Why Engineers Don’t Post Recipes…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients:

1.) 532.35 cm3 gluten
2.) 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3
3.) 4.9 cm3 refined halite
4.) 236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
5.) 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11
6.) 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11
7.) 4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
8.) Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein
9.) 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao
10.) 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)
To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr, add ingredients one, two and three with constant agitation. In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm, add ingredients four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogenous. To reactor #2, add ingredient eight, followed by three equal volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add ingredient nine and ten slowly, with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction. Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston’s first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown. Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25C heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

And one more funny…

Mechanical vs. Civil Engineers
What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers? Mechanical Engineers build weapons. Civil Engineers build targets.

I PUT ON MY UNIFORM TODAY!!!

Posted on by March 6, 2013

At a friend’s retirement a few weeks ago he read this; and I thought some of y’all might be interested in his perspective after 28 years on active duty…

I PUT ON MY UNIFORM TODAY!

A Navy Chief sat behind his desk, just down the hall from his Commander’s office. As the Chief started on a second cup of coffee and finished the last of the morning messages, the commander stepped into the office. “Chief,” the Captain said, “I hate to ask you this, but you are needed in Southwest Asia in six days for a 90-day rotation. Can you go?” With no voiced emotion and without looking up, the Chief replied, “Ma’am, I put on my uniform this morning.”

The Captain, somewhat taken a-back, thought to herself, “The Chief doesn’t usually talk in riddles. Has this veteran of 20 years gone off of the deep end?” The wise old protector of the enlisted corps smiled and began to explain. “Ma’am, I made a promise to myself more than 20 years ago, that I would only put this uniform on as long as I’m available for duty. You see, while it is obvious to most Navy members, it seems to completely escape others. ‘Available for duty’ means more than the desire to negotiate and select the premium assignments. It requires us to go any place in the world the president or officers appointed over us determines, at any given time. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t want or receive our preferences. It does mean we’ll go when and where we are needed and called. Now this may seem overly simplistic, but, I think everyone can agree: when it comes to defining service to our country, the answer is just that simple. In today’s world of ‘What can you do for me?’ it’s very easy to lose sight of what ‘service to country’ is all about. Service goes far beyond the individual; it affects the well-being of our nation. Sitting in comfortable surroundings, at your dream base in CONUS, it’s easy to forget the sacrifices we agreed to endure in service to our country. Sitting in Saudi, Iraq, Bosnia, Japan or maybe Korea, the sacrifices become much clearer. The bottom line today is that we are an all-volunteer force, and though our force has been reduced by 30 percent in the last five years, it remains a highly mobilized, continually-tasked ‘corporation.’ Everyone is vital to it’s continued success.”

The Chief continued by saying, “The Navy will go on tomorrow with or without any single one of us; however, the efficiency of any one of its specific units may be adversely effected by the loss of only a few. All of us have the responsibility to report our availability for duty. If someone has a family problem or special circumstances that precludes them from being available, they need to report it immediately and especially prior to being deployed. If any member does not deploy when called upon, another member must fill that slot. So, any time someone cannot or will not deploy, the ripple effect is felt throughout the Navy. Everyone’s family would like them to be home for the holidays. I can’t think of a single person who would intentionally miss their child’s graduation. And we’re all aware of the pain of losing a loved one and know how the grief can be compounded by not being at their side in the final moments. Yes, we are all continually asked to make sacrifices. Yet some seem to forget that we are serving our nation, and that we are all volunteers. Who said it was going to be easy? The leadership of our country depends upon us for being good and true to our word. Every day, each of us needs to look into the mirror before getting into uniform and ask, ‘Am I available for duty?’ If the answer is “No,” then we need to notify our supervisor, Division chief, or commander immediately! Then the next step is to determine if the non-availability is temporary or permanent. Then the toughest question must be asked–should that person resign, separate, or retire? There are no gray areas. Everyone must decide for themselves.”

Finally the Chief looked at his commander, and said, “Ma’am, as I said earlier, I put on my uniform today, and I’m available for duty. Do you still need a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to your question?”

Nuff said…

Now THIS is a bad day at the office…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

The following is an account of a TRULY bad day at the office…


Read this the next time you think you’re having a bad day!

This is an extract from a B-36 accident/incident report from Carswell AFB, Texas in late 1950…


Aircraft Commander 1st Lt. Oliver Hildebrandt, Pilot 1st Lt. Walter Ross, and Co-pilot Captain Wilbur Evans, and a crew of thirteen took off from Carswell AFB in B-36B, 44-92035 of the 26th Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at 5:05 A.M. on November 22, 1950. The planned 30-hour training mission consisted of air-to-air gunnery, bombing, simulated radar bombing, and navigational training.

Immediately after take-off, the #4 alternator would not stay in parallel with the other three alternators, so it was taken off-line and de-excited three minutes into the flight.

About one minute after the #4 alternator was shut down, flames 8 to 12 feet long erupted from around the air plug of the number-one engine. The left scanner reported the flames to the pilot. Six minutes after take-off, the flight engineer shut down the number-one engine, feathered its propeller, and expended one of its Methyl bromide fire extinguishing bottles. The mission continued on the power of the remaining five engines. 44-92035 cruised to the gunnery range on Matagorda Island at an altitude of 5,000 feet. It arrived at 7:00 A.M. and the gunners began practicing. Radar Observer S/Sgt. Ray Earl manned the tail turret. The charger for the right gun burned out, so he expended just half of his ammunition. Then the

APG-3 radar for the tail turret started acting up, so S/Sgt. Earl secured the set.

Aircraft Commander 1st Lt. Oliver Hildebrandt noted that the vibration from firing the 20mm cannons increased significantly during the fourth gunnery pass. Immediately afterward, radar operator Captain James Yeingst notified Hildebrandt that the APQ-24 radar set blew up and was smoking. Vibration from the firing of the guns was causing shorting between the internal components of the radar. Then the liaison transmitter failed as well.

The cannons in the left forward upper turret and the left rear upper turret stopped firing. The gunners attempted to retract the gun turrets, but the failed turrets would not retract. Gunner S/Sgt. Fred Boyd entered the turret bay, but other problems began to take precedence over the stuck turrets. Boyd was called out of the bay before he could manually crank the turret down.

At 7:31 A.M. the number-three engine suffered an internal failure. The torque pressure fell to zero. The manifold pressure dropped to atmospheric pressure. The fuel flow dropped off, and the flight engineer could not stabilize the engine speed.

The pilot shut down the number-three engine and feathered its propeller. The B-36B had only one operating engine on the left wing, so the pilot aborted the remainder of the training mission and set course for Kelly Air Force Base.

Flight engineer Captain Samuel Baker retarded the spark, set the mixture controls to “normal”, and set the engine RPMs to 2,500 to increase the power from the remaining engines. Unknown to Captain Baker, the vibration from the guns had disabled the electrical systems controlling the spark settings and fuel mixture. He immediately discovered that the turbo control knobs no longer affected the manifold pressure.

The B-36B could not maintain its airspeed on the power of the four remaining engines. It descended about 1,000 feet and its airspeed bled off to 135 miles per hour. The pilot called for more power. The flight engineer attempted to increase engine speed to 2,650 RPM and enrich the fuel mixture, but got no response from the engines except for severe backfiring. The fuel mixture indicators for all of the engines indicated lean.

The second flight engineer, M/Sgt. Edward Farcas, checked the electrical fuse panel. Although the fuses appeared to be intact, he replaced the master turbo fuse and all of the individual turbo fuses. He noticed that the turbo-amplifiers and mixture amplifiers were all cooler than normal. He climbed into the bomb bay to check the aircraft power panels and fuses, but could not find any problem there.

Kelly Air Force Base had a cloud overcast at just 300 feet and the visibility was restricted to two miles. The weather at Bergstrom Air Force Base not as bad, with scattered clouds at 1,000 feet, broken clouds at 2,000 feet and 10 miles visibility. Carswell Air Force Base was clear with 10 miles visibility, but it was 155 miles farther away than Bergstrom.

Air traffic control cleared all airspace below 4,000 feet ahead of the crippled B-36B. Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt was flying on instruments in thick clouds.

The poor weather at Kelly Air Force Base convinced Hildebrandt to change course from Kelly to Carswell Air Force Base, passing by Bergstrom Air Force Base on the way in case the airplane could not make it to Carswell.

Bombardier Captain Robert Nelson made two attempts to salvo the 1,500 pounds of practice bombs in the rear bomb bay, but the bomb bay doors would not open by automatic or manual control, or emergency procedure.

There was no way to dump fuel to reduce the weight of the B-36B. The flight engineers resorted to holding down the switches used to prime the fuel system in an attempt to increase fuel flow to the engines. M/Sgt. Edward Farcas held down the prime switches for the number-two and number-four engines while Captain Baker held down the prime switch for the number-five engine and operated the flight engineer’s panel. The configuration of the switches did not allow them to prime the number-five engine and the number-six engine at the same time.

The high power demand coupled with the lean fuel mixture made the cylinder head temperatures of the engines climb to 295 degrees C. Flight engineer Baker jockeyed the throttles, decreasing the throttle setting of the engine with the highest cylinder head temperature until another engine grew even hotter. The high temperature caused the gasoline/air mixture in the cylinders to detonate before the pistons reached top dead center, diminishing power and damaging the engines.

Despite the critical situation with the engines, Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt decided to continue past Bergstrom Air Force Base to Carswell.

Bergstrom was overcast and its runway was only 6,000 feet long. Carswell offered a much longer runway.

By the time the B-36B reached Cleburne , the backfiring on all engines increased in violence. The number-2, number-5, and number-6 engines were running at 70% power and the number-4 engine was producing only 20% power. The airspeed had dropped off to 130 miles per hour.

Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt attempted to restart the number-one engine, the one that had spouted flames on take-off, but fuel was not getting to its induction system. He tried to restart the number-three engine, but could not unfeather the propeller on that engine.

As the bomber passed to the west of Cleburne , the right scanner reported dense white smoke, oil, and metal particles coming from the number-five engine. After a short while the number-five engine lost power, and Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt feathered the propeller on that engine while still twenty-one miles from Carswell Air Force Base.

The B-36B could not stay airborne on the power of the three remaining failing engines. It was flying at just 125 miles per hour, seven miles per hour above the stall speed, losing both altitude and airspeed.

Howard McCullough and W. Boeten were flying Civil Aeronautics Authority DC-3 N342 near Cleburne . They were notified by Meacham Tower to be on the lookout for 44-92035. They spotted it about five miles south of Cleburne . They observed that the number-one and number-three propellers were feathered and the number-five engine was on fire. They turned to follow the descending bomber.

Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt ordered the crew to bail out of the stricken bomber.

Bombardier Captain Robert Nelson had bailed out of airplanes on two previous occasions. He had crash landed twice and ditched once. He was the first man to bail out from the forward crew compartment. He suffered contusions of his lower spine when he landed.

Radar Operator Captain James Yeingst responded to stress with laughter and jokes. He was a bit giddy before the bailout. He was the second man to exit from the forward crew compartment. His parachute streamed after he pulled the rip cord. He passed Captain Nelson going down. Captain Yeingst’s parachute mushroomed open just before he hit the ground, but he suffered fatal injuries.

Co-pilot Captain Wilbur Evans was the third man to exit from the forward crew compartment. He had bailed out of airplanes twice before and crash landed several times during WW-II. This time he broke both bones in his lower right leg when he landed.

Navigator Captain Horace Stewart had previously tried to get off flying status because he felt that the B-36 was too dangerous. It is reported that during the hour before bailout, he was tense, nervous, and chain-smoking.

He was the fourth man to bail out from the forward crew compartment. He pulled his rip cord right as he exited the forward escape hatch on the left side of the fuselage. His parachute opened and pulled him toward the number three propeller. His head hit the downward pointing blade of the propeller, killing him instantly.

Radio Operator Cpl. Paul Myers followed Captain Stewart out the escape hatch. Myers landed with minor injuries.

Flight Engineer M/Sgt. Edward Farcas jumped head first through the exit hatch of the forward crew compartment right after Cpl. Myers. His parachute did not open when he pulled the rip cord. He pulled the parachute out of its pack with his hands and landed with only minor injuries.

Radar Mechanic Robert Gianerakis and Flight Engineer Captain Samuel Baker were the next to escape from the forward compartment. Both landed with only minor injuries.

Radio Operator Sgt. Armando Villareal bailed out after Captain Baker.

Villareal did not trust his parachute to open, so he pulled the rip cord while he was still in the forward crew compartment. He held his parachute in his arms as he jumped feet first through the escape hatch. Despite his unorthodox method of escape, he landed with only minor injuries.

Pilot 1st Lt. Walter Ross was the next to last to leave the forward compartment. He landed with only minor injuries.

Gunner S/Sgt. Andrew Byrne and Radar Observer S/Sgt. Ray Earl were the first two crew members to bail out of the rear crew compartment. Both landed with only minor injuries.

Gunner Cpl. Calvin Martin was the third man to exit the rear crew compartment. He was swinging under his parachute as he hit the ground. He broke his right ankle as he landed. He fell backward onto a rock, fracturing his third lumbar vertebra and compressing his tailbone.

Gunner S/Sgt. Ronald Williams followed Cpl. Martin out the rear escape hatch. He landed with only minor injuries.

Gunner S/Sgt. Fred Boyd was the last man to exit the rear crew compartment. He called to Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt over the intercom to let him know that everyone had escaped from the aft compartment. When he turned back to the exit hatch, it had fallen shut. He had to open the hatch again to make his escape. He broke the fibula of his left leg when he landed farther to the north than the other crew members.

After S/Sgt. Boyd reported that all other crew members had bailed out of the rear compartment, Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt set the autopilot and jumped clear when the bomber was less than 1,000 feet above the ground. He and nine other crew members escaped from the B-36B with only minor injuries.

When McCullough and Boeten in DC-3, N342 saw the parachutes of the escaping crew members, they announced the bail-out on the emergency frequency of 121.25 megacycles.

Each Report of Emergency Parachute Jump indicates that the incident occurred 20 miles south southeast of Carswell Air Force Base.

The descent of the B-36B was witnessed by Mr. Buck Bell and his wife, who lived about 5 to 7 miles southwest of Crowley , Texas . Mr. Bell saw the crew members parachuting from the bomber, but did not see it hit the ground about one mile north of his house.

Mr. James Bandy and his wife were on the road to Cleburne about 4 miles from their house on Route 1 near Joshua when they spotted the B-36B trailing smoke, flying in a nose-high attitude. They saw it hit the ground in a level attitude, raising a cloud of dust.

The B-36B descended straight ahead in a nose-high attitude for a mile after Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt bailed out. It stalled, pitched nose down, and impacted in a terraced field on Less Armstrong’s Dairy, 14 miles south of Carswell Air Force Base, 2 miles west of the South leg FTW range, and six miles west of Crowley at 9:50 in the morning. The forward crew compartment separated and folded underneath the rest of the fuselage. The tail section broke off, and the rear crew compartment came away from the mid-fuselage as the wreckage slid 850 feet along the ground and twisted to the right.

The rear sections of the airplane remained largely intact. The elevation at the crash site was approximately 700 feet.

Mr. W. Doggett witnessed the bail-out and crash from his home on Route 1 near Joshua. The B-36B impacted about 2-1/2 miles north of his house. He drove to the crash site in his pickup truck and helped the surviving crew members to regroup.

Four minute after the crash, McCullough and Boeten in DC-3, N342 reported that two Navy aircraft were circling the wreckage.

The wreckage smoldered for about eight minutes before a fire broke out in the number-six engine. The 15,000 gallons of remaining fuel consumed the forward fuselage and wings. The civilians and crew members were driven away from the crash site by exploding ammunition and the knowledge of the presence of 1,500 pounds of bombs aboard the airplane.

USPS Finally did something RIGHT!!!

Posted on by March 6, 2013


A bit of history for your perusal……..

The Bill Mauldin stamp honors the WWII grunts’ hero.

The United States Postal Service deserves a standing ovation for something that’s going to happen this month: Bill Mauldin is getting his own postage stamp.


Exerpt from an article written by a former co-worker at the Chicago Sun-Times-

Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of 2003. The end of his life had been rugged. He had been scalded in a bathtub, which led to terrible injuries and infections; Alzheimer’s disease was inflicting its cruelties.

Unable to care for himself after the scalding, he became a resident of a California nursing home, his health and spirits in rapid decline.

He was not forgotten, though. Mauldin, and his work, meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin’s drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on the front lines.

Mauldin was an enlisted man just like the soldiers he drew for; his gripes were their gripes, his laughs were their laughs, his heartaches were their heartaches. He was one of them. They loved him.

He never held back. Sometimes, when his cartoons cut too close for comfort, his superior officers tried to tone him down. In one memorable incident, he enraged Gen. George S. Patton, and Patton informed Mauldin he wanted the pointed cartoons — celebrating the fighting men, lampooning the high-ranking officers — to stop. Now.

The news passed from soldier to soldier. How was Sgt. Bill Mauldin going to stand up to Gen. Patton? It seemed impossible.

Not quite. Mauldin, it turned out, had an ardent fan: Five-star Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe.

Ike put out the word: Mauldin draws what Mauldin wants. Mauldin won.

Patton lost.

If, in your line of work, you’ve ever considered yourself a young hotshot, or if you’ve ever known anyone who has felt that way about himself or herself, the story of Mauldin’s young manhood will humble you. Here is what, by the time he was 23 years old, Mauldin had accomplished:

He won the Pulitzer Prize. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine. His book “Up Front” was the No. 1 best-seller in the United States.

All of that at 23. Yet when he returned to civilian life and he grew older, he never lost that boyish Mauldin grin, he never outgrew his excitement about doing his job, he never big-shotted or high-hatted the people with whom he worked every day.

I was lucky enough to be one of them; Mauldin roamed the hallways of the Chicago Sun-Times in the late 1960s and early 1970s with no more officiousness or air of haughtiness than if he was a copyboy. That impish look on his face remained.

He had achieved so much. He had won a second Pulitzer Prize, and he should have won a third, for what may be the single greatest editorial cartoon in the history of the craft: his deadline rendering, on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, of the statue at the Lincoln Memorial slumped in grief, its head cradled in its hands. But he never acted as if he were better than the people he met. He was still Mauldin the enlisted man.

During the late summer of 2002, as Mauldin lay in that California nursing home, some of the old World War II infantry guys caught wind of it. They didn’t want Mauldin to go out that way. They thought he should know that he was still their hero.

Gordon Dillow, a columnist for the Orange County Register, put out the call in Southern California for people in the area to send their best wishes to Mauldin; I joined Dillow in the effort, helping to spread the appeal nationally so that Bill would not feel so alone. Soon more than 10,000 letters and cards had arrived at Mauldin’s bedside.

Even better than that, the old soldiers began to show up just to sit with Mauldin, to let him know that they were there for him, as he, long ago, had been there for them. So many volunteered to visit Bill that there was a waiting list. Here is how Todd DePastino, in the first paragraph of his wonderful biography of Mauldin, described it:

“Almost every day in the summer and fall of 2002 they came to Park Superior nursing home in Newport Beach, California, to honor Army Sergeant, Technician Third Grade, Bill Mauldin. They came bearing relics of their youth: medals, insignia, photographs, and carefully folded newspaper clippings. Some wore old garrison caps. Others arrived resplendent in uniforms over a half century old. Almost all of them wept as they filed down the corridor like pilgrims fulfilling some long-neglected obligation.”

One of the veterans explained to me why it was so important:

“You would have to be part of a combat infantry unit to appreciate what moments of relief Bill gave us. You had to be reading a soaking wet Stars and Stripes in a water-filled foxhole and then see one of his cartoons.”

Mauldin is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This month, the kid cartoonist makes it onto a first-class postage stamp. It’s an honor that most generals and admirals never receive.

What Mauldin would have loved most, I believe, is the sight of the two guys who are keeping him company on that stamp.

Take a look at it.

There’s Willie.

There’s Joe.

And there, to the side, drawing them and smiling that shy, quietly observant smile, is Mauldin himself. With his buddies, right where he belongs.

Forever.

I have a collection of most of Mauldin’s books, and when I’m a little down, I’ll pull one of them out and look/read a little bit and think about what they were going through… After that, I realize how good I really have it, and get my ass back to work…

You can go HERE and see some of his cartoons from a retrospective S&S did in 2002 when his health was failing.

A weird bit of history…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


This was sent to me by a former CO, who started in P-2s and later converted to P-3s. Here is a pic of the actual launch; since the P2V was too heavy (and this was before the jets were added), JATO was used to actually get the bird off the flight deck. Read below for the REST of the story…


FIRST NUCLEAR WEAPON LAUNCH FROM AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER:

APRIL 21, 1950

Reflections On NSWU #471 Operations

LCDR Roy A. Norman, USN (ret)

I was an Electronics Technician First Class at the time and went aboard USS Coral Sea with the two parties involved in the first launch. I was responsible for the nuclear components we took, along with the required test equipment and tools. The section in the history (Keepers of the Dragon, a History of the Nuclear Weapons Program; Henry B. Smith, Lt. Cmdr., USN (ret) ) about storage of the nuclear weapon components is correct as I read it.

The USS CORAL SEA (CVB-43) was in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for, among other things, completion of the Special Weapons spaces. On 15 March, 1950 some members of NSWU #471 took training weapons, tools, and test equipment and flew to East Island Naval Air Station, Norfolk. We left Albuquerque at 0430 and arrived at the air station at 1430 and were on board ship by 1600. We spent the next day cleaning the spaces, then holding assembly drills.

Underway from the shipyard at 0730 on the morning of the 17th, we spent that day and part of the 18th holding more drills and getting acquainted with the ship. The ship anchored in Hampton Roads on the evening of 18 March and moved to pier 5 Naval Operations Base, Norfolk on the 19th. The Unit packed up and left the ship and was off the ground at 1430. We landed at Kirkland AFB, Albuquerque, NM at 2215.

On 12 April, this same NSWU #471 team left Kirkland at 0130, landed at Clarksville, Kentucky AFB (Site Charley) at 0730. While the plane was being refueled the men were able to go to mess hall for chow. We left at 0830 and landed at East Island Naval Air Station at 1250, 13 April 1950.

We had all of our equipment in our space on board Coral Sea (CVB-43) by 1400. More assembly exercises and cleaning the spaces followed. Liberty in Norfolk was not so good. The ship was berthed at Pier 7, NOB. We held more exercises over the next two days. A P2V Neptune, a twin-engine, maritime patrol aircraft too large to land on ship, was lifted aboard by crane. We got underway at 0730 on the 17th. Spent the next day at sea doing more exercises and cleaning spaces.

Coral Sea anchored in Hampton Roads at 1600 on 20 April where we took on several VIP’s (senior military officers) and returned to sea at 1800. During the night we assembled a “Little Boy” and loaded it on the P2V very early in the morning of 21 April. The P2V took off at 0730. This was the first “Atomic Bomb” launched from an aircraft carrier. Following the launch we all went below where the reason for the extensive field days was apparent. The VIP’s came below for a demonstration of an assembly and to review the various components. I had a lot of questions thrown at me.

We anchored in Hampton Roads at 1500 on the 21st of April and started packing our equipment. The ship moved to Pier 5, NOB on 22 April. NSWU #471 left the ship by 1230 and was off the ground by 1500. We landed at Kirkland AFB by 2300.

In a part of Henry Smith’s account the extreme secrecy of the Special Weapon Units early history is stressed. I believe Richard Rhodes book “Dark Sun, Making Of The Hydrogen Bomb”, pages 282 – 284 addresses the reasons for the secrecy.

Edit- NSWU apparently stood for Navy Special Weapons Unit.

Does anybody note a ‘slight’ similarity to something like this that had been done before???

Can we say Doolittle’s Raiders???

Later when a smaller bomb was developed, the AD-1 Skyraider was the first airplane capable of carrier takeoffs AND landings to be configured to carry a nuclear weapon. You can go HERE a read about a ‘simulated’ mission…


WyattPalooza- A reclama…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Well, I decided since I had nothing better to do yesterday (other than the tickets to Darlington), I’d take a nice relaxing little drive up to Philly and meet up with Wyatt and some of the Philly bloggers at WyattPalooza. Doing the math, I figured 154 miles, so to be on the safe side, I left an hour early, figuring “how bad can it be, it’s Saturday”… little did I know, sigh…

It was just a tad bit windy… blowing 30, gusting to 40-50 depending on which radio station you were listening too.

Anyhoo, it took me an hour JUST to clear DC!!! Idjits were out and about (and breaking down) everywhere! So I ‘finally’ get to Baltimore tunnel right at 2 hours, thinking it can’t get any worse (stoopid, I know)… through the tunnel and pop out onto 95, and damn near come to a dead stop…

Finally back up to speed, plus a bit (hell, I was doing 80 in a 55 and getting passed like I was sitting still!), started around a semi pulling an empty box and was mesmerized by his rear trailer wheels, as they were only occasionally hitting the ground! At one point, they literally stopped!!!
The honking since I’d slowed down to 75 brought me out of my trance, and I passed him, only to have to slam on the brakes again (you in the @#&* little Honda, you ALMOST became a hood ornament when you cut in front of me)…

So, between the 20mph stretches and the 80mph stretches, I finally get to the restaurant a half hour late after a 4 1/2 hour drive (so much for being early, or even on time).

The restaurant, obviously expecting trouble, had put us outside on the patio and promptly locked the doors… Wyatt, Captain America, Bitter American, Sebastian, Bob (Either Orr), Mr. and Mrs. Robert B., Smite A Hippie, Cemetery, Bitter and Mrs. Crankipants were already there, the ONLY person I beat there was RT… At least she had a good excuse!

Oh yeah, and the WIND was blowing, and it got cold- Guess the restaurant figured they could get rid of us pretty quick that way… NOT…

I ended up sharing a corner of the table with RT, and got to listen to Wyatt and CA bicker like a couple of brothers from a different mother… That neighborhood has GOT to be interesting, if for nothing more than the byplay that goes on… 🙂

Mrs. Cranki and RT both proved to be ‘quiet’ ladies, but with rapier wit; and Wyatt was catching it from all angles! His whine about running and ‘trying’ to play lacrosse with his son’s team had me rolling on the floor, then he lost yet again in the who’s is bigger category to a 70 year old from Florida!!! Pretty sad Wyatt… pretty sad…

Smite was working his way through a beer bong, Sebastian was either contemplating his navel or that was a REALLY good Mohito, Bitter American, CA and I got into a discussion of the fire service and issues, and how political correctness is @#&* up this country…

The food was not bad, and it was at least warm! Although that was some of the WORST coffee I’ve ever had… I mean, it’s bad when gas station coffee tastes better!!!

And the conversations ran the gamut as always… Guns, movies (I obviously DON’T watch enough), food, family, jobs, politics, general bitching, etc… There were always at least three different conversations going on, so you had your choice 🙂

Sadly, I had to slog back to DC, so I had to leave a bit early, but I did get a chance to see CA’s ride; and it IS a beautifully restored 70’s Firebird! NICE!!!

It was great to put names, faces, and reality with some of my favorite bloggers, so all in all it was worth it! It was truly a pleasure to meet these folks, and once again it just proved that these folks are the salt of the earth!

The drive back was about as screwed up as the drive up (I swear I drove 4000 miles to Blogorado last year and had LESS drama than these two ‘little’ trips). Finally got home at 2330, and plopped into bed.

Oh yeah, one note for South Philly DPW- Um… folks didn’t you ever hear of putting SANDBAGS on your !@#&*) port-a-potties??? That is NOT the thing I really want to see in the fast lane on I-95 (not once, but TWICE)!

Note to self, go smooth out cushion in driver’s seat today…

kthxbye

An oldie but a goody…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

How many of you remember this???

Or I guess the better question is how many ever remember eating at a counter in Woolworths?

I’m sure not too many of you do…

I, being the old fart that I am, remember it… sigh…

Actually I can remember being about 6 years old and us stopping at Woolworth’s in Shreveport, LA on the way to see family and being told I could spend ONE whole dollar to get anything I wanted…

If I remember right, I wanted ice cream (it was in the summer), but I was told I had to order a sandwich too… sigh…

I think this was the first “fast” food I ever had, and was amazed that somebody other than family actually DELIVERED food to you, and took the dishes away and I didn’t have to help wash them…

And the food was good 🙂

Oh well, back to your (and my) current reality, where ever that might be…

Much Ado About…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

HERE is the link to the AZ immigration law… Note that there has to be a criminal stop, detention or arrest for an officer to question citizenship…

Well, it seems the LWL, led by the ACLU (they REALLY need to remove American from their name), and so called “legal” immigrants are protesting up a storm over the Arizona immigration enforcement law. Interestingly, they aren’t protesting in AZ, but in LA and SFO (where they are feted and given ALL kinds of rights, in addition to sanctuary)…

And all these groups are calling for boycotts of AZ products and the State itself! Now me, if I find out products are made in AZ, I’m gonna be buying!!!

Now my question is, are they protesting because they think it’s wrong, OR are they protesting because they are afraid more border states are going to do the same thing???

After all, the only thing the law does, is allow State and Municipal officers to enforce the laws on immigration the Feds refuse to do.

The killing of the rancher on the Southern border and the shooting yesterday of a Deputy Sheriff by illegals is only fueling the fires more and more in the state. When you have Border Patrol agents apprehended 105 illegal immigrants Wednesday in the Baboquivari Mountains southwest of Tucson, and through the first six months of fiscal year 2010, agents in the Tucson Sector had made 119,000 apprehensions; something HAS to be done…

My personal thoughts are- This is all about trying their damnest to get this dumped, because if it succeeds, the odds are Texas and others could well follow suit.

IF that were to happen, we might actually see some enforcement on the border, because it’s a damning fact that Napolitano does NOT nor does the Administration want to enforce the border. In fact, Napolitano cut agents and cut $225M from the virtual fence with no replacement (article HERE).

When I see the MS-13 types up here in NOVA, and I know they are ‘proud’ of the fact they sneaked across the border and the gang up here is at least 2000 (as of 2004 headcount), and they are killing folks that can testify against them, and using machetes on others, it’s LONG PAST TIME to do something. But then again, the dems have been in control, so illegals are “not” a problem… yeah, right….

Personally, I’d be in favor of calling out the respective National Guards, flying Reapers with pilots authorized to take out any smugglers/illegals seen with guns just like we do in Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan…

And in another YGTBSM moment, it appears President Unicorn or Billary will on Monday give an EXACT count of the US nuclear arsenal to the media and others to prop up their latest dis-armament talks… This data has ALWAYS been considered at least Top Secret, if not higher…

sigh… is it 2012 YET???

Or we could just turn these guys loose…

Oh HELL no…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

This was the subject of more than a little discussion at the meetings I’ve been at the last two days… ALL of the participants in the discussions were unanimous in their derision of this plan… and that included the Marines present…

By Chinara Lucas, Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (NNS) — The secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) honored the legacy of the late U.S. Representative John Murtha by declaring April 23 that the Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, LPD 26, will bear his name.

The announcement was made at John P. Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County airport in Johnstown, Pa., a town Murtha held close to his heart.

SECNAV Ray Mabus was accompanied by Joyce and Donna Murtha, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative Norm Dicks of Washington and U.S. Representative David Obey of Wisconsin.

You can read the rest of this HERE… And feel free to leave a comment! I did…


Voodoo Warrior said it best… I just want to throw up…

And here is a copy of the letter from the AFTP site, (which has now disappeared) that I copied with permission and sent to my Congresscritters…

Feel free to use this or write a better one!

Congressman XXXX,
I am writing to you to express my displeasure as a retired Naval Flight Officer, that you all would even consider naming a U.S. navy ship after John Murtha. While I do understand that he served in the United States Marine Corps he also condemed our troops prior in Iraq of murdering innocent Iraqi’s. As we know the Marines were found innocent of any wrongdoing. Here are a few of Joh Murtha’s quotes about the Marines in Haditha Iraq.


“It [Haditha, Marines] is as bad as Abu Ghraib, if not worse.”
(Murtha, May 2006)

“They [the Marines/Military] knew the day after this happened that it was not as they portrayed it. They knew that they (Marines) went into the rooms, they killed the people in the taxi. There was no firing at all. And this comes from the highest authority in the Marine Corps, so there’s no question in my mind,”
(Murtha, May 2006)

“… they [Marine] killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
(Murtha, May 17, 2006 at news conference)

“There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood”
(Murtha, May 19, 2006)

“They actually went into the houses and killed women and children. And there was about twice as many as originally reported by Times.”
(Murtha, Reuters, May 19, 2006)

“Our troops over-reacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
(Murtha, ARAB WORLD NEWS, May 19, 2006)

“It’s [Haditha, Marines] much worse than reported in Time magazine.”
(Murtha, News.comAU, May 18, 2006)

BLITZER: The marines say they’re still investigating. They don’t know what happened yet. The pentagon says the same thing. How do you know what happened?

MURTHA: Wolf, you read the “Time” magazine articles. There are pictures, there are photos. You don’t have to talk to the military about the proof.
(Murtha, on CNN/Wolf Blitzer, May 19, 2006… transcript)

All of his quotes were unfounded. He turned his back on the military and now you all want to name a United States military ship after him?


Have you all in Washington lost touch with the american people or have you all just lost your minds? if you want to name a ship after a United States Marine that’s fine. No problem.

Allow me to reccomend a name that is much more fitting and much more deserving. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Norman Hathcock III. Marine Sniper. In Vietnam he had around 97 confirmed kills. That is not counting the unconfirmed. He also risked his life when a convoy vehicle he was riding in hit a vietnamese landmine. Did he jump out? No sir. He turned around and physically threw every other Marine in that truck out before he himself jumped. If you are going to name a ship after somebody than make it someone who served with honor not just while they were in the military but after they got out.

Gunnery Sergeant Hathcock is a legend in the world of not only the United States Marine Corps but all of the United States Military. If you are going to do this then do it right. Name the ship after someone who lived their lives with Honor, Courage and Commitment. That sir, does not describe John Murtha.

Sincerely,


Now I could also go with naming it for Mike Monsoor, which is what I suggested on the Navy site…

Taps: Pam Murphy, the widow of WWII hero Audie Murphy…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Great Story about a great Lady, and apparently little or NO mainstream media coverage..


It appears this is ONLY getting coverage within the Veterans/Military circles…


Pam Murphy, widow of actor Audie Murphy, was veterans’ friend and advocate


April 16, 2010
By: Dennis McCarthy

Pam Murphy, the widow of Audie Murphy, was involved in the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center over the course of 35 years, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were a VIP. Pam Murphy died last week at the age of 90.

After Audie died, they all became her boys. Every last one of them.


Any soldier or Marine who walked into the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center in the last 35 years got the VIP treatment from Pam Murphy.

The widow of Audie Murphy – the most decorated soldier in World War II – would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see a specialist or doctor — STAT. If they didn’t, watch out.

Her boys weren’t Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn’t matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her.

She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always “Mister.” Respect came with the job.
“Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy,” said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years.

“Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor’s office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn’t matter to Mrs. Murphy.
“Only her boys mattered. She was our angel.”

Last week, Sepulveda VA’s angel for the last 35 years died peacefully in her sleep at age 90.
“She was in bed watching the Laker game, took one last breath, and that was it,” said Diane Ruiz, who also worked at the VA and cared for Pam in the last years of her life in her Canoga Park apartment.

It was the same apartment Pam moved into soon after Audie died in a plane crash on Memorial Day weekend in 1971.

Audie Murphy died broke, squandering million of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women.

“Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero,” Pam told me.

She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment – taking a clerk’s job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband’s debts.

At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy’s widow.

It was like saying Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you,” they said, over and over.

The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie’s memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam.

She hated the spotlight. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran’s Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no.

“Honor them, not me,” she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. “They’re the ones who deserve it.”

The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said.

Incredibly, in 2002, Pam’s job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered “excess staff.”

“I don’t think helping cut down on veterans’ complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff,” she told me.

Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates.

Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered “excess staff.” She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.

“The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans,” said Becky James, coordinator of the VA’s Veterans History Project.

Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.

Funeral services for Pam Murphy will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the chapel at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles.


No question- She was part of the greatest generation… RIP Mrs. M, RIP