In Honor of Veterans Day 2016

 

Tired strangers in a broken land
Watching to the west, together we stand
An oddly quiet line, drawn out in sand
Where the world we know, will go insane

Harbor closely now, all our memories
Always hold them fast against raging seas
Somewhere far afield, clocks are counting down
To the blinding fury of our coming storm

Think of me tonight, 
Dream of us as morning light
Finds me here tomorrow
Wishing I were home

It’s now or never there’s nowhere in between
Fighting in this desert hell and coming home again
It’s now or never, there’s no time in between
Dying here in no man’s land and holding you again

Wary avengers, fear the falling dark
And cradle quiet thoughts worlds apart

Remember us tonight
Pray for us as morning light
Cracks the dry horizon
To find us gone

It’s now or never there’s nowhere in between
Fighting in this desert hell and coming home again
It’s now or never, there’s no time in between
Dying here in no man’s land and holding you again

 

Profiles in Courage: USMC Wildcat Ace Downs 7 Japanese Bombers on his First Combat Patrol During WWII

The Tactical Hermit

During WWII, Marine 1st Lt. James E. Swett attacked 15 enemy bombers, destroying 7, on his first combat patrol.

On April 7, 1943, Medal of Honor recipient and Marine fighter ace James E. Swett shot down 7 Japanese bombers, taking out four all on his own after he became separated from his wingmen.

He was also on his first combat patrol.

Born on June 15, 1920 in Seattle, Washington, Swett grew up in San Mateo, California and attended college there in 1939, where learned to fly. After the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Swett enlisted in the Naval reserves. He began flight training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas in 1941 and graduated at the top 10% of his class, according to the Los Angeles Times. Following his graduation from flight training, Swett accepted a commission in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant.

In December…

View original post 385 more words

Veterans Day, 2015

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.”

~George S. Patton

Thank you to all those in uniform who have served, do serve and will serve to protect our nation, our freedoms and our citizens.

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918:   “The war to end all wars” ended.

Clear and Present Dangers . . . Werner Von Braun

“We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.”

~Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun

 

 

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The Girl, the Stearman and the Trampoline at CDBaby

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Always Remember

From the Piratearian

Hangar Talk with a Tuskegee Airman

My buddy Jake and I flew up to Keller Field in Port Clinton, Ohio (KPCW) last Thursday for lunch at the Tin Goose Diner. As we waited for our food, a gentleman came up to our booth to compliment our ride, N914E — as is often known to happen. It is a great looking Van’s RV-7A that Jake’s dad built in his garage.  We had a very pleasant conversation about the RV and flying. Then Jake & I proceeded to fill our pie holes. It was only on the way out that we learned that gentleman was Dr. Harold Brown, one of only forty living members of the 450 Tuskegee Airmen. What a great honor to meet him and come that close to history.

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Town Square America: Elyria, Ohio

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“The machines men are so intent on making have carried them

very far from the old sweet things.”

~Sherwood Anderson

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Distinguished Service Cross

Awarded for actions during the World War I.

George L. Ferguson

Elyria, Ohio

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant First Class George L. Ferguson (ASN: 1869671), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 306th Field Signal Battalion, 81st Division, A.E.F., near Bois-de-Manheulles, France, 9 November 1918. While making a reconnaissance of the enemy’s advanced positions, Sergeant Ferguson, alone, routed a German machine-gun squad, who were setting up a machine-gun along a road over which our troops were advancing. He continued the reconnaissance with the battalion commander until the latter was fatally wounded, and then assisted him to a dressing station, being subjected to heavy machine-gun fire the entire time.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 32 (1919)

Action Date: 9-Nov-18

Service: Army

Rank: Sergeant First Class

Battalion: 306th Field Signal Battalion

Division: 81st Division, American Expeditionary Forces

Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr.

The chatter never ends about the ills of society and what’s missing now-a-days, especially for today’s “yutes.”  Not being the Pope or a politician, I don’t know what will save mankind, but I recently discovered that something is missing from my life:

There is one copy of this book available on Amazon.com  for $350.00.  There is another on AbeBooks.com for $975.00.   The nearest library copy is over 100 miles away from Cleveland, Ohio.  There is no eBook available.

I can’t remember how many times I read this biography of Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr.  It fueled my dreams of becoming a pilot.  I not only learned about bravery and heroism, but also about dedication, persistence and selflessness.  And now this story is MIA for my family.

Beyond this personal loss, there are stories like Capt. McConnell’s being written today that are MIA.  Rather than curse the growing darkness that is the mainstream media, I’ll light a metaphorical candle:

Joseph McConnell, Jr.

During WWII Joseph McConnell attempted to become a pilot, but wound up flying as a navigator in a B-17. At age 28 when war broke out in Korea, he was thought too old to be a fighter pilot, but persisted until he was in the cockpit of an F-86. His 16 aerial victories made him the leading American Ace of the Korean War.   He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star.  He was killed on August 24, 1954 at Edwards AFB while acceptance testing an F-86H. He remains the highest-scoring American jet ace in history.

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain Joseph McConnell, Jr., United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Pilot with the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, FIFTH Air Force, in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Korea on 18 May 1953. Leading two F-86s on an air superiority mission over North Korea, he sighted a formation of twenty-eight MIG-15 type aircraft. Determined to accomplish his mission and with complete disregard for the numerical odds against him, he immediately attacked. Although under fire himself, he pressed his attack to such extent that he completely disorganized the enemy formation, destroying one of the MIGs and damaging another. Several enemy aircraft were then firing at him but, seeing that the other Sabre in his flight was also being fired upon, he completely ignored enemy cannon fire directed at himself and destroyed the MIG that was pursuing his wingman. These victories, in spite of counterattacks by such superior numbers, completely unnerved the enemy to the extent that they withdrew across the Yalu before further attacks could be made. Through his courage, keen flying ability and devotion to duty, Captain McConnell reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.

Military Times Hall of Valor