blocks away from where Smoky and Wynne resided.
SMOKY
Smoky was more than a dog; she was a dedicated soldier, the first therapy dog, a morale booster for injured soldiers, entertainer and what is most important – she was a hell of a friend!
Condensed from a story published in the “Voice of the Angels”, newspaper for the 11th Airborne Division.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
###############################################################################################################
Current News – BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY!!
Help make a D-Day Veteran’s birthday the best yet!!
A Friend Asks For Cards To Make Veteran’s Birthday Special
###############################################################################################################
Military Humor –
Testing – Even in boot camp!
################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Richard Barkley – Naples, FL; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Matthew Bunker – Delavan, WI; US Army, West Point graduate
Charlie Ferrell – Dallas, TX; US Army, WWII, ETO, 3rd Army
Paul Gaines – Newport, RI; US Army, 2nd Armored Division / Mayor
Cindy Hughes – CT; Civilian, WWII, VA Psychiatric worker
Morris Lupton – Northland, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 431186, WWII, pilot
Raymond Molling – WI; US Navy, WWII, corpsman
Carl Reiner – Bronx, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Cpl., French Interpreter, USO, PTO
Margaret Shinners (100) – Newport, RI; US Navy WAVE, WWII, photographer
William Weidensaul – Eudora, KS; US Navy, WWII, airborne electronics / Boeing
################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
79th U.S. Airborne Birthday
16 August, National Airborne Day
The history of United States Airborne Forces did not begin on the training fields of Fort Benning, Georgia, as some believe. In fact, the origin of Airborne Forces in the U.S. military began with a familiar name to American military history, Brigadier General William L. “Billy” Mitchel (1879-1936).
As well as being considered the spiritual father of the United States Air Force, which he advocated for fiercely during his tenure in the military, BG Mitchell was the first to imagine airborne tactics and sought the creation of U.S. Airborne Forces.
BGeneral Billy Mitchell, the father of the U.S. Airborne
It is not recorded exactly when he organized a demonstration of Airborne Infantry for U.S., Russian and German observers. However, according to records at Ft. Benning, Georgia, it is confirmed that BG Mitchell held the demonstration “shortly after World War I” at Kelly Field, in San Antonio, Texas. During the demonstration, six soldiers parachuted from a Martin Bomber. After landing safely, the soldiers assembled their weapons and were ready for action in less than three minutes after they exited the aircraft.
11th Airborne Division, 1943 Yearbook
Reprinted and broadcast countless times, High Flight is regarded as one of the world’s great war poems and the greatest anthem of aviation. It is the official poem of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. First year cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy are required to memorize it. Extracts have been quoted in a variety of occasions. The most famous example occurred on Jan. 28, 1986, when President Ronald Reagan, speaking of the Challenger, Space Shuttle disaster, closed his address with the sentence: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of Earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’”
11th A/B trooper Wiiliam Carlisle on the cover of “Yank”
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air . . .
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor even eagle flew –
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
– Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
11th Airborne Division Chapel
############################################################################################
Military (Airborne) Humor –
ATTA BOY!!
############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
John Astin – Mise, MS; US Army, MSgt. # 39111 (Ret. 21 y.), 82nd & 101st Airborne, 187th RCT Airborne
Ronald Boyd Sr. – Massillon, OH; US Army, 82nd Airborne Division, Green Beret
Booby Frier – Lubbock, TX; US Army, Vietnam, 82nd Airborne Division
James Glidewell – Springfield, MO; US Army, Korea, MSgt. 187th Regimental Combat Team Airborne
William Herring – Woodville, FL; US Army, 173rd Airborne Division
Scott A. Koppenhafer – Mancos, CO; USMC, Iraq, GySgt., Force Recon Marines, KIA
Frank Krhovsky – Grand Rapids, MI; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 511/11th Airborne Division
Archie McInnes (100) – UK; RAF, WWII, ETO, 601 & 238 Squadrons, pilot
Michael Wood – ID; US Army, MSgt., 7th Special Forces, Afghanistan / FBI
Thomas Yarborough – Jacksonville, FL; US Army, Korea, 187th Regimental Combat Team Airborne
########################################################################################################################################################################################
U.S. Marine Corps Birthday
The Marine Corps Birthday is on November 10 and celebrates the establishment of the US Marine Corp in 1775.
############################################################################################
USMC Humor – 
Click on images to enlarge.
#############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Nickolas Alba – Kyle, TX; USMC, Purple Heart
Robert Bailey – Fort Wayne, IN; USMC, Korea, Purple Heart
Herbert Carlson – Hartford, CT; USMC, WWII, PTO
John ‘Dan” Driscoll – Frisco City, AL; USMC
Joseph Ehrenberger – Charlotte, NC; USMC, WWII & Korea
David Gates – Edwardsville, WY; USMC, Sgt., Fighter Attack Squadron 312
Jack Hamblin – Pittsburgh, PA; USMC, Korea
Roger Lagace – Manchester, CT; USMC, Cpl.
William Milovich – Cowpens, SC; USMC, WWII, PTO
Francis Morris – OK; Womens USMC, WWII
William Soderna – Deerton, MI; USMC, 5th Div/27th Marines, Japan Occupation
#############################################################################################
U.S. Army Birthday & Flag Day 2018
243RD Army Birthday
Headquarters Department of the Army is celebrating the Army’s 243rd birthday during the week of 10-16 June 2018 with numerous ceremonies and events. Highlighted celebrations are Army Day with the Nationals on 10 June; Twilight Tattoo hosted by the Sergeant Major of the Army on 13 June; a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on 14 June; the Pentagon Army Birthday Celebration also on 14 June; and culminating with the Army Birthday Ball on 16 June 2018.
Today is also Flag Day, an annual observance of the Second Continental Congress’ official adoption of the stars and stripes in 1777. At the time, they “resolved that the flag of the 13 United States” be represented by 13 alternating red and white stripes and the union by 13 white stars in a blue field, “representing a new constellation.” Now, more than 200 years later and with an updated design, the flag is an American icon. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is the only state to recognize it as a legal holiday.
As national treasures go, it was a bargain: $405.90 was paid to Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore, who fashioned it from red, blue and undyed wool, plus cotton for the 15 stars to fly at the fortress guarding the city’s harbor. An enormous flag, 30 by 42 feet, it was intended as a bold statement to the British warships that were certain to come. And, when in September 1814, the young United States turned back the invaders in a spectacular battle witnessed by Francis Scott Key, he put his joy into a verse published first as “Defense of Fort M’Henry,” and then, set to the tune of a British drinking song – immortalized as “The Star Spangled Banner.”
STOP IN AND HEAR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM !!
If you live outside the U.S., and you also live free – display your flag as proudly as I do mine and enjoy your day!!
##############################################################################################
Military Humor –
‘And this one’s for humor in the line of duty.’
###########################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Alexander Conrad – Chandler, AZ ; US Army, Somalia, SSgt. 1/3rd Special Ops Forces Group, KIA
James Furcinito – Syracuse, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Paul Gilman – Belen, NM; USMC, WWII, M/3/8th Marines, KIA (Tarawa)
Leonard Grossman – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII
Delbert Hawkins – Augusta, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO
Jack Kill – Yorktown, VA; US Army, WWII
Emil Lake – Great Falls, MT; US Army, Vietnam
Herbert ‘Mac’ McDaniel – Malvern, AR; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Capt., / Korea, Lt. Col.
Gordon Schofield – Montreal, CAN/FL; US Air Force
Edward Thomas – Minneapolis, MN; US Army, “Bird Dog” pilot
############################################################################################
Pacific Paratrooper 