Showing posts with label military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military. Show all posts
Happy Veterans Day
Enjoy this Veterans Day video, and God bless the US Armed Forces. A Pittance of Time, by Terry Kelly.
How Arlington National Cemetery Came to Be
What is now Arlington National Cemetery was once the home of Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary.
Mary Lee dreaded the thought of abandoning Arlington, the 1,100-acre estate she had inherited from her father, George Washington Parke Custis, upon his death in 1857. Custis, the grandson of Martha Washington, had been adopted by George Washington when Custis’ father died in 1781. Beginning in 1802, as the new nation’s capital took form across the river, Custis started building Arlington, his showplace mansion. Probably modeled after the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, the columned house floated among the Virginia hills as if it had been there forever, peering down upon the half-finished capital at its feet. When Custis died, Arlington passed to Mary Lee, his only surviving child, who had grown up, married and raised seven children and buried her parents there. In correspondence, her husband referred to the place as “our dear home,” the spot “where my attachments are more strongly placed than at any other place in the world.” If possible, his wife felt an even stronger attachment to the property.
Mary Lee packed up and left in 1861, just ahead of the Union Army. Even after the federal government began burying soldiers on the property, the Lees fought for the return of their home. Smithsonian Magazine has the rest of the story of how the estate became the hallowed ground it is today, a resting place and a memorial to American military personnel who died in service to their country.
Link Via
Mary Lee dreaded the thought of abandoning Arlington, the 1,100-acre estate she had inherited from her father, George Washington Parke Custis, upon his death in 1857. Custis, the grandson of Martha Washington, had been adopted by George Washington when Custis’ father died in 1781. Beginning in 1802, as the new nation’s capital took form across the river, Custis started building Arlington, his showplace mansion. Probably modeled after the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, the columned house floated among the Virginia hills as if it had been there forever, peering down upon the half-finished capital at its feet. When Custis died, Arlington passed to Mary Lee, his only surviving child, who had grown up, married and raised seven children and buried her parents there. In correspondence, her husband referred to the place as “our dear home,” the spot “where my attachments are more strongly placed than at any other place in the world.” If possible, his wife felt an even stronger attachment to the property.
Mary Lee packed up and left in 1861, just ahead of the Union Army. Even after the federal government began burying soldiers on the property, the Lees fought for the return of their home. Smithsonian Magazine has the rest of the story of how the estate became the hallowed ground it is today, a resting place and a memorial to American military personnel who died in service to their country.
Link Via
The XM-25 Individual Airburst Weapon
The XM-25 Individual Airburst Weapon is the kind of gun that you see in movies such as Fifth Element or Judge Dredd, but never expect to be real. Well, it certainly is real, and it's now ready to be tested in combat.The gun fires a 25-millimeter "smart round" that can be detonated at pre-programmed distance, spreading shrapnel in all directions. It uses a rangefinder to figure out how far away a target is, and the operator can manually adjust when the bullet detonates to suit different situations, allowing a soldier to attack entrenched targets around corners and in buildings more effectively.
Check out the video below to hear an officer at the Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland lay down a scenario in which the XM-25 could be a real game changer.
Dept. of Defense Logo: Islamic Crescent and Obama logo
For Immediate Release:
Why Does The Dept. of Defense, Missile Defense System have a logo on its website that is a combination of the B. Hussein Obama logo and the Islamic Crescent? See the link below, and take a look at the logo in the upper left corner of the page.
I'm not going to jump to any conclusions here, but at the very least, it was a very, very poor design.
The Kalinin K-7
Wikipedia:
Kalinin K-7 was a heavy experimental aircraft designed and tested in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. K-7 was of unusual configuration with twin booms and large underwing pods housing fixed landing gear and machine gun turrets.
K-7 first flew on 11 August 1933. Then on 21 November 1933 the aircraft crashed due to structural failure of one of the tail booms, killing 14 people aboard and one on the ground. Although two more prototypes were ordered in 1933, the project was canceled in 1935 before they could be completed.
General characteristics
Crew: minimum 11
Capacity: 120 passengers in civilian configuration
Length: 28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 53 m (173 ft 11 in)
Height: (?)
Wing area: 454 m² (4,886.8 ft²)
Empty weight: 24,400 kg (53,793 lb)
Loaded weight: 38,000 kg (83,776 lb)
Powerplant: 7× Mikulin AM-34F V-12 piston engines, 560 kW (750 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 225 km/h (121 knots, 140 mph)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
Wing loading: 84 kg/m² (17 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 103 W/kg (0.06 hp/lb)
President Bush at Fort Hood
Down in Dothan, AL, a man had a TV on in his office when the news of the military base shootings came on. The husband of one of his employees was stationed there. He called her into his office, and the minute he told her what was going on, she got a text message from her husband saying, "I am okay." The cell phone started ringing right after that. It was an ER nurse. She said, "I'm the one who just sent you a text, not your husband." She thought the message would be comforting, but she immediately knew she had to let the wife know what was going on. She said, "I am sorry but your husband has been shot 4 times and he is in surgery."
The wife left Southern Clinic in Dothan and drove all night. Miraculously, here is the photo I just received from my brother that was taken today in the hospital room. He is awake and will recover. His wife, who lives in Dothan, made it to Ft. Hood about the time he was waking up. Thought I'd share this great outcome.
Bill and Buck Pattillo - WWII Veterans Reunited with their Warbirds
Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds
Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown. This was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME. Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These men are warriors and patriots, and it was a special honor to meet them and spend so much time in their company.
I could write a novel about the stories they told (Bill being shot down in Sweet and Lovely, the POW marches he was led on, Buck bailing out of airplanes on fire, his engine flaming out on takeoff in a plane loaded with napalm, the formation of the Thunderbirds demonstration team, and on and on...) but I'll just get right to a few pictures.
This is the moment Buck Pattillo saw his Little Rebel for the first time in 64 years. The last time he stood next to his P-51 was in England in 1945.
When he arrived at the airplane, a silence came over the crowd and everyone backed away to give him time and space. He was very quiet, and at first would touch just the wing and the drop tank. I have my back to the camera in that red shirt. I encouraged Buck to stand up next to the nose of his airplane and touch it. He did that, and when he turned back to face the crowd, the cameras and flash bulbs came alive. It was a special moment.
We gave Buck his space, and he slowly made his way around the Mustang. "This is my airplane," he said softly. "This is just how she looked."
Buck is in the middle, I am at the left. The airplane's owner/builder/pilot is at the right. The emotion on Buck's face is apparent.
As we worked around the airplane to the other side, I opened up the gun bay for Buck to peer inside. He placed his hands inside and touched one of the Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Once again, it was a very poignant moment.
"Now these aren't live are they?" he asked.
"No, they won't fire," I said. "We didn't want any funny business between you two brothers when we took you flying."
"Good," he responded with a hearty laugh. "Sweet and Lovely is a beautiful airplane. I'd hate to shoot it down."
The next few pictures need some set up. What we did was re-create a 65-year old photograph. This picture, featuring the Pattillo brothers was taken in Bodney , England in 1944.
65 years later, we found the old, original pilot gear and re-staged the scene. The crowd around the airplane as we set this up was incredible.
These guys were 20 years old flying around in England during WWII. They had wild fun then, and they continue to have fun today.
Here is a shot of Bill Pattillo in front of his WWII mount, Sweet and Lovely.
The two Generals together.
Bill on the left with his Sweet and Lovely hat, Buck on the right with his Little Rebel hat:
After the initial rush died down, we asked Buck to sign his name to the rudder:
Two years ago, when Bill saw Sweet and Lovely for the very first time, he also signed his rudder:
587,000 people attended Oshkosh this year, but these guys seemed to be the center of attention. It was like hanging out with rock stars.
On Saturday, the two airplanes and the brothers were featured in the "Warbirds in Review" program. We pushed the planes up on the stage and a standing room only crowd flooded in to hear the pilots speak.
The best part of the week was Friday night. We put each brother in the back seat of his own airplane and took them flying.
I think this flight turned the clock back 20 years in their lives. Their excitement and ear-to-ear grins were second in size only to mine. In the full-resolution version of these pictures, you can easily read the thrill on their faces.
Some more on the Pattillo brothers:
Maj. Gen. Cuthbert A. "Bill" Pattillo - Pilot
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
United States Air Force Thunderbird #3
A Distinguished Veteran
Cuthbert "Bill" Pattillo and his twin brother, Charles, were born seven minutes apart on June 3, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta Technical High School in 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After receiving training in the P-40 Warhawk (specifications), he received his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant at Marianna, Florida, in March, 1944. He went to the European Theater and was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, the famous "Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney". He flew 35 combat missions in the P-51D Mustang (specifications ), (HO-Y), number 44-11556, which he called "Sweet and Lovely". He shot down an ME-262 on April 10, 1945. On April 16, 1945, he destroyed six and damaged one enemy aircraft on the ground while strafing an airdrome near Straubing, Germany, and was later shot down by ground flak. He crashed landed in a farmer's plowed field, and became a POW until the end of the war. He was released from active duty in December, 1945, and he and his brother enrolled as engineering students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While attending school, he participated in the Reserve Military Program as a flight commander of the 54th Fighter Wing of the Georgia National Guard, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt.
'Bill' Pattillo with brother 'Buck' Pattillo
Air Demonstration Teams:
In February, 1948, he was recalled to active duty as a P-51 pilot, and was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group in Albany, Georgia. He was assigned with his brother as P-80 pilots to the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, and while there, he and his brother assisted in organizing and flying with the USAF Europe Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Skyblazers", flying the P-80 and F-84. In October, 1952, he was assigned to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida, as a fighter gunnery instructor with the 3542nd Flying Training Squadron. In March, 1953, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as a fighter gunnery instructor along with his brother Charles.
They helped organize the original United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Thunderbirds." He flew right wing while his brother flew left wing.
Further Education and War
From July, 1956 to August, 1959, he first served as a tactical fighter squadron commander with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, and then with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. In September, 1959, he entered the University of Colorado, and after earning a degree in mathematics, he joined the 4450th Standardization and Evaluation Group in Langley, Virginia. After completing his assignment to the Army War College in 1965, he was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the Headquarters Seventeenth Air Force, Ramstein, Germany. Upon this assignment, he and his twin brother were separated for the first time in over 23 years of military service. In March, 1967, he was assigned as Commander to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany, flying the F-4 Phantom II. In March, 1968, as Vice Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, he went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and became the Commanding Officer of the wing in July, 1968. He flew 120 combat missions over Vietnam in the F-4. In 1969, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Material Area at Tinker Air Force Base. In November, 1971, he became deputy director for logistics, J-4, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In September, 1973, he became Commander of the Lowry Technical Training Center at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, and then Vice Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces. On March 1, 1979, he was promoted to Lt. General, and was the Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He retired from active duty in 1981.
Medals and Awards
Lt. General Pattillo was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star (BSS), Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation emblem with oak leaf cluster, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order 2nd Class, French Croix de Guerre with palm, and Air Force pilot wings – Nicaragua – Brazil – China – Peru.
More on "Sweet and Lovely:"
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/44-73279.shtml
Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown. This was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME. Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These men are warriors and patriots, and it was a special honor to meet them and spend so much time in their company.
I could write a novel about the stories they told (Bill being shot down in Sweet and Lovely, the POW marches he was led on, Buck bailing out of airplanes on fire, his engine flaming out on takeoff in a plane loaded with napalm, the formation of the Thunderbirds demonstration team, and on and on...) but I'll just get right to a few pictures.
This is the moment Buck Pattillo saw his Little Rebel for the first time in 64 years. The last time he stood next to his P-51 was in England in 1945.
When he arrived at the airplane, a silence came over the crowd and everyone backed away to give him time and space. He was very quiet, and at first would touch just the wing and the drop tank. I have my back to the camera in that red shirt. I encouraged Buck to stand up next to the nose of his airplane and touch it. He did that, and when he turned back to face the crowd, the cameras and flash bulbs came alive. It was a special moment.
We gave Buck his space, and he slowly made his way around the Mustang. "This is my airplane," he said softly. "This is just how she looked."
Buck is in the middle, I am at the left. The airplane's owner/builder/pilot is at the right. The emotion on Buck's face is apparent.
As we worked around the airplane to the other side, I opened up the gun bay for Buck to peer inside. He placed his hands inside and touched one of the Browning .50 caliber machine guns. Once again, it was a very poignant moment.
"Now these aren't live are they?" he asked.
"No, they won't fire," I said. "We didn't want any funny business between you two brothers when we took you flying."
"Good," he responded with a hearty laugh. "Sweet and Lovely is a beautiful airplane. I'd hate to shoot it down."
The next few pictures need some set up. What we did was re-create a 65-year old photograph. This picture, featuring the Pattillo brothers was taken in Bodney , England in 1944.
65 years later, we found the old, original pilot gear and re-staged the scene. The crowd around the airplane as we set this up was incredible.
These guys were 20 years old flying around in England during WWII. They had wild fun then, and they continue to have fun today.
Here is a shot of Bill Pattillo in front of his WWII mount, Sweet and Lovely.
The two Generals together.
Bill on the left with his Sweet and Lovely hat, Buck on the right with his Little Rebel hat:
After the initial rush died down, we asked Buck to sign his name to the rudder:
Two years ago, when Bill saw Sweet and Lovely for the very first time, he also signed his rudder:
587,000 people attended Oshkosh this year, but these guys seemed to be the center of attention. It was like hanging out with rock stars.
On Saturday, the two airplanes and the brothers were featured in the "Warbirds in Review" program. We pushed the planes up on the stage and a standing room only crowd flooded in to hear the pilots speak.
The best part of the week was Friday night. We put each brother in the back seat of his own airplane and took them flying.
I think this flight turned the clock back 20 years in their lives. Their excitement and ear-to-ear grins were second in size only to mine. In the full-resolution version of these pictures, you can easily read the thrill on their faces.
Some more on the Pattillo brothers:
Maj. Gen. Cuthbert A. "Bill" Pattillo - Pilot
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group
United States Air Force Thunderbird #3
A Distinguished Veteran
Cuthbert "Bill" Pattillo and his twin brother, Charles, were born seven minutes apart on June 3, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Atlanta Technical High School in 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in November, 1942 as an aviation cadet. After receiving training in the P-40 Warhawk (specifications
'Bill' Pattillo with brother 'Buck' Pattillo
Air Demonstration Teams:
In February, 1948, he was recalled to active duty as a P-51 pilot, and was assigned to the 31st Fighter Group in Albany, Georgia. He was assigned with his brother as P-80 pilots to the 36th Fighter Group, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany, and while there, he and his brother assisted in organizing and flying with the USAF Europe Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Skyblazers", flying the P-80 and F-84. In October, 1952, he was assigned to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida, as a fighter gunnery instructor with the 3542nd Flying Training Squadron. In March, 1953, he was assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, as a fighter gunnery instructor along with his brother Charles.
They helped organize the original United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Team, the "Thunderbirds." He flew right wing while his brother flew left wing.
Further Education and War
From July, 1956 to August, 1959, he first served as a tactical fighter squadron commander with the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, and then with the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. In September, 1959, he entered the University of Colorado, and after earning a degree in mathematics, he joined the 4450th Standardization and Evaluation Group in Langley, Virginia. After completing his assignment to the Army War College in 1965, he was promoted to Colonel and assigned to the Headquarters Seventeenth Air Force, Ramstein, Germany. Upon this assignment, he and his twin brother were separated for the first time in over 23 years of military service. In March, 1967, he was assigned as Commander to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg, Germany, flying the F-4 Phantom II. In March, 1968, as Vice Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, he went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and became the Commanding Officer of the wing in July, 1968. He flew 120 combat missions over Vietnam in the F-4. In 1969, he was promoted to Brigadier General and was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Material Area at Tinker Air Force Base. In November, 1971, he became deputy director for logistics, J-4, Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. In September, 1973, he became Commander of the Lowry Technical Training Center at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, and then Vice Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces. On March 1, 1979, he was promoted to Lt. General, and was the Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He retired from active duty in 1981.
Medals and Awards
Lt. General Pattillo was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star (BSS), Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation emblem with oak leaf cluster, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Republic of Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order 2nd Class, French Croix de Guerre with palm, and Air Force pilot wings – Nicaragua – Brazil – China – Peru.
More on "Sweet and Lovely:"
http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/survivors/pages/44-73279.shtml
