Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is a United States Marine Corps special operations forces which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance companies unlike USMC division reconnaissance report to the Marine expeditionary force (MEF) and provide direct action and deep reconnaissance during large-scale operations.

The Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Raider Battalions were originally composed of Marine Special Operations Teams formed from Force Recon platoons (Det One) in 2006. MARSOC now has its own separate training pipeline. Force Recon companies continue to operate and focus primarily on direct action, intelligence gathering and maritime raid operations in the visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) role.

A FORECON detachment had since the mid 1980s formed part of the Maritime Special Purpose Force (MSPF) a specialized sub-unit of a Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) MEU(SOC). MEU(SOC) has been obsolete since 2013. A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) now has a Maritime Raid Force (MRF) built around a FORECON detachment.

Mission

Two different mission types emerged during the Vietnam War, which is still implemented in the Force Reconnaissance motives today: Key Hole and Sting Ray. These practices subsequently became contemporary as deep reconnaissance or green operations; and direct action, which are known as black operations.

Key Hole patrols were designed purely around reconnaissance and surveillance; usually lightly equipped and armed with defensive weapons—evasive techniques were employed to break contact from the enemy should the need arise, avoiding contact with the enemy was paramount. Sting Ray operations were the exact opposite of Key Hole missions with goals more closely in line of offensive strikes, the FORECON operators were heavily armed and used artillery and/or naval gunfire support, if available.

However, what began as a 'keyhole' patrol could become a 'stingray' patrol with little warning. The versatility of FORECON is demonstrated when missions quickly turn, planned or not, from a deep reconnaissance patrol to a direct action engagement.

Green operations

Green operations are the principal mission of Force Recon, to collect any pertinent intelligence of military importance, observe, identify and report adversaries to MAGTF commanders. Like Division Recon (also known as the Marine Recon Battalions), they employ a mixed element of amphibious reconnaissance and ground reconnaissance. This practice fundamentally covers a wide spectrum of reconnaissance but primarily the FORECON operators conduct deep reconnaissance.

The Force Recon platoons operate farther inland than their Division Recon counterparts, penetrating deeper into enemy territory from their assigned littoral (coastal) region within a force commander's 'tactical area of responsibility' (TAOR). They operate at such great distances that they are beyond the boundaries, or fan, of any artillery and/or naval gunfire support (NGFS); unlike their Division Recon brethren, whose operations are primarily within the artillery and gunfire support fan. Silence and stealth are vital in reducing chances of compromising their position—if a single round is fired, the mission is deemed to have failed.

The United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance detachments, or FORECON, operate in deep reconnaissance, direct action, and the control of supporting arms; to convey military intelligence beyond the means of a commander's area of influence on the battlefield. They are capable of operating independently in combined methods of amphibious and ground operations by utilizing methods of conventional and unconventional warfare in defense of the United States.

Although Force Recon has never been part of the United States Special Operations Command, their missions slightly differentiate them from other United States Special Operations Forces units. Colloquially, they are specialized in all tactical areas of warfare. Force Recon will train with other Special Operations forces, such as United States Navy SEALs, United States Army Special Forces, and United States Air Force Pararescue, in order to master all skill sets. The Marine Corps has seen fit to train versatile specialists rather than specialists in individual areas of combat.

Their reconnoitering roles (whether amphibious or ground) include preliminary (or "pre–D-Day") and post-assault reconnaissance. Some examples are:
 Battle damage assessment (BDA) missions – Witnessing and reporting damage to targets, either from heavy support fire measures (artillery and naval gunfire), air strikes, or thermonuclear weapons.
 Remote sensors operations – Placing remote sensors and beacons is vital for marking friendly/hostile boundaries and areas for helicopter assault and infantry transport. This mission has made pathfinding operations obsolete.
 Initial terminal guidance (ITG)–setting up/preparing landing zones (LZ) and drop zones (DZ) for forward operating sites, Marine fixed or rotary-wing aircraft, or waterborne locations (landing force, ship-to-shore).

Black operations

Black operations are the missions that require direct action (DA). They are the opposite of green operations missions, where the Force Recon operators "look for trouble." Depending on the situation and the target location, the FORECON operators usually conduct direct action missions within the artillery and naval gun support fan; these operations demonstrate "small-scale" shock and awe.

Examples are the seizures and occupation of gas/oil platforms (GOPLAT) and the visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) of ships during Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), as well as orchestrating close air support, a vital skill exercised in DA missions; Force Recon operators forward observe from static positions and spider holes for artillery and naval gunfire support, or ordnance and payload delivery.

They provide personal security detail (PSD) for critically important personnel. They are capable of performing In-Extremis Hostage Rescue (IHR) but this is no longer a Force Recon mission task.

Organization
In the past, early Force Reconnaissance companies in the Marine Corps had made numerous titular changes to its table of organization (T/O), so much so that it can be difficult to describe its primary command structure in detail. However, the companies initially were designed to function under the echelon of the Navy/Marine force commanders (e.g. under the direct operational control of the Commander, Amphibious Task Force (CATF) and Landing Force (CLF), and Fleet Marine Force) during amphibious landing operations or expeditionary engagements—to provide timely intelligence without exhausting their reconnaissance assets from the Marine Division without hampering their valuable support to its infantry regiments.

Due to these changes, FORECON has been detached and reported to multiple commanders of Marine divisions, the Command Elements (CE) of the Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, and the immediate commander of the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). They were re-organized or reserved for 'special reconnaissance' assignments that would otherwise help shape the outcome of his battlefield. These companies, for a few times in their existence, had either folded into the Marine Division, its Regiment's Recon Battalions, or dissolved entirely to only resurface during conflicts, or when other similar reasons had arisen.

After the creation of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) on August 11, 2006, it marked the United States Marine Corps' first commitment to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). By February 2006, 2nd FORECON deactivated its command. The most experienced operators were selected to fill the ranks for the newly established Marine Special Operations Battalions' (MSOBs) teams. A month later in January, 1st FORECON met the same fate. The remaining Marines in both Force Recon companies molded into new "D" companies within the Division Recon Battalions, forming the Deep Reconnaissance Platoons (DRPs). The DRPs are designed to maintain and preserve the 'deep reconnaissance' assets to the MAGTF commanders.

In October 2008, by the direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC), the D companies within both 1st and 2nd Reconnaissance Battalions were redesignated as "Force Reconnaissance" companies and assigned operational control to the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) accordingly, particularly the I MEF and II MEF. These companies will assume the traditional deep reconnaissance and supportive arms mission set and will deploy in support of current directive required by the United States Marine Corps. Since that time, the Marine Corps has also stood up Force Reconnaissance Company, III MEF in Okinawa, Japan.

The three Force Reconnaissance companies of I, II, and III MEF are currently the only active components of force-level reconnaissance; whereas the 3rd and 4th FORECON are the Selected Reserve force reconnaissance assets available to augment and reinforce the Fleet Marine Force. In the Marine Corps Reserve, the FORECON are separate units reporting directly to the 4th Marine Division Commanding General (4th MarDiv CG), unless mobilized and ordered detached to a Gaining Force Commander. Additionally, as separate units, the FORECON are not part of 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, which is itself a separate unit reporting directly to the 4th MarDiv CG.

Table of Organization (T/O)
Each Force Reconnaissance company is basically the same; they all contain a command element and Force Recon platoons. Each company is commanded by a company commander and his executive officer.

Active

Deactivated

History

The historical roots of 'Force Recon' companies can be traced back to the antecedent Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, whose numerous pre-D–Day reconnoitering of enemy beaches during the Pacific campaigns of World War II proved the vitality of the Fleet Marine Force's amphibious reconnaissance doctrine. This unique unit reported directly to the landing force commander, providing him important intelligence at his disposal.

Formed initially as a company-size element from the Observer Group, under the command of Major James L. Jones, they were amongst the first—along with the early Navy Combat Demolition Units (the predecessor to the Underwater Demolition Teams [i.e., the Navy SEALs])—to embark from submarines; most of their missions complemented those of the NCDU and the UDT. The 'amphibious reconnaissance' doctrine clearly outlined that the recon Marines' duties consisted of scouting the littoral areas, or beachhead, and inland; to test the soil permeability for a possible beach landing; to clear any obstacles that may hinder an amphibious assault; and to observe any sign of enemy activity. The Navy UDT were tasked with providing the same, but from off the coastline to the littoral, or adjacent beach areas.

Jones and his recon Marines scouted the Japanese-fortified beaches and observed the terrain, materials or other entities, primarily reporting to the force commander of any vital intelligence of mission-oriented importance. Although Jones's Marines were all skilled surface swimmers, they usually inserted by boats—mostly due to the multiple radios (primary and contingent) they carried, as relaying communication to the landing force commander was paramount, and as a timely means of sending in a platoon-sized element with heavy firepower (mortars, machineguns, etc.) at their disposal since they were greatly outnumbered and isolated from other major Marine forces, which were still embarked on the destroyer-transport ships.

By the end of World War II, the Amphib Recon Battalion terminated its command; its Marines either filled the ranks of other infantry platoons, or folded into the Scout (Tank) companies, and the newly formed division reconnaissance companies. This force-level reconnaissance element was not re-established until the early 1950s, when the Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalions were assembled for preliminary operations in Korea. Their efforts proved that gaining the knowledge of the enemy before a major operation was crucial to safeguarding the men, and provided better operational planning.

The Korean War introduced the new concept of using rotary-wing aircraft to the Marine Corps in combat employment for logistics and rapid troop transport. Also, the atomic age was emerging and caused concern among the military leaders. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Lemuel Shepherd created a test unit, the Marine Corps Test Unit 1 (MCTU #1), to research and experiment on new and improved combat tactics and on methods to prepare the Marine Corps to operate strategically, in concert with or against, the use of nuclear weapons.

Many of the conceptual ideas for Force Recon were pioneered by Major Bruce F. Meyers, the test unit's "Reconnaissance/Pathfinder Project Officer" from MCTU #1's Plans and Development (P&D) Section. His position can be seen as an unillustrated subsidiary to an 'operations' (G-6) and 'training' (G-7) officer. Major Meyers tested various innovative techniques for the 'Recon Platoon' and evaluated their results for use in parachuting and pathfinding missions, in addition to using its heliborne and aircraft wing assets to add 'deeper' reconnaissance penetration capabilities. This new-found capability gave reconnaissance Marines the advantage of operating further behind enemy lines.

The MCTU#1's Reconnaissance Platoon, commanded by Captain Joseph Taylor, founded and adopted the more modern 'force reconnaissance' doctrine, methods which were instrumented by Major Meyers. They were developing and performing innovative clandestine insertion methods before the Navy SEALs, and the Army's "Green Berets", such as the submarine locking -in and -out methods, and underwater "blow-and-go" ascents.

The USMC concluded that parachute reconnaissance and pathfinding capabilities would exist at force level, the Fleet Marine Force (the highest command echelon of the United States Marine Corps). At first, the concept was to be formed into a "Force Recon Battalion"—this battalion would have as many 'force recon' companies as there were division-wing MAGTFs in the Marine operating forces. Recognizing the limited budget during the fiscal year of 1957, it was instead recommended that it be formed at company-sized elements for the west and east coast. In July 1957, The MCTU#1 was amalgamated into the existing 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion. The next day, the battalion cased its colors and redesignated it as 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. Although the test unit was no longer operating, Meyers continued to research and test more innovative methods.

Major Meyers and his top swimmers and senior officers of the company would test and train in submarine lock-in and -out methods and ascending techniques. After being cross-trained by the Navy's Master Divers, they learned the operation of the early rebreather systems, and advanced open water swimming. Meyers understood that his recon Marines would be operating 50 to 150 miles away from their littoral or operating area, or from any naval support. In order to get his Marines out of a "hot" area, extraction techniques needed to be developed. Bruce Meyer's 1st FORECON, along with 1st Recon Company and 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were aware of the McGuire and STABO systems that were used by the United States Army's Special Forces, though they agreed that they had defects and disadvantages. Instead, the Marine Corps created a system that was a more simplified rig that had greater capacity, the Special Personnel Insertion and Extraction (SPIE) rig.

The CIA's highly secretive Special Activities Division (SAD), and more specifically its elite Special Operations Group (SOG), recruit operators from Marine Force Recon. In addition, joint Force Recon and CIA operations go back to the famed Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) during the Vietnam War and still exist to this day.

Weapons Planning Group (Code 121)
The Reconnaissance/Surveillance Section of the Weapons Planning Group, Landing Force Development Center at Quantico introduced Force Recon to new technological methods of achieving their objective. Many of its tests and evaluations resembled the tests of MCTU #1. However, MCTU #1 were testing methods of inserting reconnaissance teams "deep" into the battlefield. The Weapons Planning Group (Code 121) provided the equipment that would become instrumental to recon Marines. Beacons for helicopter guidance, laser designators for the guidance of ordnance, laser rangefinders, and many more were tested.

During the Vietnam War, one of the reconnaissance officers of Code 121, then-Major Alex Lee, brought most of his testing experience to 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company when he was assigned as the commanding officer from 1969 to 1970. He formed Force Recon's missions that are still distinct today: remote sensor operations. The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center (SRC), predecessor to the Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group (SRIG), was formed within the III Marine Amphibious Force (IIId MAF). The obsolete pathfinding operations were taken over by the newer beacons and homing devices.

Operations

Vietnam War, 1965–1974

3rd Force Reconnaissance Company was activated, trained, fought, and deactivated during the Vietnam War. Activated in September 1965 as one of the first group of add-on units to meet demands of operations in Vietnam, the company formed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and satellite on Second Force Reconnaissance Company that was under strength due to the demands for trained Force Recon Marines assigned to First Force in country. Facilities, cadre and equipment for training were provided by Second Force.

Volunteers were solicited from throughout the Marine Corps and the first four months were devoted to bringing the company up to strength in personnel. Beginning in January 1966 all operational personnel departed Camp Lejeune to train in the Caribbean and Panama. Returning to North Carolina in March, final preparations were carried out to meet the projected deployment date in May 1966. The expected deployment of the entire company did not occur, but a two platoon detachment embarked on the USS Boxer, transited through the Suez Canal, and arrived in country in time to be introduced to combat in Operation Hastings as part of The Special Landing Force in early July 1966.

The company (-) dropped to a not combat ready readiness status. Headquarters Marine Corps transferred several Officers and numerous Staff Non Commissioned Officers immediately after the detachment departed. In mid-June the company (-) was alerted to deploy immediately. Due to the reduced personnel readiness status, HQMC changed the deployment plan and ordered that a platoon be assigned to deploy with First Battalion, 26th Marines that had been activated at Camp Pendleton. The remainder of the company was ordered to move to Camp Pendleton to refit.

At the conclusion of Hastings the detachment was attached to Third Reconnaissance Battalion that had just arrived in Phu Bai from DaNang, having been replaced by the First Reconnaissance Battalion that had just begun arriving with the First Marine Division. Shortly, they were joined by the platoon that had come in country with 1/26.

They patrolled in Thua Thien Province until early January, 1967, when a task organized Special Purpose group carried out a prisoner rescue attempt. The remainder were sent to Khe Sanh where they developed the intelligence of a large enemy buildup, that was the prelude to The Hill Fights that occurred in April 1967.

Reunited, what was left of the three platoons, returned to Phu Bai to await the arrival of the company(-). Having been brought up to strength and operational readiness, the company was reunited on April 27, 1967, just in time for the NVA offensive to seize Quang Tri Province. The logistics element arrive at the "Ramp" at Dong Ha just in time for the opening salvos of the NVA artillery attacks that would continue daily until late Autumn.

The operational element experienced a mortar attack in Phu Bai at the same time resulting in several shrapnel wounds, only one of which, required evacuation. The new arrivals were integrated with combat veterans and the entire eighteen teams conducted a zone reconnaissance in the Cobi Than Tan Valley east of Hue City before displacing to Dong Ha.

Upon arrival at Dong Ha in early May the Commanding Officer assumed command of Third Recon Battalion (Forward), which had reconnaissance responsibility for all of Quang Tri Province except the Khe Sanh TAOR (Tactical Area of Operations). The company patrolled the area north of Highway nine to the DMZ, while the Battalion Company was targeted south of Highway Nine to the Thua Thien border. Occasional circumstances caused deviation from that concept, but, for the most part, those deviations were rare. Third Force continued that operational commitment until the Third Division left country in November 1969.

Third Force was placed under command of The Third Marine Expeditionary Force and operated in general support of IIId MAF until deactivated in mid-1970.

Mission Training Plan

Training within the Company is outlined by the Mission Training Plan (MTP). It is used in conjunction with the training and exercises that are conducted by the Marine Expeditionary Units for their "Special Operations Capable" certification. It follows a systematic approach to training, and the emphasis is to "train as they expect to fight".

"The best form of WELFARE for our Marines and sailors is first class training; this saves unnecessary casualties". —MTP quote by S-3 of FORECON companies.

The Mission Training Plan has five phases, and is based on a two-year platoon cycle. Training is ongoing and continuous, and functions as if it were a loop. Before FORECON operators are "Special Operations Capable" they follow the Company's MTP, which underlines the training protocol of the Pre-deployment Training Program (PTP).

 Phase 1: Individual Training
 Phase 2: Unit Training
 Phase 3: MEU (SOC) Training
 Phase 4: MEU (SOC) Deployment
 Phase 5: MEU (SOC) Post Deployment

Phase 1
The Marine candidates who had passed the initial yet vigorous indoctrination exam must undergo and complete a series of courses required for the designated MOS 0326 [formerly 8654], "Reconnaissance Marine, Parachutist/Combatant Diver Qualified," known as the 'accession pipeline.'

Their courses to its various schools are intertwined with the Pre-deployment Training Program (PTP), a training protocol of the Fleet Marine Force–its task forces–that are conducted yearly in a perpetual, continuous cycle. The reconnaissance Marines within FORECON community are unique in that it is the volition of the individual Marine to remain another two-year detachment to the Force Reconnaissance Company. Those that had chosen to remain in the company will proceed to the advanced course of instructions, and again during the next FMF rotational training cycle, and forth. This is due in respects to their status of having already completed and qualified in the appropriate course required for MOS 0321; which otherwise, the initial training, e.g. the accession pipeline, are reserved for the candidates.

The first phase in FORECON's Mission Training Plan takes place within the MEU's Initial Training Phase.

Accession Pipeline

 Infantry Rifleman Course – Infantry Training Battalion, US Marine Corps Schools of Infantry (East or West)
Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC) – United States Marine Corps School of Infantry (West)
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) [Level "C"]/Navy Remote Training Sites; NAS North Island, Warner Springs, California.
United States Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course – Navy Diving Salvage and Training Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida
Basic Airborne Course – United States Army Airborne School, Fort Benning, Georgia
Multi Mission Parachute Course – CPS Complete Parachute Systems, Coolidge, Arizona
High Risk Personnel (HRP) Course – MCB Quantico, Virginia
Special Operations Training Group (SOTG) – I MEF, Camp Pendleton; II MEF, Camp Lejeune; III MEF, Camp S.D. Butler

Special schools
During the "Individual Training Phase", the candidates are undergoing the accession pipeline to become qualified MOS 0321 (Reconnaissance Marine). After further training, the already-billeted Force Recon operators (who had already completed the required courses in the accession pipeline [BRC, parachutist and diving, and SERE/HRP courses]) attain MOS 0326 (Reconnaissance Marine, parachute and combatant diver qualified) and may continue to remain with FORECON after the three-year rotation cycle. They may be selected for additional advanced cross-service training from other schools provided by the Special Operations Forces (SOF) units. Although these specialized schools are not necessarily required, they are highly encouraged.

Many Marine Corps 'training liaisons' represent the Marines at many cross-services schools, to ensure training slots and openings are met and filled by the Marines that requested, or were recommended, for advanced training. Some of these courses may not be able to facilitate the Marine students; the instructors of these schools resort to complement the Marines' requested syllabus by designing similar subsidiary courses. This argument becomes clear on whether Marines may, or may not, actually attend the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S). Nonetheless, in the past, selected operators within Force Recon had attended the courses of instructions provided by BUD/S Instructors and their completion is documented in their military Service Record Book (SRB) or Officer Qualification Record (OQR).

Tactical Air Control Party – one per team
U.S. Army Ranger School – all team leaders and above
U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course – all team leaders and above
U.S. Army Pathfinder School – all team leaders and above
U.S. Army Jumpmaster School – minimum two per platoon
Military Free-Fall Jumpmaster Course – minimum two per platoon
Mountain Leaders (Summer/Winter) Course – one per team
 USMC Scout Sniper Course – minimum one per team
 HRST Master Course – minimum two per platoon
 Dive Supervisor Course – minimum two per platoon
 LAR V Technician Course – two per platoon

Phase 2
The second phase of the MTP also takes place during the MEU's PTP Initial Training Phase.

Training Cell
The Training Cell (T-Cell) is regulated by the experienced staff non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) of FMF Recon company's Operations Section (S-3). This removes the responsibility of coordinating training from the platoon headquarters, and permits them to train with their men (rather than to just oversee the training).

"Fight as you train, train as you fight!"—quote by unknown.

An additional and no less important advantage to the T-Cell is that it acts as a training ground for future platoon sergeants. Those assigned to the T-Cell are all highly trained and experienced operators. Some have deployed as platoon sergeants, and some have not. Experienced FORECON operators within T-Cell monitor, evaluate and improve the training to ensure that exercises meet real-world conditions.
 Advanced Long Range Communications Package (3 weeks) – It is conducted by the Company Communications Section. As the term deep reconnaissance indicates, the platoon will operate well forward of other forces. In order to report observations, calls for fire or extract, all members need to have a complete and thorough knowledge of the sophisticated communication equipment carried. It includes manual Morse code, and long-range high frequency (HF), satellite, multi-band, and digital communications.
 Weapons and Tactics Package (3 weeks) – Involves 5,000–8,000 rounds fired from the M4 carbine equipped with a Special Operations Peculiar Modification kit and the MEU(SOC) Pistol (.45 ACP). A live fire and maneuvering exercise in immediate action (IA) drills within close range of rotary wing support, as well as transportation, is conducted on the third week. As the Marines become familiar with their weapons, they conduct field exercise, force-on-force, live-fire drills using a militarized version of the Simunitions kit called the Special Effects Small Arms Marking Systems, or SESAMS. The Marking Cartridge ammunition contains a sabot and a small, plastic round encasing a colored detergent or paint, usually red or blue.
 Threat Weapons Familiarization Package (1 week) – Concludes "knowledge of weapons" with identification and operation of threat weapons used by adversaries of the United States. Threat Weapons include assault, automatic and mobilized weapons.
 Force Fires Package – Gives the Marines a working knowledge of fixed and rotary wing close air support and Naval Gun Surface Fire (NGSF) by using the AN/PEQ-1 SOFLAM to "paint" their targets.

 Mobile Reconnaissance Package – Covers operating and maintaining the M998 HMMWV and the Interim Fast Attack Vehicle. Rapid deployment of FORECON requires fast mobilization. The current IFAV is a replacement of the two earlier FAVs, the M-151A2 and the Chenowth FAV that were employed in the 1980s and 1990s.
 Advanced Airborne Package – Extremely important to Force Recon for inserting Marines behind enemy lines. In this three-week period, Marines will transition from conventional Low Level Static Line (LLSL) insertions into the hallmark HALO techniques. Usually it consists of consecutive night jumps with night combat equipment, but HALO training is done in the Paraloft of the S3 Section using a complex virtual reality-based (VR) computer system. While wearing a VR headset device, the Marines hang suspended from the Paraloft ceiling that resembles the MC-5 Ram Air parachute. Many simulations are factored in this Virtual Reality Parachute Simulation; it allows the Marine to jump at high altitudes and visually check his main canopy for proper deployment, alleviate malfunctions, to cutaway and deploy a reserve parachute, then employ guidance and control to an unmarked drop zone (DZ).
 Combat Trauma Package – Examination of first aid and medical treatment that can prepare Marines in many realistic scenarios where Marines can become casualties. This package is built for Marines to give them confidence and knowledge to apply medical attention to themselves or others while operating in hazard environments whether they are engaged in combat or not.
 Amphibious Training Package (2 weeks) – While Marines were introduced to amphibious reconnaissance from the BRC, the T-Cell outlines the Amphibious Training package before they are attached to a MEU(SOC), this package refines their ability to conduct amphibious operations, and conventional and selected maritime special operations capabilities incorporating all their skills for Marines to work as a team. Refreshes long-range nautical navigation, and refines the platoon SOP for conducting hydrographic surveys. Launch and recovery is from a variety of naval vessels, including surface combatants and submarines. This training takes place at Seal Beach and San Diego, California on the west coast; and Onslow Beach, North Carolina on the east coast.
 Combatant Dive Package – Designed for concentrating on the unit's capabilities in the water. They will learn more about the LAR-V rebreather as they have been taught at the USMC Combatant Dive Course. The T-Cell will introduce the Diver Propulsion Device (DPD) and the "buddy line", a  pipe made from composite plastics that every Marine is attached to when diving. This ensures that the team remain close together as the water may be impossible for visuals contact in subsurface swimming.

Other training packages are available to mold the Marines into a fully functional Recon unit, including long range patrolling in desert areas, such as Twentynine Palms or MCAS Yuma, mountainous terrain and other environments relevant in peacetime or conflict. At the end of Phase 2 Training, the platoon is completely stood up in all aspects of the long-range reconnaissance mission. More importantly, they have spent 6 months of 'platoon-oriented' training together.

Phase 3

Special Operations Training Group (SOTG)

This six-month training phase emphasizing more in the direct action, or "black operations". It is conducted by the Special Operations Training Group (SOTG). This phase takes place during the MEU's PTP Intermediate Training Phase. These courses involves both aspects of maritime and urbanized environments and how to apply close quarters combat and science in demolition, gas/oil platform (GOPLAT) training, cordon and search, Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS), shipboard assaults training and humanitarian operations. The recon operators get the chance to train in unfamiliar urban areas and maritime structures.

Phase 4

Once the SOC Certification Final Training Phase is finished, the MEU with the detached Force Recon platoon as a functional special operations capable force. Then they sail on a six-month deployment. This long deployment is known as the 'Deployment Phases' to Force Recon, they sail from either three locations, off the east or west coast, or Okinawa. The I MEF on the west would deploy its Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) to the western Pacific and the II MEF's MEUs on the east coast sails across the Atlantic Ocean to either the Mediterranean Sea or the Persian Gulf. The III MEF's 31st MEU in Okinawa is to be used as a contingency for reinforced support of an area spanning from southwest Asia to the central Pacific. The III MEF is the only MEF of the FMF that is permanently fully deployed at all times.

While Force Recon is afloat, they still remain focused on their self-disciplined training sessions. They conduct small arms live fire training on the deck of the ships and physical fitness training. In many cases, foreign maritime forces alike participate in joint exercises or training maneuvers, such as the Royal Thai Marine Corps, British Royal Marines, and Australian Forces. But while they may be training, the MEU are capable of projecting fully forward deployed operational task forces. Thus, epitomizing the infamous Marine Corps slogan, "force-in-readiness".

Phase 5
The last phase is the post-deployment phase. After 18 months of training and deployment, the platoon is granted 30 days of military leave. Once a Force Recon operator has finished deployment, they have a decision to make. What makes Force Recon unique from Division Recon, and the other SOFs, is the career style that is being placed in the Force Recon company structure. They can choose to stay with the Force Recon Company and continue their assignment with the MEU, recycling its loop cycle; or they can get release from the FORECON company and go back to their original assignment, whether administration, motor transport, or infantry. However, on average, approximately 50% of the platoon will leave, their time in Force having expired.

Equipment

The primary weapons used by both Division and FMF Recon assets are typically the same standard-issued weapons in the arsenal of the Marine Corps. However, since Force Recon's missions are directly involved in parachuting and underwater insertions, they demand weapons and equipment that are essential to their job. Their equipment reflects on which ever tasks that have been assigned by the MAGTF, MEF, or MEU commander; either direct action (black) or deep recon (green) operations.

Table of Equipment (T/E)
Some equipment only fits the needs for one particular mission over another. There is however some equipment that is used for both black and green operations, and these pieces of gear are usually combat vests, flak and armor jackets (or systems), and harnesses for use in hasty extraction measures.

Particularly during green operations, these missions normally encompass surveillance and reconnaissance. The equipment items carried into the field are usually cameras, scopes, and most importantly communications. Two recon Marines serve as radiomen in the team. Each team/platoon often brings two field radios that are able to withstand the elements of seawater, and rugged patrolling as they tread inland—if one radio fails, they resort to the supplemental radio. This is to ensure that vital information can always be sent to the commander, and to the S-3/S-6 shop, or similar intelligence collection agencies. More common in today's infrastructure, much of the intelligence-gathered information is sent to and processed by the Marine Expeditionary Force's "Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group" (SRIG).

For black operations, the Marines carry weapons that are more of the close-quarter combative use; grenades, carbine rifles, sub-machine guns (SMGs), and any tool to use for breaching barricades and doors. They can be equipped with laser designating devices to "paint" their targets with laser-guiding coordinates to deliver payload to un-expecting targets. Since they are "bringing the fight to the enemy", they do not rely on camouflage as stealthy action is not a factor in these situations.

Special equipment

Throughout training and real life operations, jet fins, snorkels and low-volume double lens dive masks are used. In addition to the SCUBA equipment used in amphibious mission-essential tasks, Force Recon maintains and operates parachutes. This is the main difference and separation from Division Reconnaissance—all FORECON operators are required to be parachutists. The parachutist equipment is stored in the Force Reconnaissance's Parachute Loft.

Parachute pack systems
The parachute is one of the trademarks of Force Recon, throughout its existence the operators have extensively used a wide variety of parachutes. In the mid-1950s, they used the T-10, then later adopting the Capewell canopy release which provided a cut-away to reduce the deadly effect of drag. The T-10 became the most frequented parachute; which had two variants, one for low-level static line (LLSL) and the other for military free fall (MFF) descends. They had numerous parachutes listed under the Table of Equipment (T/E) that had been contained in the Paraloft. Even in its formative days in the Marine Corps Test Unit#1, the operators and testers of the Naval Parachute Unit (NPU) at El Centro had tested and sported numerous parachutes, adding modifications and suggestions that soon were adopted by other parachutists. By the 1990s, the MC-4 and MC-5 ram air parachutes became the feasible choice, as it allows more detailed and accurate landing in smaller areas, easy to control—especially during oscillation of the canopy. Plus, it was formed to modulate between the LLSL and MFF without having to consort to a different pack.

These are parachutes that are still contained in the T/E of the Parachute Loft, however some may not be currently in use:
 T-10
 MC1-B
 MC-series ram air parachutes (MC-4, MC-5)
 Canopies (Main & Reserve): Surface area
 Altitude range:  AG> to  ft MSL
 Forward speed: 15–25 mph
 Rate of descent: 4–18 ft/sec
 Maximum Load:
 Multi-Mission Parachute System (MMPS) [currently being implemented—replacing the older MC-5]

Parachutist Individual Equipment Kit
The Parachutist Individual Equipment Kit (PIEK) contains all the Force Recon's parachutist clothing and equipment assigned by Force Recon's Paraloft. They are used for the high-altitude MFFs (HAHO or HALO) and LLSL parachute operations. Due to extreme cold encountered during high altitude parachute operations, the parachutist must have protection from the environment.

 Gore-Tex Jumpsuit
 Polartec Jumpsuit Liner
 Cotton Ripstop Jumpsuit
 Flyer's Gloves
 Gore-Tex Cold-weather Gloves
 Overboots
 MA2-30 Altimeter
 Helmet
 Flyer's Helmet Bag
 Flyer's Kitbag—used to carry operator's rucksack, ammunition, communications, etc.

Single Action Release Personal Equipment Lowering Equipment (SARPELS)
The Force Recon operators are equipped with a complete equipment lowering system for both LLSL and MFF parachute operations. It allows them carry various configurations of all their individual mission-essential equipment, usually contained within their Flyer's Kitbag. The Single Action Release Personal Equipment Lowering Equipment (SARPELS) provides easy access to their weapons and equipment upon parachute landing and has a single-action release capability. It can be front or rear mounted, whichever is preferred. Once they have descended to about  above the surface, they use the SARPEL to release their gear (weapons/kitbag), dropping it below them while still attached to their harness by a  rope. It is used to minimize injuries in landing due to heavy load of equipment. The parachutists must maneuver themselves in order not to drop onto their gear during parachute landing falls.

 SARPELS Cargo Carrier
 Horizontal & Vertical Cargo Carrier Securing Straps
 Single Action Release Handle
 MFF Equipment Attaching Strap
  LLSL Lowering Line
  MFF Lowering Line

Annual Warrior Competition
The 24th MEU 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company won the 2010 Annual Warrior Competition against tactical units from all over the world.

Creed
Realizing it is my choice and my choice alone to be a Reconnaissance Marine, I accept all challenges involved with this profession. Forever shall I strive to maintain the tremendous reputation of those who went before me.

Exceeding beyond the limitations set down by others shall be my goal. Sacrificing personal comforts and dedicating myself to the completion of the reconnaissance mission shall be my life. Physical fitness, mental attitude, and high ethics—The title of Recon Marine is my honor.

Conquering all obstacles, both large and small, I shall never quit. To quit, to surrender, to give up is to fail. To be a Recon Marine is to surpass failure; To overcome, to adapt and to do whatever it takes to complete the mission.

On the battlefield, as in all areas of life, I shall stand tall above the competition. Through professional pride, integrity, and teamwork, I shall be the example for all Marines to emulate.

Never shall I forget the principles I accepted to become a Recon Marine. Honor, Perseverance, Spirit and Heart. A Recon Marine can speak without saying a word and achieve what others can only imagine.

Swift, Silent, Deadly.

Force Recon in media

Books
 The Marvel comic book character The Punisher (aka Frank Castle) was a Vietnam era Force Recon Marine. The 2010s reboot of the character gave him a similar background, updated to the Global War on Terror.
 The Marvel comic book character Moon Knight (aka Marc Spector) was a Force Recon Marine, CIA operative, and mercenary.
 The Image comic book character Spawn (aka Lt. Colonel Albert Francis "Al" Simmons) was a Force Recon Marine, Secret Service Agent, and CIA assassin.
 Matthew Reilly's 1998 novel Ice Station (and its sequels) are based around the exploits of Force Recon Captain Shane Schofield and his team of marines.
 In the Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux, FBI Agent Tyler Grady, Detective Nicholas O'Flaherty, Owen Johns and Duruand 'Digger' Garrigou are former Force Recon Marines of team 'Sidewinder'.
 The Force Recon series of books by James V. Smith follows a quartet of Force Recon Marines known as Team Midnight.
 The Force 5 Recon series of books by Peter Telep, using the pseudonym P.W. Storm, follows a team of Force Recon Marines on missions in Pakistan, North Korea and the Philippines.
 According to his character bio, Jason Bourne, of the Bourne series of books by author Robert Ludlum, was a Force Recon Marine Captain.
 The 2004 book The Pepperdogs by Bing West features a team of Force Recon Reservists caught between sides during the NATO peacekeeping effort following the Bosnian War.

TV shows
 Walker, Texas Ranger: Chuck Norris portrays Cordell Walker, a Force Recon Marine Captain (unit: Nighthawk)-turned-Texas Ranger Sergeant.
 Shooter: Ryan Phillippe portrays Bob Lee Swagger, a Force Recon Marine and MARSOC CSO Scout Sniper,
 Homeland: Damian Lewis portrays Nicholas Brody, a Force Recon Marine Scout Sniper taken prisoner during the Iraq War
 Colony: Tory Kittles portrays Eric Broussard, a former Marine Force Recon / CIA Assassin / private military contractor now a Resistance operative.
Luke Cage, portrayed by Mike Colter in the Netflix series Luke Cage, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a former Force Recon Marine.
 The Punisher, aka Frank Castle, portrayed by Jon Bernthal, first introduced in Daredevil and then starring in his own series The Punisher a 2017 live-action Netflix series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a former Marine Force Recon Lieutenant who becomes a vigilante to avenge his murdered family. Ben Barnes portrays Billy Russo, Castle's best friend who served alongside him in Force Recon as a Scout Sniper and who, after leaving the military, started his own private military contractor company, Anvil.
 Laysla De Oliveira portrays Cruz Manuelos in Special Ops: Lioness, as a Force Recon Marine who gets recruited by the CIA to befriend the daughter of a suspected terrorist.
 Generation Kill, an HBO Miniseries that follows a group of Recon Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Film
 Val Kilmer portrayed Force Recon Marine Robert Scott in the film Spartan.
 Robert Blake in Electra Glide in Blue (1973), portrays a Vietnam-era Veteran Force Recon Marine who is a highway patrol motorcycle cop striving to become a detective.
 Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a former Force Recon Marine, Chance Boudreaux, in the action movie, Hard Target (1993).
 Recon Marines are portrayed in the 1995 film Dead Presidents, as disenchanted vets who stage an armored car robbery.
 Tom Berenger played as Force Recon Marine Scout Sniper Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett and Chad Michael Collins plays as Force Recon Scout Sniper Gunnery Sergeant Brandon Beckett in the Sniper film series.
 In the 1996 film The Rock, a group of rogue Force Recon, led by disenchanted Brigadier General Francis Xavier Hummel, played by Ed Harris, seize control of Alcatraz Island during a guided tour and take 81 tourists hostage in the prison cells. Hummel threatens to launch 15 stolen M55 rockets against the population of San Francisco unless the government pays ransom and reparations to the families of 83 FORECON Marines who died on illegal, clandestine missions under his command and whose deaths were not honored.
 Wesley Snipes portrayed Mark Sheridan, a former trained operative and a veteran Force Reconnaissance Marine in the U.S. Marshals.
 Denzel Washington plays former Force Recon platoon commander and CIA Officer, John Creasy, in the suspense/action movie, Man On Fire (2004).
 Mark Wahlberg portrayed former Force Recon Scout Sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, in the film Shooter.
 Mark Wahlberg portrayed a Force Recon First Lieutenant turned CIA Officer in the movie Mile 22.
 Ray Stevenson plays the Punisher, a former Force Recon Marine-turned-vigilante, in Punisher: War Zone (2008); in preparation for his role, the actor received military and weapons training by former Force Recon Marines, months prior to filming.
 Clint Eastwood played a Force Recon Gunnery Sergeant assigned to lead a platoon of Marines from the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion during the invasion of Grenada in the film Heartbreak Ridge.
 Michael Jai White portrayed Force Recon Marine Colonel Albert Francis "Al" Simmons in the film Spawn.
 In the movie SWAT, Samuel L. Jackson portrays Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, a former Force Recon Marine and LAPD SWAT Team Leader.

Video games
 Sergeant Paul Jackson from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a Force Recon operator, one of the two factions and four characters played as in the game. Force Recon is also a playable faction in the online multiplayer.
 Crysis 2 features a Force Recon Marine named Alcatraz as the main protagonist. Several other Force Recon Marines appear as supporting characters during several of the game's missions.
 First Lieutenant Jason Kolchek and Sergeant Nick Kay, two of the five protagonists in The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes.
 A 5-man Force Recon team call-sign "Razor" is the main protagonist of game ARMA 2.
 In the PlayStation 2 survival-horror game, Extermination, you play Sergeant Dennis Riley, a member of Force Recon.
 Alex Mason, the main protagonist of Call of Duty: Black Ops, was a former Captain in Force Recon before being recruited by the CIA. Supporting NPC Frank Woods was also a Master Sergeant in Force Recon before joining the CIA.
 The main protagonist of the alternate history first-person shooter Singularity, Nathaniel Renko, is a Force Recon Captain.
 In Resident Evil Zero Billy Coen was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Force Recon. He was dishonorably discharged after he was framed for the murder of innocent civilians.

See also
 Semper fidelis

Notes

References

Bibliography

 Field Manual (FM) 7-92, The Infantry Reconnaissance Platoon and Squad (Airborne, Air Assault, Light Infantry)
 Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN) 417/07, Reconnaissance Marine Lateral Move Policy and Procedures
 Marine Corps Order (MCO) 1510.125, Individual Training Standards (ITS) Systems for Marine Combat Water Survival Training (MCWST)
 MCO 1543.12, Material Fielding Plan for the Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft (CRRC)
 MCO 3500.20B, Marine Corps Parachuting and Diving Policy and Program Administration
 MCO 3500.42A, Marine Corps Helicopter Rope Suspension Techniques (HRST) Policy and Program Administration
 MCO 3502.2A, Marine Expeditionary Units (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) Special Skills Certification Program
 MCO 3502.3A, Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Predeployment Training Program (PTP)
 Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 2-1C, Marine Air Ground Task Force Intelligence Dissemination
 MCRP 5-12DC, Organization of the United States Marine Corps
 Marine Corps Warfighting Publication (MCWP) 2-1, Intelligence Operations
 MCWP 2-15.1, Remote Sensor Operations
NAVMC 3500.55B, Reconnaissance (Recon) Training and Readiness (T&R) Manual
 Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for an Underwater Reconnaissance Capability (URC)

External links
 US Marine Corps
 Force Recon Association
 SpecialOperations.com Marine Recon Page
 Recon Marines


Roim Olam (, lit. Seeing the World) is a Weekly foreign News Magazine from Israel public Television Channel 1  News - Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), broadcast since 1987, every Shabat evening.

The show was initially presented by Emmanuel Halperin, and today by Ya'akov Ahimeir. The show opens with a news flash segment (usually presented by Dalia Mazor), and thereafter stories segments on various current affairs and culture matters from around the world are being broadcast. Many of the show's story segments are borrowed from foreign news magazines, many times from 60 Minutes, and from France 24 and more.

External links
Roim Olam website

Channel 1 (Israel) original programming
Israeli television news shows
Kan 11 original programming

Roim Olam


The Elders is an international non-governmental organisation of public figures known as elder statesmen, peace activists, and human rights advocates. They were brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007. They describe themselves as "independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights".

The goal Mandela set for the Elders was to use their "almost 1,000 years of collective experience" to work on solutions for controversial and long-lasting problems such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, and poverty, as well as to "use their political independence to help resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts".

References

Nelson Mandela

The Elders (organization)


Jalan Damai Secondary School or simply SMK Jalan Damai, is a national secondary school located in Kampung Baru, Penang, Malaysia. It has about 2370 students and 120 teachers.

SMK Jalan Damai, Bukit Mertajam was founded on 5th January 1970. At that time, it was known as Sekolah Menengah Rendah, Bukit Mertajam (the Lower Secondary School, Bukit Mertajam) with a total of 717 students and 29 teachers (including a religious teacher and a principal Mr. A. Gopala Krishnan).During that time, the official buildings were still under construction, so the students had to share facilities and spaces with Sekolah Tinggi Bukit Mertajam (Bukit Mertajam High School) in the afternoon session. At the end of 1973, the new buildings (14 classrooms, 3 science labs, 2 domestic science rooms, industrial arts workshop and canteen) were completed on Jalan Damai, Bukit Mertajam. On the 7th of January 1974, 602 students moved to the new buildings.

In December 2020, SMK Jalan Damai has changed principle again. The new principle's name is Dr. Ooi Yek Hwa. He succeeded the job from Mr Lee Cheah Kuen. Mr Lee Cheak Kuen retired on December 2020. ..

Jalan Damai
Schools
1970 establishments in Asia
20th-century establishments in Malaysia
Penang

SMK Jalan Damai


William Calmes Buck (1790–1872) was an American Baptist minister, author and editor, and commentator on slavery.

Biography
Buck was born on August 23, 1790, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, near what is now the town of Front Royal.  In spite of having only a basic formal education, he became a prominent Baptist minister, editor, author and denominational leader serving in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama,  Mississippi and Texas.  Self-taught, he became fluent in Latin, Greek and Hebrew and was known as "Dr. Buck" at Baylor University where he was a lecturer in his later years.

Buck's parents and grandparents were farmers.  His grandparents, Charles and Letitia (Sorrel) Buck were among the early settlers of the Shenandoah Valley and had owned about 3000 acres of land.  The Bucks were Baptist and donated land for the Waterlick Baptist Church.

Waterlick Baptist Church was organized on April 15, 1787.  It was about seven miles from Front Royal and about a half mile from the Buck homestead.  It was a one room church made of logs and said to have comfortable seats, and a high pulpit.  Between the Buck homestead and the church was a log house in which W. C. Buck lived for a time after his marriage.

Buck wrote that he was "baptized by Rev. Benjamine Daws on the North branch of the Shenandoah, on the fourth Sabbath in April, 24th day, 1808." He was ordained in Shenandoah County, Virginia.  "The day that I was licensed was the 22nd of August 1812, and the next day I was just 22 years of age.  From that time I have devoted myself to the work of the ministry."

Buck was a lieutenant of cavalry in the War of 1812 and preached his first sermon in uniform.

Family
William Calmes Buck married Maria Lewright on Dec. 1, 1815 in Jefferson County, Virginia.  Maria Lewright, daughter of Robert Lewright, was born in 1795. She died in childbirth on Jan. 8, 1822 at the age of 27 in Union County, Kentucky.  They had four children:  Robert Luther Buck, Maria Louisa Buck, Mary Elizabeth Buck, and an unnamed infant who died at birth.

William Calmes Buck then married Isabella Miriam Field on Jun. 30, 1829 in Woodford County, Kentucky.  She, the daughter of Willis Field and Isabella Miriam Buck, was a first cousin once removed to William Calmes Buck.  She was born on Aug. 16, 1809 and died on Mar. 18, 1852 at the age of 42 in Nashville, Tennessee.  She was buried in Woodford County, Kentucky.  Their eleven children were: Charles Willis Buck, William Thomas Buck, John Field Buck, Emma Buck, Giddings Judson Buck, John Samuel Buck, Willis Field Buck, Silas Calmes Buck, Thomas Buck, Paul Buck, and one stillborn child.

Preaching
After the War of 1812, Buck returned to Waterlick Church as pastor.  About 1820, he moved to the "wilderness" of Kentucky (Union and Woodford counties) where he founded several churches but supported his family by farming because preachers were not paid at the time.

David E. Buck noted " . . . Buck steered Kentucky Baptists through the very turbulent years 1820 - 1850, when bitter opposition to missions and salaried ministers almost did in the Baptist cause in that frontier state.   . . . For fifteen years William preached in small churches around Union and Woodford Counties, almost complete wilderness.  Paid nothing for his gospel labors (he later wrote his total receipts for his first twenty-four years in the ministry were $724, mostly merchandise!), Buck farmed to support his family of five."

In later years in Kentucky, W. C. Buck was founder and first pastor of the East Baptist Church of Louisville, editor of the state Baptist paper, compiler and publisher of a Baptist hymnal, and co-founder of a Bible society which later merged with what is now the American Bible Society.  Upon leaving Kentucky, he held a denominational post in Nashville, Tennessee and later was pastor of the First Baptist Churches of Greensboro, Alabama, Selma, Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi.

Buck preached the annual sermon before the Alabama state convention which met in Gainesville in 1858.  He then settled in Selma as pastor of its Baptist church.  In 1859, he again felt the need to publish his views and began a new paper, "The Baptist Correspondent".  His paper was in competition with the existing "Southwestern Baptist" and failed after three years.

Buck was adamantly opposed to infant baptism.  His book, "A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists" explained his viewpoint.  The book was based on two of his sermons which each lasted for three hours.

Although in his 70s during the Civil War, W. C. Buck served as a travelling chaplain to various Confederate Army sites and hospitals.  After the war, he moved to Waco, Texas along with several of his children and extended family; however, he did not retire.  The 1870 census shows him as the head of household and gives his occupation as "Minister of the Gospel".

The Slavery Question
Virginia was a slave state and W. C. Buck grew up at a time when slavery was the norm.  His parents and grandparents were slave owners.  He worked in the fields with slaves, went to church with slaves and was baptized alongside a slave.

In 1849, Buck wrote a series of editorials in his publication, "The Baptist Banner", regarding slavery.  In his typical fashion, using the Bible, definitions and logic, he wrote that slavery benefited the slave who was unable to govern himself.  Moreover, he wrote that there was a class of slave owners whose chief concern was "to instruct them into the knowledge of salvation by Christ Jesus."  Although Buck's book (actually a pamphlet) is sometimes used to imply that he endorsed slavery as it existed, this is not the case.  In fact, he believed that slavery had degenerated into evil and should gradually be abolished.  He suggested that the government buy slaves from their owners and return them to Africa.

James M. Pendleton, a friend and colleague of W. C. Buck, disagreed with his editorials on slavery and wrote his own series of letters intended for publication in the Baptist Banner.  However, Buck would not publish Pendleton's letters.  Pendleton then had his letters published in an emancipationist newsletter, the Louisville Examiner.

Death
William Calmes Buck died on May 18, 1872, at the age of 81 in Waco, Texas.  He was buried in Old First Street Cemetery, Waco, Texas.  His tombstone is in the shape of a pulpit.

Publications
William Calmes Buck was the author or editor of
 "The Baptist Banner and Pioneer", Louisville, Kentucky, 1839 – 1850.
 "The Baptist Hymn Book", J. Eliot & Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1842.
 "The Baptist Hymn Book", revised and enlarged, 42nd edition, G. H. Monsarrat & Co., Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
 "The Slavery Question", Harney, Hughes & Hughes, Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
 "A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists", McDowell & Kimbrough, Columbus, Mississippi, 1854.
 "The Philosophy of Religion", South-Western Publishing House, Graves, Marks & Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1857.
 "The Science of Life", 1858.
 "Are You a Backslider?", A Tract for the Army, 1861.
 "Confession,  A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy", ca 1861 – 1865.

References

Baptist ministers from the United States
1790 births
1872 deaths
People from Shenandoah County, Virginia
Baptists from Virginia
19th-century American clergy

William Calmes Buck


Alan Kenneth Armitage (born 25 January 1930) is an English former first-class cricketer.  Armitage was a right-handed batsman who occasionally fielded as a wicket-keeper.  He was born at Nottingham, Nottinghamshire.

Armitage made his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire in the 1950 County Championship.  He played a further match that season against Hampshire.  In 1951, he made a single first-class appearance for his home county against Oxford University, where incidentally he himself was also studying.  In that same season he made two first-class appearances for the university, against the Free Foresters and Leicestershire.  In the match against the Free Foresters he scored his only first-class century, making 155 runs in the university's first-innings, while in their second-innings he followed this up with an unbeaten 57.  Two appearances in July in the 1951 County Championship against Somerset and Yorkshire were to be his final first-class appearances.  Playing against Yorkshire, he was part of a Fred Trueman hat-trick, with the then future England Test cricketer taking the wickets of Reg Simpson, Armitage and Peter Harvey.  Overall, Armitage scored 348 runs in first-class cricket, which came at an average of 34.80.

References

External links
Alan Armitage at ESPNcricinfo
Alan Armitage at CricketArchive

1930 births
Living people
Cricketers from Nottingham
English cricketers
Nottinghamshire cricketers
Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford
Oxford University cricketers

Alan Armitage


Palace of Yashbak, also known as the Palace of Amir Qawsun, is a semi-ruined palace in Medieval Cairo, Egypt, originally built between 1330 and 1337 CE for the Mamluk amir known as Qawsun. It was restored and expanded again in the 1480s by the amir Yashbak min Mahdi under the reign of Sultan Qaytbay.

History
The palace was built between 1330 and 1337 for amir Qawsun (full name: Sayf ad-Din Qawsun ibn Abdullah an-Nasiri as-Saqi) just north-west of Cairo's Citadel, in an area outside the main walled city which was developed during the prosperous reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad. This area was once home to many such palaces of amirs and other powerful Mamluks, but Qawsun's palace is one of the few remaining examples today (along with the nearby Palace of Amir Taz). Qawsun's palace was actually commissioned by Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad himself for the benefit of Qawsun. The sultan commissioned more than one such palace in this area for his favourite amirs, apparently as part of his wider building program to develop a monumental royal quarter in the Citadel (which contained the sultan's own palace, the Qasr Ablaq, which overlooked the amirs' palaces below) and in the areas around it.

Qawsun himself was one of the most powerful amirs (commanders or high officials) under al-Nasir Muhammad and some of his successors, as well as al-Nasir's son-in-law. Another rival amir, Sunqur Sa'di, had built a madrasa and mausoleum for himself next to the site of Qawsun's palace in 1315–1321, but was later forced to leave Egypt after angering Qawsun. His structure still stands today and is also known as the Mausoleum of Hasan Sadaqa, who was later buried there instead.

In the late 15th century Yashbak min Mahdi, a powerful amir under Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay (1468–1496), restored and expanded Qawsun's palace for his own use, hence why it is also known today as the Palace of Yashbak.

Architecture
Two thirds of the palace are ruined today, but some of its high walls and structure still stand. Its best-preserved element is its unusually massive and monumental entrance portal. This portal dates from two eras. The original entrance, from Qawsun's time, is a tall portal crowned with a hood of muqarnas sculpting and stone-carved patterns in ablaq (two-coloured) masonry. Unusually, it appears to be signed by its maker, a craftsman named Mahmud the Syrian, in a cartouche to the right of the entrance. In the late 15th century, Yashbak added to the portal by extending it with projecting walls on either side, with the space between these covered by an even more elaborate dome-like vault of stone muqarnas. The portal thus appears now as a deep recessed entrance with multiple decorative elements. Other decorative details include multi-coloured mosaics around the doorway and a large stone inscription running along the walls at eye level.

The entrance led into a square vestibule chamber covered by a dome. Much of the ground floor is made up of massive vaulted halls which were used as stables and storage, while the upper floor supported a lavish reception hall (known as a qa'a). The vaulted roofs were supported on massive horeshoe arches in ablaq masonry. The reception hall followed a standard layout: a large roofed court, about 12 meters long, with two iwans (vaulted chambers open to one side) facing each other at opposite ends of the court (similar to many madrasa courtyards in Mamluk architecture). While most of the palace is now ruined, it is likely that it featured many of the usual decorative and architectural features of the time, such as central fountains, marble pavement, marble mosaics, stained-glass windows, wooden mashrabiyyas, and ceilings of carved, painted, and gilded wood.

References

External links

Qasr Amir Qawsun at Archnet (includes more pictures)

Mamluk architecture in Egypt
Saliba Street
Palaces in Cairo
Medieval Cairo

Palace of Yashbak


Philipp Jakob Riotte (16 August 1776 – 1856) was a German composer who lived primarily in Vienna. In the 1820s, his works were among the most-performed at the Theater an der Wien. He was a contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven.  Very few of his works remain in the active repertoire today.

Life
Philipp Jakob Riotte was born at St. Wendel (Saarland).  He was probably descended from a French emigrant Huguenot family. The earliest records indicate he was expelled as choirboy in his hometown of Sankt Wendel. He studied violin, violoncello and later piano and organ. In 1793 he received his first employment as an organist at a seminar in Trier. In 1794 to 1805 he resided in Blieskastel, the residence of the Imperial counts of Leyen, as well as in Frankfurt am Main and Offenbach. In Offenbach, he continued his studies with the composer and music publisher Johann Anton André. From 1806 to 1808 Riotte was active as a Kapellmeister in Gdańsk and as a chief conductor in Magdeburg.
In 1808, Riotte established himself in Vienna. At first he made a living by giving piano lessons and selling his own compositions. In addition, he was active as a musical correspondent. Between 1810 and 1815, he contributed four "characteristic sound paintings" (Charakteristische Tongemälde), which helped establish his reputation. One of these "paintings" was the "battle of Leipzig or the liberation of Germany," a work that found some success across Germany. In addition, he wrote operas and oratorios, and piano reductions and variations of successful operas for the domestic parlour market.

In 1818, Riotte became assistant Kapellmeister to the famous Theater an der Wien, shortly after its acquisition by a group of Viennese court nobles, including Ferdinand Palffy von Erdöd. The new owners decided to change the repertoire of the opera house, and Riotte wrote the music for the some of theatre's new spectacles, including children's ballets. In 1828, Riotte left the Theater an der Wien, shortly after its compelled sale in 1826. Through the 1830s, he composed extensively for the Theater in der Leopoldstadt. With more than 300 performances of his works, Riotte's exposure surpassed that of Ignaz von Seyfried and Mozart, although he remained well-behind the leading operatic composer of the day, Gioacchino Rossini.
Riotte died in Vienna in 1856 leaving no descendants. On account of his attachment with Sankt Wendel, he supported the town and left his estate to endow a local charitable institution.

Compositions
Around 1823, he composed a variation on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, being one of the 50 composers who contributed to Vaterländischer Künstlerverein, an anthology that also included Ludwig van Beethoven's Diabelli Variations.

His compositions also include a symphony (No. 1 in C, Op. 25), a clarinet concerto (Op. 28 in B-flat), and a flute concerto (Op. 4 in G).

There is also a piano concerto in E-flat, Op. 8, and three string quartets, Op. 21.

References

External links

1776 births
1856 deaths
18th-century classical composers
18th-century German composers
18th-century German people
18th-century German male musicians
19th-century classical composers
19th-century German composers
19th-century German people
19th-century German male musicians
German expatriates in Austria
German male classical composers
German people of French descent
German Romantic composers
People from Sankt Wendel (district)

Philipp Jakob Riotte


Melina Nava Pérez (born March 9, 1979; ring name Melina) is an American professional wrestler and manager. She is best known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where she wrestled on its Raw and SmackDown brands. She was released from her contract with the WWE on August 5, 2011.

Early life
Pérez began her career as a model. In 2000, she decided to become a professional wrestler and began training. Pérez's pro-wrestling debut was in 2002 on a tour of the independent wrestling scene. She joined a number of California-based promotions such as the Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF).

World Wrestling Entertainment
Pérez began working in World Wrestling Entertainment's "farm territory" Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in March 2004 when she was kayfabe brought her in as a way to taunt her ex-boyfriend John Hennigan. Melina, however, aligned herself with Hennigan, who later changed his ring name to Johnny Nitro. Soon after, Nitro began teaming with Joey Matthews, later known as Joey Mercury. On November 10, the trio, now known as MNM, won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.

2005
MNM made their debut in WWE on the April 14, 2005 edition of SmackDown! by interrupting the first ever Carlito's Cabana interview segment. Rey Mysterio, one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, was a guest. Melina insulted Mysterio and had Mercury and Nitro attack him. This led to MNM's first match the next week on SmackDown! for the tag team title. MNM won the match against Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, giving them their first WWE Tag Team Title reign.

While managing the Tag Team Champions, Melina started wrestling against the other WWE Divas. She had her first match on June 30 against Michelle McCool.  Her first pay-per-view match – a Bra and Panties match – was at The Great American Bash against Torrie Wilson. Melina won both matches.

2007
On January 29, 2007, Melina became the number 1 contender for the WWE Women's Championship. On February 5 Melina lost a title match against Mickie James. On February 19, Melina won the Women's Championship from James.  On April 24 at a show in Paris, France, Melina lost the Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match to James when James pinned Victoria. In a rematch on the same night, she pinned James to regain the title and become a two-time WWE Women's Champion.

On May 7 Melina was defeated in a tag team match when she was pinned by Candice Michelle. Melina lost to Candice in several tag team matches, as well as in non-title bouts over the next few weeks. At Vengeance, Melina lost the Women's Championship to Candice, and failed to wim the title back at The Great American Bash.

References

Other websites
Official website
Melina's WWE Alumni profile

1979 births
Living people
American professional wrestlers
Former WWE wrestlers
Female professional wrestlers
Sportspeople from Los Angeles

Melina Perez


The Blue and the Gray is a television miniseries that first aired on CBS in three installments on November 14, November 16, and November 17, 1982. Set during the American Civil War, the series starred John Hammond, Stacy Keach, Lloyd Bridges, and Gregory Peck as President Abraham Lincoln. It was executive produced by Larry White and Lou Reda, in association with Columbia Pictures Television. A novel of the same name by John Leekley was published as a companion to the series in 1982, based on a story by John Leekley and Bruce Catton and the teleplay by Ian McLellan Hunter. The title refers to the colors of the uniforms worn by United States Army and Confederate States Army soldiers  respectively.

Synopsis
The plot revolves around the families of two sisters; Maggie Geyser and Evelyn Hale. The Geysers are farmers who reside near Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Hales own a small newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Geysers are generally indifferent to the issue of slavery, but are sympathetic to the Southern cause. The lone exception in the family is son John, an artistic young man who becomes sympathetic to the plight of Southern slaves and free Negroes. The Hales are pro-Union and anti-slavery, but, like many Northerners at the time, they hope for a peaceful solution to the nation's problems.

The drama begins in 1859 when John leaves the Geyser family farm for Pennsylvania, where he gets a job as an artist correspondent for the paper owned by his uncle, Jacob Hale, Sr. John's first assignment takes him to the trial of abolitionist John Brown, where he meets and befriends the mysterious Jonas Steele, a former Jayhawker and Pinkerton detective. Jonas returns with John to Gettysburg and falls in love with John's cousin Mary, but is afraid to commit to her, thanks to his troubling dreams that seem to predict the future.

After falling out with his family over the issues of slavery and secession during Christmas of 1860, John returns to Pennsylvania, while John's brothers Matthew, Mark, and Luke join the Confederate Army. John's cousins, Malachy and Jake Hale, join the Union Army.  The Hales' youngest child, 16-year-old James, lies about his age to join the Union Army, but contracts dysentery and dies before he sees any action.  Caught "betwixt and between", John will not fight for the South, but is unwilling to bear arms against his own brothers. After being reunited with Jonas Steele, who has joined the Union Army as a scout, John becomes a war correspondent for Harper's Weekly. Jonas is commissioned to use his detective skills (being a former Pinkerton detective) to investigate a series of gruesome war crimes. Meanwhile, John travels with the Union Army and witnesses many of the important events of the Civil War, including First Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, the Siege of Vicksburg, Battle of the Wilderness (where his brother Mark is killed in front of him), Lee's surrender at Appomattox and Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

At Bull Run, John meets Kathy Reynolds, the daughter of a senator, who, despite her higher social standing, proves to be a good war nurse. Jonas overcomes his doubts and marries Mary. John's sister, Emma, and her child are caught up in the Siege of Vicksburg, where her husband, Lester, is killed. The Battle of Gettysburg is a prominent focal point of the story; Mary is killed as the battle rages near the Steele home, just as one of Jonas' dreams had predicted. John reconciles with his family as he, his father, and Matthew join a group of Confederate troops in defending the Geyser homestead against a Union Army attack. The Union Army is driven off, but Matthew is killed in the skirmish. Despite being a Union officer, Jonas gains the respect of the Geysers (and possibly a future with Emma) by orchestrating Luke's rescue from a Union POW camp. Jonas finally locates the war crimes assailant, Confederate Major Welles, and kills him. He suffers a serious sword injury to his right arm during the fight resulting in the arm being subsequently amputated. Later, his strange dream of President Lincoln's death arrives too late to save the President at Ford's Theatre. The Hales and the Geysers come together after the war to celebrate John and Kathy's wedding at the Geyser homestead in Virginia.

Cast

Production notes
Although the series is largely set in Virginia, it was filmed entirely on location in Arkansas, except for the segment representing the Elmira, New York Federal prison camp which was filmed in the stockade at nearby Fort Gibson State Park, Oklahoma.

Soundtrack
Bruce Broughton's entire 2-hour score presented in stereo from the only surviving complete 1/4" two-track master elements was released on limited edition CD  limited in 2008 on the Intrada label.

DVD release
The Blue and the Gray was released on Region 1 DVD in 3- and 2-disc sets. The first was released on November 6, 2001, and the second on July 26, 2005. The 3-disc edition runs 381 minutes, while the 2-disc edition is an abridged 296-minute cut.

References

External links

1982 American television series debuts
1982 American television series endings
Fiction set in 1859
Fiction set in 1860
Television series about the American Civil War
1980s American television miniseries
Fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln in film
Fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln in television
Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant
Cultural depictions of Robert E. Lee
Films shot in Arkansas
Films directed by Andrew McLaglen
Films scored by Bruce Broughton

The Blue and the Gray (miniseries)


Brampton Island is an island in the Cumberland Group, off shore from Mackay in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. The island lies within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and the majority of the island forms the Brampton Islands National Park, however there is a resort located on the island. The highest point of the island is Brampton Peak, 214 m above sea level.

History

Early history

The traditional Aboriginal owners of Brampton Island are the Ngaro people, although no permanent population was present when Captain James Cook passed through the area in June 1770. The island was simply known as "M" in the naval charts until it was eventually given its European name in 1879, when Staff Commander Bedwell of the Royal Navy recognised the group of islands and named each after towns in the county of Cumberland. An expedition led by George Elphinstone Dalrymple landed at the island in 1860. They encountered a group of around 14 Aboriginal people with several bark canoes. These vessels were equipped with paddles decorated with red pigment as well as dugong-hunting harpoons made from palm fibre and sharpened bone.

Modern history

Settlement and the development of the resort

In 1916, Joseph Busuttin and his family became the island's first European settlers. The island's resort was first established in December 1933 when two of the Busuttin sons welcomed passengers from the P&O ship SS Canberra. Busuttin's sons then sold the resort and left in 1959.

There were several owners briefly over the next two years, Carapark and Hotels of Australia. In 1961, the island was purchased for 80,000 pounds by the McLean family which had been operating Roylen Cruises from Mackay which was started by Tom McLean MBE, a former World War II Army Engineer.

Tom McLean's son Fitzroy, who previously had been the Master of an ex-World War II Fairmile, Roylen Star, became the manager of the island. Another former Roylen skipper, Ray Smith, became the Assistant Manager. The resort developed quickly with the aid of the Roylen Cruise fleet, operating a system called Cruise n Stay, by utilising both vessels and the accommodation at the Island.

A small railway was introduced to run stores and supplies from the "Deep Water Jetty" to the resort. Due to the huge tidal differences (up to 6 metres or so) the jetty at the resort could only be utilised at certain times due to the depth of the water, whereas the "Deep Water Jetty" could be used around the clock.

An engineering feat during its day saw an airstrip built on the island in 1965 which operated TAA aircraft including (during the 1970s) De Havilland Twin Otters. It was, however, a relatively short airstrip and several aircraft had accidents there including one of TAA's Twin Otters. No one was killed in any of the accidents there.

There were several cyclones over this period and the island suffered considerable damage.

In the late '80s the island's owners started demolishing villa style accommodation and constructed a new upmarket block referred to as the "Blue Lagoon" block. In 1985, Trans Australia Airlines purchased Brampton Island, upgraded the resort and subsequently sold it to P&O Resorts in late 1997. Three million dollars was spent on a major refurbishment of the resort before it was purchased by Voyages.

Celia Douty murder

On 1 September 1983, British resort worker Celia Douty was murdered in Dinghy Bay on Brampton Island. The crime remained unsolved until 2001, when it became the first murder in Australia to be solved using DNA profiling.

Light plane crash

On 3 April 2008, a single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed into the ocean just after taking off from Brampton Island. The pilot and four passengers survived and were rescued by helicopter.

Land use

National park

Most of the island is part of Brampton Islands National Park, which is home to a range of wildlife and plants. There are also 17.8 km of walking tracks and a campsite, which requires a permit to use.

Resort
The Brampton Island Resort accommodates up to 220 guests in 106 rooms and is popular with couples. The resort offers a number of free and paid-for activities, including fishing trips, snorkelling and scenic flights.

The resort was operated by Voyages until 2010 when it was sold to Brampton Enterprises. In November 2010, Brampton Enterprises announced a major redevelopment of the resort which would involve closing the resort from 24 January 2011, with an expected reopening in December 2011. However, the resort did not reopen.

The resort has fallen into disrepair and is no longer used although a walking track is accessible from the beach to the lookout.

See also

 List of islands of Australia

References

External links

 Brampton Islands National Park.

Islands of Queensland
Whitsunday Islands

Brampton Island


The Madagascar dry deciduous forests represent a tropical dry forest ecoregion situated in the western and northern part of Madagascar. The area has high numbers of endemic plant and animal species but has suffered large-scale clearance for agriculture. They are among the world's richest and most distinctive dry forests and included in the Global 200 ecoregions by the World Wide Fund. The area is also home to distinctive limestone karst formations known as tsingy, including the World Heritage Site of Bemaraha.

Geography

There are two separate areas within the ecoregion: the western side of Madagascar from the Ampasindava peninsula in the north to Belo-sur-Tsiribihina and Maromandia in the south (this is most of Mahajanga Province); and the northern tip of the island (apart from the high areas of Amber Mountain). Geological substrate is varied and includes the tsingy limestone massifs.

These dry deciduous forests span the coastal plain with its limestone plateaus emanating virtually at sea level to higher altitudes to roughly . The area includes wetlands and grasslands (mostly created by forest clearance for agriculture) as well as dry forests characterized by a deciduous canopy extending to a height of .

Climate is tropical, with summer daytime temperatures commonly exceeding , and a wet season between October and April. Rainfall, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 mm, is more abundant than in the spiny thickets and succulent woodlands, but lower than in the eastern lowland rainforests.

Flora

While the absolute number of plant species is lower than in the eastern rainforests of the island, the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar have a higher ratio of endemic species. Trees have adapted to the dry climate by shedding leaves in the dry winter season to limit evapotranspiration. Moreover, some species like baobabs and Moringa have adapted by evolving the ability to store copious water in their large bulbous trunks. Four species of baobabs, including three endemics (Adansonia grandidieri, A. madagascariensis and A. suarezensis) occur in this ecoregion. Other notable tree species include flamboyant tree (Delonix regia), Pachypodium species, and several Fabaceae and Rubiaceae. Forest understory plants include Lissochilus orchids  such as Oeceoclades calcarata, a large, cool growing, showy, terrestrial orchid which grows at medium elevation (1000 to 2000 meters) in western Madagascar.  Its habitat is semi-arid and it is found growing in sandy or rocky soils in dry moss and lichen forests.

Fauna

One characteristic in common with other tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests is the presence of relatively high densities of mammalian biomass. Several of Madagascar's characteristic lemur species are found here including the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, five subspecies of Propithecus, three species of Lepilemur, and five species of Microcebus. Endemic mammals include three endangered species, golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) and Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus diadema perrieri) and western forest rat (Nesomys lambertoni) as well as mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz), golden-brown mouse lemur (Microcebus ravelobensis), northern rufous mouse lemur (M. tavaratra), pygmy mouse lemur (M. myoxinus), Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur (Lepilemur edwardsi), and greater big-footed mouse (Macrotarsomys ingens). As well as lemurs the dry forests are home to the island's largest predator, the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and some smaller carnivorans.

The lakes and rivers of the dry forest region are homes to most of Madagascar's bird species. Among reptiles, many chameleon and gecko species occur here, as well as the Madagascar sideneck turtle and the critically endangered ploughshare tortoise.

Threats and conservation

Most dry forests have already been destroyed by human action, especially near the Central Highlands. The remaining forest is severely fragmented. Burning, grazing, and logging are the major threats, and siltation, overfishing and invasive species impact the wetlands. Some species such as lemurs suffer from hunting.

5.79% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. They include:
Ankarafantsika National Park
Baie de Baly National Park
Bemaraha National Park
Montagne d'Ambre National Park
Namoroka National Park
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
Ambohijanahary Reserve
Analamerana Special Reserve
Ankarana Special Reserve
Bemarivo Reserve
Bora Reserve
Kasijy Special Reserve
Maningoza Reserve
Manongarivo Reserve
Tampoketsa Analamaitso Special Reserve

Particular localities

Ankarana Special Reserve

The Ankarana Massif consists of a limestone shelf which imposes a picturesque land-form on the few adventurers who find this remote forest.  As the limestone has weathered over geologic time, this karst formation often exhibits spiry pinnacles, called "tsingy" locally. The name derives from the Malagasy word which means "walk on tiptoe", used by the earliest settlers from around 1500 years ago to describe the sharpness of the rugged limestone shelves. There are an abundance of limestone caves and virgin forests that shelter the diverse wildlife of the Ankarana region. In places the cave roofs have collapsed to form isolated forests and the vegetation of the gorges is also protected by the topography. Subterranean rivers provide a natural perennial irrigation system.

The Ankarana Special Reserve is one of the northernmost reaches of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, and is very hot from December through March with this equatorial proximity. Access to wildlife viewing is through strenuous hiking, given the elevation differences, complex terrain and heat, but four-wheel drive vehicles can reach most of the actual campsites. Below the massif, and to the west, is a grassy savannah-with-palms that leads to the Indian Ocean. Within the massif, Lac Vert is found among tsingy formations.

Mammals found in this forest include the apex predator fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), the fanaloka (Fossa fossana), northern ring-tailed mongoose and numerous bat species. Lemurs occurring here include the crowned lemur, northern sportive lemur, gray mouse lemur,  Sanford's brown lemur and the aye-aye. Numerous geckos inhabit the reserve including the Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, big-headed gecko and day gecko. Other local reptiles are the Madagascar ground boa, the white-lipped chameleon (Furcifer minor) and Oustalet's chameleon, the world's largest chameleon, which can attain 68 centimetres in length.

Some bird species commonly seen are the hook-billed vanga, Madagascar pygmy kingfisher, crested coua, white-breasted mesite and Madagascar ibis. Raptors sighted in the reserve include the Madagascar harrier-hawk and the Madagascar scops owl. Other avafauna occurring here include red-capped coua and Coquerel's coua, and the vangas Van Dam's vanga, rufous vanga and sickle-billed vanga. Vangas are significant in Madagascar, as 15 of the 16 vanga species are endemic to Madagascar. The greater vasa parrot and Madagascar green pigeon are also indigenous. An important endangered species, the Madagascar fish eagle, has a number of breeding pairs located in the Ankarana Reserve.

Anjajavy Forest

Anjajavy Forest is an example of a purely lowland dry deciduous forest in northwest Madagascar. It is punctuated with numerous tsingy outcroppings and limestone karst caves, and in many locations abuts the Indian Ocean, especially where the dramatic tsingy formations jut out into the ocean.  The canopy height is typically 15 to 25 meters high, and is at its lowest at the coastal verge, where growth may be impeded by saline rocky soils.  The forest resides on a small peninsula of land poking into the Indian Ocean, that is bounded on the north and part of its eastern extent by the Bay of Narinda and on the south by the Bay of Majajamba. Access to this forest is difficult since there are no roads connecting this peninsula to the Madagascar highway system; however, arrival by sea and by air are accomplished with some effort.

In many places at the ocean edge as well as forest interior, several tree species are capable of taking root directly in the tsingy rocks. Several species of baobab and tamarind are among the tallest species forming  the canopy. Considering the lower precipitation rates on the west coast (about 1,300 mm per annum at Anjajavy Forest), the vegetation is surprisingly verdant in the beginning of the dry season, but eventually will become mostly leafless by late winter. The forest understory is moderately dense but not impenetrable. Nor is the understory heavily thorned in most locations.

The Anjajavy Forest is named for a kind of Salvadora species, the jajavy tree, which might be endemic only to the forest itself. Abundant diurnal lemurs that are found here include the Coquerel's sifaka and the common brown lemur. Three nocturnal species of mouse lemur are seen, but their precise species are yet to be documented. A large variety of birds are present including the endangered Madagascar fish eagle, which has four (of the approximately 99 known) breeding pairs resident in Anjajavy Forest. Other birdlife present are the sacred ibis, crested coua, kingfishers and Madagascar wagtail. Butterflies include the magpie crow. Numerous lizards, chameleons and snakes populate the forest and are easily seen from the sparse trail network.

The dry forest is invaded by fingers of  mangrove swamp in the form of riparian zones at several small coastal estuaries at the western verge of the Anjajavy Forest, where small tidal streams flow into the Indian Ocean. The species of the mangrove swamps are, of course, totally different from the dry forest, and the transition zone supports an interesting ecotone, providing unusual niches for several species of animals.

See also
Ecoregions of Madagascar

References

External links
 Ankarana Reserve, Parcs et reserves de Madagascar, le site officiel
 Anjajavy Forest Google satellite map
 Further detail on Kirindy and Ampijoroa Forests

Ecoregions of Madagascar
Forests of Madagascar
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Boeny
Melaky
Menabe
Diana Region
Sofia Region
Betsiboka

Madagascar dry deciduous forests


"The Day I Met Marie" is a song by Cliff Richard, released as single in August 1967. The song was written by Hank Marvin and produced by Norrie Paramor.

It reached number 10 on singles chart in both the UK and Ireland, number 5 in Australia, number 4 in New Zealand and number 7 in the Netherlands.

In an era when singles were often not included on studio albums, the track was not included in any of Richard's albums at the time. The first album it was released on was Richard's 1969 compilation The Best of Cliff. It has been included on numerous compilations since, including 40 Golden Greats in 1977, Love Songs in 1981, The Whole Story: His Greatest Hits in 2000, The 50th Anniversary Album in 2008 and 75 at 75 in 2015. A live version with the Shadows is also included on the 1979 live album Thank You Very Much.

The song was covered by the Shadows in their album, From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John, in 1967.

Track listing
 "The Day I Met Marie" (2:16)
 "Our Story Book" (2:31)

Charts

References

1967 singles
Cliff Richard songs
Songs written by Hank Marvin
Song recordings produced by Norrie Paramor
1967 songs
Columbia Graphophone Company singles

The Day I Met Marie


Bulpitt & Sons Ltd was an electrical goods manufacturer and limited company in Birmingham, England, established as a brass founder in the late 19th century.

In the early 20th century the company registered The "Swan Brand" name.

In the 1920s, the company began manufacturing domestic electrical appliances including kettles and irons. They developed the first submersible electric heating element.

In the 1970s, the company became a subsidiary of BSR (Housewares) Ltd., originally Birmingham Sound Reproducers, manufacturers of turntables for playing records.

The rival French company Moulinex acquired the Swan Brand in 1988 and Bulpitt & Sons (Swan Brand) Ltd was eventually dissolved on 21 May 1989, just short of a century after the company's foundation.

See also
Teasmade

References

Defunct companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands
Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
Home appliance manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Manufacturing companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands

Bulpitt & Sons


The 1976 Peach Bowl was a postseason college football match between the Kentucky Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on December 30, 1976. This game started at 2:30pm ET with at the time a sell out crowd at the Atlanta stadium with a total of 54,132 people in the stands. The University of Kentucky represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and North Carolina represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the competition. This was Kentucky's first post season bowl game in 25 years since playing TCU for the Cotton Bowl in the 1952 season making Kentucky very motivated for a win against North Carolina. The game was the final competition of the 1976 football season for each team and resulted in a 21–0 Kentucky victory led by Kentucky running back 'Rod Stewart'. North Carolina were the under dogs heading into the game with the Vegas line favoring Kentucky by 6 points.

Kentucky's losses consisted of Kansas, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Maryland while North Carolina's consisted of NC State and Missouri. Although Kentucky stood with a worse record, it was believed North Carolina was one of the worst 9-2 teams due to their weak strength of schedule. North Carolina entered the game with a 9–2 record and a ranking of #18 in the Associated Press poll after having been ranked as high as #14 during the season; Kentucky entered with a record of 7–4 and unranked.

Neither team scored during the first half.  Two Kentucky drives ended deep in North Carolina territory with no score.

The second half consisted of numerous turnovers from North Carolina starting in the third quarter with UNC quarterback Matt Kupec fumbling at the their own 21; Kentucky's James Ramey recovered.  Seven plays later Kentucky running back Rod Stewart took it in for his first out of three touchdowns from a yard out. John Pierce's PAT gave Kentucky a 7–0 lead.

Starting out the fourth quarter, Kentucky drove 57 yards in 9 plays and with Stewart scoring his second touchdown on an easy 13-yard TD run.  Pierce's PAT put the Wildcats up 14–0 with much of the 4th quarter still left to play.

North Carolina was still unable to answer all throughout the 4th. The wildcats defense shut them out and forcing a total of 5 turnovers at the end the game. Kentucky's last scoring drive consisted a very short drive and ended in another Rod Stewart touchdown from 3 yards out on 4th down. After Pierce's third and final PAT made it Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0.

Kentucky's defense was not the part of the team that dominated. Kentucky's offense also out gained North Carolinas offense 334 total yards to North Carolina's 108 total yards.

Rod Stewarts 104 rushing yards on only 19 carries earned him game MVP along with tying a peach bowl record for most touchdowns(3). Rod Stewart finished the season with a total of 711 rushing yards on 146 carries making it his best season out of his college career and would later get drafted to the nil in 1979 to the Buffalo Bills. Kentucky linebacker Mike Martin was also named the game's defensive MVP.

After the game, North Carolina fell out of the AP Top 20 and Kentucky finished the season ranked #18.  The following season Kentucky went 10–1 and finished #6 in the final AP poll; North Carolina finished the season 8–3–1 after a loss in the Liberty Bowl.

Sources
 2001 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, '1976 Peach Bowl', p. 166

References

Peach Bowl
Peach Bowl
Kentucky Wildcats football bowl games
North Carolina Tar Heels football bowl games
December 1976 sports events in the United States
Peach Bowl

1976 Peach Bowl