17MAR59 - Here is one for you Bubbleheads - USS Skate SSN-578 surfaces at the North Pole
- after a previous attempt was thwarted in August 1958 (Skate surfaced but not at the North Pole), it was tried again. Successfully breaching the ice and surfacing at the North Pole, USS Skate became the first submarine to accomplish this feat. A newsreel film on the event is available on YouTube here.
16MAR68 - My Lai Massacre - history shows that war has had many instances of massacres of civilians, for Viet Nam Era Vets, it is My Lai that is the most notorious. Many enlisted and officer soldiers were charged but only one is still recognized for the crime, Lt. William Calley Jr. He was eventually tried, convicted, sentenced, imprisoned, and then paroled in September 1975. Those higher up in the chain of command were charged but not convicted. It is a sad day in the history of the US Army. Hopefully, current officers have learned from this tragedy. On a side note: I found a made for TV movie from 1975 on the court martial - Judgement: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley. The movie does not seem to be available for sale or rent.
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| Memorial to the Victims - Vietnamese Footprints and American Boot Prints |
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| 1975 Movie Poster |
17MAR71 - Jane Leslie Holley commissioned into the USAF through the Auburn University ROTC program. I'm sorry to say that I could not find particulars on Ms. Holley's career or a photo to share here today. If anyone knew her then or knows her now, please share any info you can.
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| Kayla Bowers - USAF A-10 Warthog Pilot - 2016 photo |
14MAR80 - How would you like to spend almost 2 days flying around the world, nonstop? - Well, this USAF B-52 crew did it in record time of 42 hours 30 minutes to win the Mackay award in 1980. Of course, it wasn't the first time an around the world flight happened, the first was 1924 (Army Air service) and took 175 days! The first non-stop was in 1949 (B-50 at 94 hours 1 minute) and I posted that achievement in an earlier post here. The first B-52 non-stop was 1957 with a little longer flight than 1980 at 45 hours 19 minutes. More information on the B-52 flights is here.
14MAR90 Gorbachev Elected President of USSR - This short lived success followed 5 years since his ascension to power in the USSR. I state short lived because by December 1991 Gorbachev would resign and the USSR would cease to exist. During his tenure from 1985 to 1991, he was responsible for instigating vast changes in a system that did not tolerate change well. Not all of the ideas worked, especially the economic ones, and he fell out of favor with the people, the reformers, and hardliners alike. Without him though, we'd probably still be in the Cold War.
Special Feature - Coast Guard on the North Pole - I found this while searching for North Pole photos. A little humor helps now and then. bet his butt got cold!
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| A Coast Guard Ice Breaker Sailor playing with trains at the North Pole |
Entertainment -
Top of the song charts for this week 1959 - Venus by Bobby Darin - Listen here.
Movie release - 16MAR90 - Blind Fury - A blind Viet Nam Vet fights with a sword to save an fellow Veteran's son. Rutger Hauer plays the blindVet and his stare helps fool the bad guys and his sword work is excellent. If this type of action movie is for you, give it a try. Here is a scene from the movie. Amazon has it for rent and for sale - Blind Fury Rental.
Sports - 15MAR70 - Bobby Orr scores 100 points in a season - On March 15, 1970 Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins scored his 100th point in a single season becoming the first defenseman to do so. He racked up 20 more before the end of the season and won the Art Ross Trophy. The Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup that season. Video of the 100th score is here.
If you were part of any of these operations I mention above, or events similar to these, please share your Cold War story with the readers. Email me at proudcoldwarrior@gmail.com and we can develop a post and add it to a future week.
Please consider joining The Proud Cold Warrior Society (lifetime membership includes a choice of t-shirt or coffee mug and a suitable for framing full color certificate). If you join the Society, please email me your contact info (we need it to send the certificate). Spreadshirt.com does not share your purchase information with us for security reasons. I only see which item is ordered. Thank you. JohnnyK
Citations -
History.com
IMDB.com website
The Drive article on Yahoo News
AFGSC.AF.MIL website
Youtube.com website
Google Images for the photos
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