First Allied Airborne Army

The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary Force and controlled all Allied airborne forces in Western Europe from August 1944 to May 1945. These included the U.S. IX Troop Carrier Command, the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, which controlled the 17th, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and a number of independent airborne units, all British airborne forces including the 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions plus the Polish 1st Parachute Brigade.
From the time of its creation until the end of World War II, the formation commanded the Allied airborne forces that participated in the Allied advance through North-West Europe, including Operation Market-Garden in September 1944, repelling the German counter-offensive launched during the Battle of the Bulge between December 1944 and January 1945, and Operation Varsity in March 1945. The formation was then officially deactivated on 20 May 1945, with the British units under its command returning to the United Kingdom and the American units being renamed as First Airborne Army and taking over command of the American Sector of Occupation in Berlin.
Formation.
Recommendation for Creation.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force believed that a unified command was required with authority to coordinate all airborne and troop carrier units, direct airborne operations and command attached army, naval and air force units. The organization would be based on the model of a modified corps headquarters and be commanded by a high-ranking officer of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). On 20 May 1944, a sub-section of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) recommended that all British and American airborne forces be unified under a single formation; troop carrier units, however, would still remain independent and under the control of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF). This recommendation was sent to 12th Army Group, 21st Army Group and the AEAF.
Opposition and Support.
The recommendation to create a unified airborne army was criticized and opposed by the Chief of Staff of 12th Army Group, Major-General Leven Cooper Allen. Allen argued that the larger number of American airborne troops, the differences in equipment and staff between British and American formations, and the fact that the available transport aircraft only had the capacity to carry the total number of American airborne troops and not British as well, all meant that there was no need for a unified command for both American and British airborne forces.
The Royal Air Force, was an independent organization, unlike the USAAF, and senior British airborne commanders were apprehensive about having an Air Force officer command soldiers, in case the RAF could then use this at a later date as precedent to command British airborne troops. Further objections were raised by officers of the AEAF, regarding the administrative problems of assigning RAF units to the proposed combined headquarters. Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander-in-chief of the AEAF, argued that the original recommendation should be followed – unifying American and British airborne forces but leaving troop carrier units under the command of the AEAF.
However, the 21st Army Group and the AEAF both agreed to the recommendation, only suggesting a few minor changes to be made, and on 17 June Major-General Harold R. Bull, the Assistant Chief-of-Staff, Operations and Plans (G-3) of SHAEF, recommended that a combined airborne troops headquarters be created, albeit one that did not control troop carrier units.
Appointment of Brereton and Activation of Formation.
Despite the opposition, Eisenhower remained convinced for the need of a single unified command that would control both airborne forces and troop carrier units, and outlined his proposal in messages to General of the Army George Marshall and General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold asking for the assignment of an USAAF officer as commander of the unified headquarters. Marshall, however, asked for further clarification of the role of the commander, asking whether he would simply function as a corps commander of the airborne divisions or command all air and ground troops, and who would command the airborne forces once they had landed and gone into action. After much discussion the three men agreed that an Air Force commander would control all airborne forces until the situation on the ground permitted normal logistical support for the forces involved, when control would revert to a ground commander.
Having solved the problems of what the commander of the unified headquarters would control, and when, the search then began for qualified personnel who could serve at the headquarters. The United States Department of War indicated that some personnel from the Airborne Center at Camp Mackall would be available for the new headquarters, and that the headquarters of Second Airborne Brigade, would be disbanded and its personnel transferred to the new unit. In addition, the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe would allocate ten officers and fifty enlisted men.
After discussion between Eisenhower, Arnold and Marshall, it was decided that the first commanding officer of the formation was to be USAAF Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton, who was commanding the USAAF Ninth Air Force. Brereton learnt of his appointment on 17 July when in conference with the commanding officer of the USAAF, General Carl Spaatz, and was initially unconvinced of the merits of a combined headquarters, suggesting instead that American airborne forces be placed under the command of the Ninth Air Force, a suggestion which was denied by Eisenhower.
With Brereton having agreed to his appointment, the First Allied Airborne Army was activated on the 2nd of August 1944
Name and Structure.
Brereton recommended that the combined headquarters was renamed 'First Allied Airborne Army', which was approved by Eisenhower on 16 August after a brief period of opposition by Major-General Bull, who argued that such a name would be inaccurate, as he believed there was no intention of using the organization as an Army. The new organization was assigned operational control over IX Troop Carrier Command, XVIII Corps (Airborne), and British I Airborne Corps and all their subsidiary units. RAF troop carrier units would be assigned as necessary.
As commander of First Allied Airborne Army, Brereton was directly responsible to SHAEF and General Eisenhower. His responsibilities included training and allocation of facilities, development of new airborne equipment, consultation with the commanders-in-chief of the AEAF and the Allied naval forces, and the planning and execution of airborne operations.
Cancelled operations in France.
During August 1944, American forces under General Omar Bradley had launched Operation Cobra, designed to allow Allied forces to break out of Normandy after several months of slow progress against heavy German resistance. The operation had been a success, despite a fierce German counter-attack on 7 August codenamed Operation Lüttich, and a number of German divisions had become trapped near Falaise in what was labelled the Falaise Pocket. Following this, the Allies began to advance rapidly.
Several airborne operations were planned for First Allied Airborne Army in late August and early September to support the rapid advance of Allied ground forces.
Most of the operations were cancelled due to the rapid movement of Allied ground forces as they advanced through France and Belgium, as it did not allow First Allied Airborne Army enough time to plan an operation and deploy its forces before the objectives were overrun by ground forces. This situation changed, however, by the middle of September, as Allied forces came into contact with the German frontier and the Siegfried Line and encountered considerable German resistance, with German forces beginning to set up organized defensive positions and the Allied advance slowing.
Operation Market Garden.
Operation Market-Garden was an expanded version of the cancelled Operation Comet utilizing three divisions of 1st Allied Airborne Army (101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division and 1st Airborne Division).
The driving force behind the creation of Market Garden was Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who disagreed with the 'broad front' strategy favoured by Eisenhower, in which all Allied armies in North-West Europe advanced simultaneously. Montgomery believed that a single thrust should be launched against the German forces. Allied forces under Montgomery's overall command would move through the Netherlands over the river crossings captured by the airborne forces, outflank the Siegfried Line, enter the North German Plain, and form the northern arm of a pincer attack on the Ruhr.
Market Garden consisted of two sub operations, 'Market' - the airborne assault to seize key bridges which was carried out by First Allied Airborne Army, and 'Garden', the ground attack by the British 2nd Army, primarily XXX Corps.
The operation succeeded in liberating the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen. However, it failed in its strategic purpose of allowing the British Second Army to advance over the Nederrijn via the bridge at Arnhem. 1st Airborne Division, who had been assigned the task of capturing Arnhem, was evacuated on 25 September 1944, after the division had sustained heavy casualties.
Battle of the Bulge.
With the failure of Operation Market-Garden, the Allied advance came to a halt, replaced by several months of almost static combat against defending German forces, with no Allied airborne operations being planned or executed. This period was broken, however, when a major offensive was launched by the Germans on the orders of Adolf Hitler; on 16 December 1944 Operation ""Watch on the Rhine" began, with three German armies attacking through the Ardennes, hundreds of thousands of German troops and tanks breaking through Allied line on the American sector. The operation took the Allied forces completely by surprise, and several units under the command of First Allied Airborne Army became involved in the Allied attempt to first halt, and then repel the offensive; these units were principally the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, 17th Airborne Division and the 6th Airborne Division.
With the end of the participation of the 101st, 17th and 82nd Airborne Divisions in repelling the German counter-attack in the Ardennes between December 1944 and January 1945, the airborne forces under the command of First Allied Airborne Army would not participate in another airborne operation until March.
Operation Varsity.
By March 1945, the Allied armies had advanced into Germany and had reached the River Rhine. The Rhine was a formidable natural obstacle to the Allied advance, but if breached would allow the Allies to access the North German Plain and ultimately advance on Berlin and other major cities in Northern Germany. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commanding the British 21st Army Group devised a plan to allow the forces under his command to breach the Rhine, entitled Operation Plunder and First Allied Airborne Army was tasked to support it in an operation code-named Operation Varsity.
Three airborne divisions were initially assigned to take part in Varsity: the British 6th Airborne Division, the US 13th Airborne Division and the US 17th Airborne Division, subordinate to US XVIII Airborne Corps. However, it became apparent that the 13th Airborne Division would be unable to participate in the operation, as there were only enough transport aircraft available to transport two divisions. The plan for the operation was therefore altered employ only the British 6th Airborne and the US 17th Airborne Division.
Learning from the failure of Operation Market-Garden, the plan for Operation Varsity altered the Airborne Army's tactics:
The ground forces taking part in Operation Plunder began their attack at 21:00 on 23 March 1945, and secured a number of crossings on the eastern bank of the Rhine overnight. The two airborne divisions then deployed for Operation Varsity, landing at 10:00 on 24 March 1945, near the town of Hamminkeln. They were tasked with a number of objectives: seizing the Diersfordter Wald, a forest that overlooked the Rhine and had a road linking several towns together; securing several bridges over the River IJssel, and capturing Hamminkeln.
All of the objectives were captured and held within a few hours of the operation beginning, and by nightfall of 24 March, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division had joined up with elements of 6th Airborne. By 27 March, the Allies had 14 divisions on the east bank of the river. General Eisenhower later stated that Operation Varsity was "the most successful airborne operation carried out to date".
Further cancelled operations.
Several airborne operations were planned for the divisions under the control of First Allied Airborne Army after the end of Operation Varsity.


Tingey House

Tingey House, officially known as Quarters A, is the official residence of the Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy. Built in 1804, it is located at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and is part of the Yard's historic Officers Quarters. The residence is known as Tingey House in honor of its first resident, former U.S. Navy officer Thomas Tingey. According to popular legend, Tingey's ghost haunts the property.
Location.
Tingey House is located on the grounds of the Washington Navy Yard and adjoins Leutze Park, the yard's parade ground. It is part of "Admirals' Row" (Officers Quarters), a group of historic homes that serve as official residences for senior Navy officers and their families. The House is also called the Commandant's Quarters or Commandant's House.
Tingey House lies immediately east of the Latrobe Gate (also called the "Main Gate").
Layout.
Tingey House is a two-and-a-half-story structure with a gable roof. According to a 1970s-era National Register of Historic Places nomination form, the first floor contains a dining room, library, kitchen, and two parlors; the second floor contains four bedrooms, and the attic contains two chambers. There is a porte-cochère and enclosed porch on the south and east sides of the House.
History.
Early history.
In 1801, Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith ordered the construction of "a house to accommodate the officer of Marines and the Superintendent of the Navy Yard." The resulting building was designed by William Lovering and completed in 1804. The Georgian-style property was named after its first resident, Thomas Tingey, the superintendent of the Washington Navy Yard. As the British Army advanced on Washington during the War of 1812, the property survived Tingey's orders to burn the Washington Navy Yard. However, following the British withdrawal from Washington and before Tingey could reoccupy the home, it was looted by area residents.
A memorial plaque to Tingey is fixed to the side of the house:
Modern era.
Tingey House was used by different naval officers until 1977, when One Observatory Circle, formerly the home of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), was reassigned for use by the Vice President of the United States. The CNO's new official residence became Tingey House.
In June 2008, Tingey House completed a significant renovation, which included the addition of an expanded kitchen and china closet, construction of a larger staff wing, rehabilitation of the home's greenhouse, and the remodeling of several bathrooms.
The Washington Navy Yard is listed as a Superfund site, and the "Admirals' Row" group of homes suffer from nearby lead-contaminated soil, thought to be caused by lead-based paint, lead roofing, and lead water mains.
Haunting.
According to popular legend, the ghost of Thomas Tingey occupies Tingey House. The first reported sighting of Tingey's ghost was in 1853, by the daughter of the Navy Yard's then-commandant. In August 1960, Rear Admiral Thomas Robbins reported that his pet dog, Lucky, barked madly at an empty chair in the home's drawing room until Robbins recited the incantation, "Good evening, commodore, we're glad to be living in your house," after which the dog behaved normally.


Coast Guard Cross

The Coast Guard Cross (CGC) is the United States Coast Guard's second highest military decoration for Coast Guardsmen who distinguish themselves extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. Established by Act of Congress on 15 October 2010, it is intended to recognize members of the United States Coast Guard for extraordinary heroism in action. Coast Guard members serving under the Department of the Navy would be eligible for the Navy Cross. This medal, though approved, has not yet been awarded.
The Coast Guard Cross is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, Navy and Marine Corps' Navy Cross, and Air Force and Space Force's Air Force Cross.
History.
In the past, during times of war, the US Coast Guard has operated as part of the Department of the Navy. According to law under , "personnel of the Coast Guard shall be eligible to receive gratuities, medals, and other insignia of honor on the same basis as personnel in the naval service or serving in any capacity with the Navy." This allows the award of the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while engaged in combat or armed action. During World War II, six coast guardsmen, four officers and two enlisted, were awarded the Navy Cross.
On 4 August 1949, Public Law 63-535 was passed, bringing into force and . This law established the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal and Coast Guard Medal. These awards were intended to parallel the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, being awarded under the same criteria to coast guardsmen when not serving as a part of the Department of the Navy. This began the creation of a separate system of awards and decorations for the U.S. Coast Guard when not operating under the Department of the Navy. In 1963, Public Law 88-77 even allowed for the award of the Medal of Honor to a member of the Coast Guard who met the award's criteria, without specifically being under the orders of the Navy.
On 15 October 2010, Public Law 111-281 was passed establishing the Coast Guard Cross under .
Criteria.
Statute allows the President to award the Coast Guard Cross, to any person who distinguishes themselves by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of the Medal of Honor, while serving in any capacity with the Coast Guard, when the Coast Guard is not operating under the Department of the Navy, under one of the following conditions:
Appearance.
The Coast Guard Cross is a four armed cross urdeé. It is made of red brass with a 24 karat gold plated matte finish. The pendant is 2 1/4 inches high and 1 3/4 inches wide. Surmounting the cross is an integral suspension ring which takes the form of a rope with crossed oars. Between the arms of the cross are anchors.<ref name="MIL-DTL-3943/354"></ref>
On the obverse, in the center of the cross is a shield similar to that found in the Great Seal of the United States. The stripes of the shield are alternating red and white colored enamel, while the chief is enameled blue with white five-pointed stars. The shield is surrounded by a wreath of twenty-six enameled green leaves.
The reverse is identical to the obverse, except the center does not have a shield. In the center is the inscription "FOR" arched above and "VALOR" arched below.
The cross is suspended from a 1 3/8 inch ribbon of navy blue. In the center is a 5/32 inch stripe of scarlet, flanked by 1/16 inch stripes of ultramarine blue, bordered in white.
The Coast Guard Cross was designed by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry.


USCGC Confidence

USCGC "Confidence" (WMEC-619) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter.
History.
Construction of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter "Confidence" began at the United States Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, in 1965 and was completed in 1966. Fifth of 16 vessels in the class, "Confidence" was designed for search and rescue, law enforcement, and alien migrant interdiction operations (AMIO). She originally was assigned to the Seventeenth Coast Guard District for operations in the waters of Alaska, with her home port at Kodiak, Alaska, and began operating there in 1966. In 1968, she came to the aid of the three-man crew of the fishing vessel "Chirikof", who had abandoned ship into a skiff without oars when "Chirikof" sank off Kodiak Island on 29 February and then drifted until sighted by the cargo ship "Chena" on 1 March; they were too weak from hypothermia to climb "Chena"s Jacob's ladder, so "Confidence" arrived on the scene and rescued them from the skiff. On 14 September 1981, "Confidence" rescued the six-man crew of the crab-fishing vessel "City of Seattle" after "City of Seattle" burned and sank in the Shelikof Strait south of Cape Uganik () on the coast of Uganik Island in Alaska′s Kodiak Archipelago.
In the spring of 1983, following 17 years in Alaskan waters, "Confidence" was reassigned to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District and was home-ported in Port Angeles, Washington. During her time in the Pacific Northwest, "Confidence"s crew seized 17 foreign and U.S. vessels for violations of U.S. law. In January 1986, "Confidence" and her crew seized the Panamanian freighter "Eagle 1" and her cargo of of cocaine. This was the largest maritime seizure of cocaine on the United States West Coast at the time.
"Confidence" was decommissioned and sent to the United States Coast Guard Yard in February 1987 for a major overhaul, referred to as a Midlife Maintenance Availability. Modifications included the installation of a new electronics package to increase the ship's effectiveness, new engines and smokestacks to increase efficiency, and habitability was improved. In October 1988, "Confidence" was commissioned back into service and sent to her new home port at Port Canaveral, Florida. Now the ship is normally assigned to patrol the waters off the southern coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Her primary missions are Counter Drug operations, Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations (AMIO), Homeland Security Operations, fisheries law enforcement, and Search and Rescue (SAR).
Since the fall of 1991, "Confidence" has been heavily involved in AMIO, including the interdiction of Haitian, Cuban, and Dominican Republic migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. One highlight of these operations was "Confidence"s participation in Operation Able Vigil in 1993, and rescued 1,123 Cuban migrants in less than four weeks. The busiest day resulted in the interdiction of 346 migrants from 46 separate rafts and boats in just 16 hours. In Spring 1992, "Confidence" participated in Operation Able Manner, interdicting 428 Haitian migrants. Later that year, the ship was the primary platform for Operation Restore Dignity off the coast of Haiti, recovering 78 Haitians who perished when their ferry sank.
In 2001, "Confidence" was outfitted with an Over the Horizon rigid hull inflatable boat, designed to transport law enforcement teams at high speeds for long distances independent of the cutter.
From January 2003 until June 2005, "Confidence" interdicted over 1,100 Cuban, Haitian, and Dominican migrants with several noteworthy cases. In November 2004, "Confidence" rescued 82 migrants from a Haitian sailing vessel taking on water off the coast of the Bahamas. In January 2005, "Confidence" crewmembers rescued 127 migrants in seas from a , grossly overloaded Dominican yola. In June 2005 during a ten-day period, "Confidence" safely intercepted 162 Haitians from a vessel on the Great Bahama Bank, seven Cubans from a makeshift vessel sinking in the Old Bahama Channel and 111 Haitians in a vessel in seas north of Great Inagua, Bahamas.
The year 2006 was the 40th anniversary of "Confidence"’s initial commissioning. The original life expectancy of this cutter class was 30 years, but it is expected she will remain in service an additional 10–15 years. During her service, "Confidence" has been awarded the United States Secretary of Transportation’s Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement, 6 Coast Guard Unit Commendations, 5 Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendations, 3 National Defense Service Medals, 4 Humanitarian Service Medals, and 4 Special Operations Ribbons. Following the ship’s 2007 Tailored Annual Cutter Training, "Confidence" earned her 10th consecutive Coast Guard Battle "E" Ribbon for Operational Excellence.


Battle of Belleau Wood

The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisions along with French and British forces against an assortment of German units including elements from the 237th, 10th, 197th, 87th, and 28th Divisions. The battle has become a key component of the lore of the United States Marine Corps.
Background.
In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. A third offensive launched in May against the French between Soissons and Reims, known as the Third Battle of the Aisne, saw the Germans reach the north bank of the Marne River at Château-Thierry, from Paris, on 27 May. On 31 May, the 7th Machine Gun Battalion of the U.S. 3rd Division supported the Senegalese "Tirailleurs" in holding the German advance at Château-Thierry, in hard house-to-house fighting, and the German advance turned right towards Vaux and Belleau Wood.
On 1 June, Château-Thierry and Vaux fell, and German troops moved into Belleau Wood. The U.S. 2nd Infantry Division—which included a brigade of U.S. Marines—was brought up along the Paris-Metz highway. The 9th Infantry Regiment was placed between the highway and the Marne, while the 6th Marine Regiment was deployed to their left. The 5th Marine and 23rd Infantry regiments were placed in reserve.
Battle.
On the evening of 1 June, German forces punched a hole in the French lines to the left of the Marines' position. In response, the U.S. reserve—consisting of the 23rd Infantry Regiment under Colonel Paul B. Malone, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines under Major Julius S. Turrill, and an element of the Marine 6th Machine Gun Battalion—conducted a forced march over to plug the gap in the line, which they achieved by dawn. By the night of 2 June, the U.S. forces held a front line north of the Paris-Metz Highway running through grain fields and scattered woods, from Triangle Farm west to Lucy and then north to Hill 142. The German line opposite ran from Vaux to Bouresches to Belleau.
German advance halted at Belleau Wood.
German commanders ordered an advance on Marigny and Lucy through Belleau Wood as part of a major offensive, in which other German troops would cross the Marne River. The commander of the Marine Brigade, Army General James Harbord, countermanding a French order to dig trenches further to the rear, ordered the Marines to "hold where they stand". With bayonets, the Marines dug shallow fighting positions from which they could shoot from the prone position. In the afternoon of 3 June, German infantry attacked the Marine positions through the grain fields with bayonets fixed. The Marines waited until the Germans were within before opening deadly rifle fire which mowed down waves of German infantry and forced the survivors to retreat into the woods.
Having suffered heavy casualties, the Germans dug in along a defensive line from Hill 204, just east of Vaux, to Le Thiolet on the Paris-Metz Highway and northward through Belleau Wood to Torcy. After Marines were repeatedly urged to turn back by retreating French forces, Marine Captain Lloyd W. Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines uttered the now-famous retort "Retreat? Hell, we just got here". Williams' battalion commander, Major Frederic Wise, later claimed to have said the famous words.
On 4 June, Major General Bundy—commanding the 2nd Division—took command of the American sector of the front. Over the next two days, the Marines repelled the continuous German assaults. The 167th French Division arrived, giving Bundy a chance to consolidate his of front. Bundy's 3rd Brigade held the southern sector of the line, while the Marine brigade held the north of the line from Triangle Farm.
Attack on Hill 142.
At 03:45 on 6 June, the Allies launched an attack on the German forces, who were preparing their own strike. The French 167th Division attacked to the left of the American line, while the Marines attacked Hill 142 to prevent flanking fire against the French. As part of the second phase, the 2nd Division were to capture the ridge overlooking Torcy and Belleau Wood, as well as occupying Belleau Wood. However, the Marines failed to scout the woods. As a consequence, they missed a regiment of German infantry dug in, with a network of machine gun nests and artillery.
At dawn, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines—commanded by Major Julius Turrill—was to attack Hill 142, but only two companies were in position. The Marines advanced in waves with bayonets fixed across an open wheat field that was swept with German machine gun and artillery fire, and many Marines were cut down. Captain Crowther commanding the 67th Company was killed almost immediately. Captain Hamilton and the 49th Company fought from wood to wood, fighting the entrenched Germans and overrunning their objective by . At this point, Hamilton had lost all five junior officers, while the 67th had only one commissioned officer alive. Hamilton reorganized the two companies, establishing strong points and a defensive line.
In the German counter-attack, Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson—who was serving under the name Charles Hoffman—repelled an advance of 12 German soldiers, killing two with his bayonet before the others fled; for this action he became the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War I. Also cited for advancing through enemy fire during the counter-attack was Marine Gunner Henry Hulbert who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
The rest of the battalion now arrived and went into action. Turrill's flanks lay unprotected, and the Marines were rapidly exhausting their ammunition. By the afternoon, however, the Marines had captured Hill 142, at a cost of nine officers and most of the 325 men of the battalion.
Marines attack Belleau Wood.
On the night of 4 June, the intelligence officer for the 6th Marines, Lieutenant William A. Eddy, and two men stole through German lines to gather information about German forces. They gathered valuable information showing the Germans were consolidating machine gun positions and bringing in artillery. While this activity indicated an attack was not immediately likely, their increasing strength was creating a base of attack that raised concern about breaking through to Paris.
At 17:00 on 6 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5)—commanded by Major Benjamin S. Berry—and the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines (3/6)—commanded by Major Berton W. Sibley, on their right—advanced from the west into Belleau Wood as part of the second phase of the Allied offensive. Again, the Marines had to advance through a waist-high wheat field into machine gun fire. One of the most famous quotations in Marine Corps history came during the initial step-off for the battle when First Sergeant Dan Daly, a recipient of two Medals of Honor who had served in the Philippines, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Peking, and Vera Cruz, prompted his men of the 73rd Machine Gun Company forward with the words: "Come on, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever?"
The first waves of Marines—advancing in well-disciplined lines—were slaughtered; Major Berry was wounded in the forearm during the advance. On his right, the Marines of Major Sibley's 3/6 Battalion swept into the southern end of Belleau Wood and encountered heavy machine gun fire, sharpshooters, and barbed wire. Marines and German infantrymen were soon engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. The casualties sustained on this day were the highest in Marine Corps history up to that time. Some 31 officers and 1,056 men of the Marine brigade were casualties. However, the Marines now had a foothold in Belleau Wood.
Fighting in Belleau Wood.
The battle was now deadlocked. At midnight on 7–8 June, a German attack was stopped cold and an American counter-attack in the morning of 8 June was similarly defeated. Sibley's battalion—having sustained nearly 400 casualties—was relieved by the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines. Major Shearer took over the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines for the wounded Berry. On 9 June, an enormous American and French barrage devastated Belleau Wood, turning the formerly attractive hunting preserve into a jungle of shattered trees. The Germans counter-fired into Lucy and Bouresches and reorganized their defenses inside Belleau Wood.
In the morning of 10 June, Major Hughes' 1st Battalion, 6th Marines—together with elements of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion—attacked north into the wood. Although this attack initially seemed to be succeeding, it was also stopped by machine gun fire. The commander of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion—Major Cole—was mortally wounded. Captain Harlan Major—senior captain present with the battalion—took command. The Germans used great quantities of mustard gas. Next, Wise's 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines was ordered to attack the woods from the west, while Hughes continued his advance from the south.
At 04:00 on 11 June, Wise's men advanced through a thick morning mist towards Belleau Wood, supported by the 23rd and 77th companies of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, and elements of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Engineers and were cut to pieces by heavy fire. Platoons were isolated and destroyed by interlocked machine gun fire. It was discovered that the battalion had advanced in the wrong direction. Rather than moving northeast, they had moved directly across the wood's narrow waist. However, they smashed the German southern defensive lines. A German private, whose company had 30 men left out of 120, wrote "We have Americans opposite us who are terribly reckless fellows."
Overall, the woods were attacked by the Marines a total of six times before they could successfully expel the Germans. They fought off parts of five divisions of Germans, often reduced to using only their bayonets or fists in hand-to-hand combat.
On 26 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, under command of Major Maurice E. Shearer, supported by two companies of the 4th Machine Gun Battalion and the 15th Company of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, made an attack on Belleau Wood, which finally cleared that forest of Germans. On that day, Major Shearer submitted a report simply stating, "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely", ending one of the bloodiest and most ferocious battles U.S. forces would fight in the war.
Aftermath.
United States forces suffered 9,777 casualties, included 1,811 killed. Many are buried in the nearby Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. There is no clear information on the number of German soldiers killed, although 1,600 were taken prisoner.
After the battle, the French renamed the wood "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" ('Wood of the Marine Brigade') in honor of the Marines' tenacity. The French government also later awarded the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments the "Croix de guerre". An official German report classified the Marines as "vigorous, self-confident, and remarkable marksmen ..." General Pershing—commander of the AEF—said, "The deadliest weapon in the world is a United States Marine and his rifle." Pershing also said "the Battle of Belleau Wood was for the U.S. the biggest battle since Appomattox and the most considerable engagement American troops had ever had with a foreign enemy."
Legend and lore has it that the Germans used the term "Teufelshunde" ('devil dogs') for the Marines. However, this has not been confirmed, as the term was not commonly known in contemporary German. The closest common German term would be "Höllenhunde" which means 'hellhound'. Regardless of the term's origin, ten years after the battle, Lieutenant Colonel Ernst Otto, from the Historical Section of the German Army, wrote of the Marine Corps: "Their fiery advance and great tenacity were well recognized by their opponents."
Legacy.
Marines actively serving in the Fifth and Sixth Marine regiments are authorized to wear the French "fourragère" on the left shoulder of their uniform to recognize the legacy and valor of their regimental predecessors.
In June 1923, the Marine Band performed a new march called "Belleau Wood" for the first time during the annual Belleau Wood anniversary celebration. Composed by then Second Leader Taylor Branson, who would later lead the Marine Band from 1927 to 1940, it was dedicated to Army Major General James. G. Harbord, who commanded the Marines during the battle.
In July 1923, Belleau Wood was dedicated as an American battle monument. Major General Harbord was made an honorary Marine and attended the event. In his address, he summed up the future of the site:
White crosses and Stars of David mark 2,289 graves, 250 for unknown service members, and the names of 1,060 missing men adorn the wall of a memorial chapel. Visitors also stop at the nearby German cemetery where 8,625 men are buried; 4,321 of them—3,847 unknown—rest in a common grave. The German cemetery was established in March 1922, consolidating a number of temporary sites, and includes men killed between the Aisne and the Marne in 1918, along with 70 men who died in 1914 in the First Battle of the Marne.
On 18 November 1955, a black marble monolith with a bronze relief of a fighting Marine was dedicated at a road clearing near the site of the battle. Simply entitled The Marine Memorial, it was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, the artist who had also sculpted the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial honors the 4th Marine Brigade for their bravery here in June 1918, and is the only memorial in Europe dedicated solely to the United States Marines. Below the statue is a commemorative plaque with a large Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. The plaque includes a brief history of the battle, with text in both English and French. Officiating at the monument's dedication ceremony was then Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., who had fought and was twice wounded at Belleau Wood, and later awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross for his gallantry in action, 37 years earlier.
In New York City, a triangle at the intersection of 108 Street and 51st Avenue in Queens is dedicated to Marine Private William F. Moore, 47th Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
Two U.S. Navy vessels have been named for the battle. The first was a light aircraft carrier active during World War II in the Pacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945. From 1953 to 1960, she was loaned to the French Navy under the name "Bois Belleau" and served in the First Indochina and Algerian Wars. The second was active from 1977 to 2005.
A shortened version of Lloyd Williams' famous quote is the basis for the motto the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, his unit during the battle. Williams himself has been honored with a building on the campus of his alma mater Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University named in remembrance of him.
In April 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron presented to the United States a sessile oak sapling from Belleau Wood as part of his state visit.
On 10 November 2018, amid ceremonies in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, a planned visit by President Donald Trump to the American cemetery at Belleau was cancelled, reportedly due to helicopter transport being prevented by low cloud cover and a light steady rain. Instead, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford visited Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial. On 3 September 2020, an article in "The Atlantic" reported that Trump had referred to soldiers buried at the cemetery as "suckers" for getting killed and that he decided not to visit the cemetery because the weather would mess up his hair. The article was reportedly verified by unnamed senior administration officials and corroborated by Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin. Trump and other officials denied the comments.


Officer selection officer

A Marine Corps Officer Selection Officer (OSO) leads a team of Marines and civilian employees in the recruitment of college students and graduates for a Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.
Responsibilities.
An OSO is responsible for the oversight of all functions of the Officer Selection Team. It is their responsibility to ensure that all students who have the desire to be Marine Corps Officers are physically and mentally prepared for the rigors of the Officer Candidate School (OCS).
Programs.
The OSO has many different programs to offer to university students. All training is paid and takes place in Quantico, Virginia at the OCS. The programs are the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) or the Officer Candidate Course (OCC).
The course enrollment is then further broken down into 3 different career choices:
All training is paid and many universities accept OCS transcripts for college credit hours
Basic requirements for all programs:
Officer Candidate Course.
More commonly referred to as OCC, is reserved for recent grads, seniors anticipating graduation, or those that have been in the civilian work force for a period of time. OCC is an opportunity for college graduates to gain leadership skills and worldly experience while earning a salary.
Platoon Leaders Course.
More commonly referred to as PLC, can be attended by sophomores, juniors and in some cases seniors.


United States Marine Corps Reserve

The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned personnel, in the U.S. Marine Corps. Marines in the Reserve go through the same training and work in the same Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) as their active-duty counterparts. The United States Marine Corps Reserve was established when Congress passed the Naval Appropriations Act of 29 August 1916, and is responsible for providing trained units and qualified individuals to be mobilized for active duty in time of war, national emergency, or contingency operations.
Role.
Marine Forces Reserve is the headquarters command for approximately 40,000 drilling Selected Reserve Marines and 184 Reserve Training Centers located throughout the United States. The mission of Marine Forces Reserve is to augment and reinforce active Marine forces in time of war, national emergency, or contingency operations; to provide personnel and operational tempo relief for the active forces in peacetime; and to provide service to the community (for example, through Toys for Tots).
MARFORRES is composed primarily of two groups of Marines and Sailors. The first, known as the Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), are Marines who typically belong to reserve units and have a minimum obligation to drill one weekend a month and two weeks a year. The second group is known as the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The IRR is composed of Marines who have finished their active duty or USMCR obligations, however, their names remain on record to be called up in case of a war or other emergency – the Individual Ready Reserve is administered by the Marine Corps Individual Reserve Support Activity. IRR Marines participate in annual musters to check in with the Corps.
While MFR units have US Navy Sailors assigned to perform medical and religious program specialty services, those Sailors are not members of the Marine Corps Reserve. Instead, they are a mix of US Navy Reserve and US Navy Regular Sailors detailed by the Navy to serve alongside Marines.
In addition, through the MCIRSA, MFR administers a small number of reserve Marines assigned to either the Active Status List or Inactive Status List of the Standby Reserve, a category reserved for those Marines who remain members of the USMCR but are either retained involuntarily for various reasons, or unable to participate in SMCR activities.
Structure.
Units.
Reserve units utilize infrastructure when mobilized through Reserve Support Units (RSU) located at various bases throughout the U.S. (such as Lejeune, Pendleton, Miramar, Quantico, and Twentynine Palms).
Enlistment.
Enlistment in the Marine Forces Reserve occurs through a process similar to that for enlistment in the regular active Marine Corps. Recruits must take the ASVAB, pass a comprehensive physical exam, and be sworn in. They may enter through a billet in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP). Reserve recruits currently attend recruit training along with active duty recruits, earning the title United States Marine upon successful completion of the training. They then have a mandatory leave of 10 days (up to 24 if they volunteer for and are assigned to recruiter's assistance, although, reservists are not usually given RA) before further training at the School of Infantry (SOI) and their designated Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Only after completing the training program(s) does a Reserve Marine's enlistment begin to differ from that of an active duty Marine.
There is a program called the Select Reserve Incentive Program (SRIP), which provides enlistment bonuses for Reservists enlisting for needed MOSs. Half is payable upon completion of training and the other half is spread out over the term of enlistment.
Commission.
For those who have earned a college degree, the Reserve Officer Commissioning Program (ROCP) provides a path directly into the Marine Corps Reserve leading to a commission as an officer of Marines. Upon selection from a regional Officer Selection Office (OSO), applicants attend Officer Candidates School (OCS) at Quantico, Virginia. Upon successful completion of OCS (the 10-week OCC-R course), candidates are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and subsequently attend the Basic Officer Course at The Basic School (TBS), Quantico, Virginia. Following graduation of TBS and follow-on MOS training, officers either report to their reserve unit, or have the option to complete a one-year experience tour with an active duty unit.
Service.
Reservists, like all new service members, contract for eight-year terms. There are three options on how these terms may be served, one of which is designated upon signing.
After serving several years in the Reserves and attaining leadership rank it is possible for an enlisted Reservist to receive a commission through the Reserve Enlisted Commissioning Program (RECP). Marines who have previously served on active duty, whether officer or enlisted, can join the Select Marine Corps Reserve directly. Veteran Marines wishing to do this go through a Marine Corps Prior Service Recruiter. The mission of the Prior Service Recruiter is to join members from the Individual Ready Reserve to SMCR units close to their home.
Marine reservists are allowed to serve simultaneously in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and in the naval militia of their state of residence; however, when called into federal service, reservists are relieved from service and duty in the naval militia until released from active duty.
See also.
Comparable organizations


Training Center Petaluma

Training Center Petaluma is a Coast Guard training facility in the northern California counties of Sonoma and Marin. Approximately 4,000 students train there each year. It was formerly the U.S. Army Two Rock Ranch Station.
The training center is located in a rural area north of San Francisco at . It is about from the coast and west of the city of Petaluma, California, west of the junction of Tomales Road and Valley Ford Road, just south of Stemple Creek and the village of Two Rock, California.
The facility occupies more than of land, which include 129 family housing units and 90 other buildings. It has its own clinic, chapel, fire department, and police.
Rating specific training schools.
Students at the individual "A" schools receive entry level training in one of these ratings:
Graduates of these "A" schools can be advanced to Petty Officer Third Class and are then assigned to a new duty station.
"C" school training is also offered for advanced training in each of these ratings.
Subject matter specialists and course writers.
Each of the "A" schools at Training Center Petaluma has Subject Matter Specialists and Course Writers assigned to it for the purpose of developing up to date course materials and instructional aids relative to each rating. These specialists are usually Chief Petty Officers that are very experienced in their rating. Courses developed are used in the field to help enlisted persons learn new skills in their rating. Advancement is dependent in successful completion of these courses and passing grades on Service-wide Examinations in each rating.
Chief Petty Officer Academy.
The United States Coast Guard operates the Chief Petty Officer Academy at the Training Center Petaluma. This Academy trains Chief Petty Officers for the Coast Guard and Master Sergeants for the U.S. Air Force.
Enlisted Coast Guardsmen who have advanced to Chief Petty Officer, must attend the Chief Petty Officer Academy, or an equivalent Department of Defense school, to be advanced Senior Chief Petty Officer; United States Air Force Master Sergeants, as well as international students representing their respective maritime services, are also eligible to attend this Academy. The basic themes of this school are:
Other advanced training.
Other schools offered include advanced leadership training in Course Design, Instructor Development, Professional Development as well as Instructional Systems training.
History.
The U.S. Army built a top-secret communications station on this site during World War II. The Coast Guard took possession on July 1, 1971 and converted it into a training facility.
Up until that time, the facility was one of the major radio intercept posts in the U.S., referred to by a Monitoring Station Designator.
Environmental hazards.
As of 2007, the site carried over of lead and were being released into the air each year. These releases have been ongoing since at least 2001.


Joseph Clarke (Canadian politician)

Joseph Andrew Clarke (September 20, 1869 – July 27, 1941) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served twice as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, was a candidate for election to the House of Commons of Canada and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and was a member of the Yukon Territorial Council (precursor to the Yukon Legislative Assembly).
Early life.
Clarke was born in Osnabruck Center, Ontario. He was educated in Prescott and Brockville, Ontario, and joined the North-West Mounted Police in 1892 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He returned to Ontario shortly thereafter, only to be charged by the RNWMP with desertion. He was fined one hundred dollars, but received no further sanction in part because the magistrate was his uncle.
After his brief policing career, Clarke studied law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Upon graduating, he moved to the Yukon to take part in the Klondike gold rush. While there, he was admitted to the bar and spent two years (1903–1904) as an appointed member of the Yukon Territorial Council.
He moved to Edmonton to practice law in 1908. Once there, he married Gwendolen Asbury on October 9, 1911; the pair would have three children.
Edmonton politics.
Joseph Clarke ran in a total of twenty-seven Edmonton municipal elections, more than any person before or since (as municipal elections in Edmonton now occur only every four years, this record is unlikely ever to be broken). In all, he ran for mayor seventeen times (winning five such elections) and for alderman ten times (being elected three times).
Clarke's first attempt at municipal office took place during the February 1912 election, when he ran for the position of alderman on Edmonton City Council. He was elected to a one-year term. Rather than seek re-election in the next election, he ran for mayor, finishing in last place in a three candidate field.
He returned to city council after being elected to a two-year term as an alderman in the 1913 election. During this council term, he forged a temporary alliance with mayor William McNamara against those who wanted to drive prostitution and gambling out of the city. The alliance disintegrated after the two came to blows in a council meeting. Clarke lost his re-election, bid, finishing eighth of fourteen candidates in the 1915 election. Unsuccessful bids for mayor followed in 1916 and 1917 before he was elected to that office in the 1918.
During his first term as mayor, Clarke was confronted with a citywide strike in support of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Clarke was sympathetic to the strikers, and when the federal government's Royal Commission on Industrial Relations (the Mather Commission) stopped in Edmonton, he joined labour leaders in presenting a list of twenty-nine demands, including the right to collective bargaining, the eight-hour day, price controls, and workers' rights to run and hold public office. He also resisted the use of strikebreakers (despite strong advocacy from the Edmonton Board of Trade and alderman Charles Grant), for which he was accused by the Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Bulletin of succumbing to the "Soviet power" of the Edmonton Trade & Labour Council (ET&LC). Instead, he and alderman J. A. Kinney negotiated with the ET&LC's strike committee (which included future city mayors Elmer Ernest Roper and Daniel Kennedy Knott and future alderman Alfred Farmilo) to allow the continued provision of certain services.
Clarke was re-elected mayor in the 1919 election, but a concerted effort by the Board of Trade and the two local papers saw him defeated by David Duggan in the 1920 election. His attempt to regain his old job in the 1922 election failed, as he finished second of six candidates. He was elected again as an alderman in the 1924 election for a two-year term, but resigned after one year in order to run for mayor in the 1925 election. He finished third of six candidates.
There followed a decade in the political wilderness, marked by unsuccessful runs for mayor (in 1926, 1927, 1932, and 1933) and alderman (in 1928, 1929, 1930, and 1931), before he was returned to the office of mayor in the 1934 election. While he had lost the office fourteen years earlier for being too friendly to organized labour, his opponents in 1934 included Knott and labour alderman Rice Sheppard. He was re-elected in 1935 and 1936 (defeating future mayor and labour advocate Harry Dean Ainlay on this second occasion). It was during this term that he laid the groundwork for a football stadium on the site of a closed federal prison. This stadium would eventually be named Clarke Stadium in his honour.
Joseph Clarke was defeated in the 1937 election by John Wesley Fry. He ran in every municipal election until the end of his life (for mayor in 1938 and for alderman in 1939 and 1940) but would never again hold political office.
Provincial politics.
Joseph Clarke was a perennial candidate for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, running provincially five times.
He first ran in the 1913 Alberta general election as a parachute candidate in the controversial Clearwater electoral district for Charles M. O'Brien's Socialist Party of Alberta. He was defeated by Liberal Henry William McKenney, the incumbent M.L.A. for Pembina.
Clarke next ran in the 1917 election as an independent in Edmonton East. He finished third of four candidates - the only candidate he defeated was Sydney Keeling, of Clarke's old Socialist Party.
He ran again in the 1926 Alberta general election as an independent Liberal in Edmonton district. He finished fourth of eighteen candidates on the first count, which would have been sufficient to win one of the riding's five seats under a plurality voting system; however, the district used a single transferable vote system that allowed more generally popular candidates to pass him on subsequent counts. One of the candidates to do so was David Duggan, the same businessman who had defeated Clarke in his mayoral re-election bid in 1920.
Clarke's fourth attempt at provincial office took place during the 1930 election, when he sought election in Edmonton as an independent. He finished sixteenth of seventeen candidates. He was thus eliminated early in the STV vote counting process.
Clarke's final provincial election was a 1937 by-election in Edmonton caused by the death of incumbent Liberal G.H. Van Allen. Clarke ran as a "People's Candidate" and was backed by the new Alberta Social Credit Party government, which did not field a candidate. He finished second, as Liberal leader Edward Leslie Gray retained the seat for his party, which was backed by the Conservatives under the so-called "Unity Movement". Clarke was mayor of Edmonton at the time of this by-election.
Federal politics.
Clarke was a perennial candidate in Federal elections, running unsuccessfully four times. He made his first bid for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, running as a Conservative candidate in the a 1902 by-election in the Yukon electoral district. He was defeated by James Hamilton Ross. He made his second bid while still living in the Yukon in the 1908 federal election and was once again defeated, this time by Frederick Congdon.
Clarke did not make another run for federal office until 13 years later, when he ran in Edmonton East for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 1921 federal election (he was a personal friend of then-Liberal leader and soon to be Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King). He finished second to Progressive candidate Donald Ferdinand Kellner. His final run for federal office was in Peace River again running for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 1926 Canadian federal election. He was defeated by Donald MacBeth Kennedy finishing third in a field of three candidates.
Personal life, death, and legacy.
Clarke was an accomplished athlete, and excelled at lacrosse, football, and track and field. He was also known for his penchant for violence, and was nicknamed "Fightin' Joe" as a result.
He was accused of involvement in prostitution and gambling rings, which tarnished his political career.
Joseph Andrew Clarke died in his sleep July 26, 1941, less than a year after contesting his last election.
Clarke Stadium and Joe Clarke Athletic Grounds were named in his honour.
His wife, Gwendolen, served on the Edmonton City Council from 1942 to 1943, after his death.


Naval Consolidated Brig, Charleston

The Naval Consolidated Brig (NAVCONBRIG CHASN), is a medium security U.S. military prison. The brig, Building #3107, is located in the south annex of Joint Base Charleston in the city of Hanahan, South Carolina.
The Brig was commissioned on November 30, 1989 and accepted its first prisoners in January 1990. It has 400 cells and can hold 288 inmates. It houses prisoners from all branches of the US Armed Services and conducts the Navy's Violent Offender Treatment Program. It has been accredited by the American Correctional Association nine times: 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 & 2016.
The brig recently housed several enemy combatants, including Yasser Hamdi, José Padilla and Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri.
Al-Marri was the last of the three to remain at the brig, being transferred to a civilian prison after he pleaded guilty in 2009.
In October 2008 91 pages of memos drafted in 2002 by an officer at the brig
became public.
The memos indicate that officers were concerned that the isolation and lack of stimuli were driving Hamdi, Padilla and Al-Marri insane.
On October 12, 2011, the Charleston Post and Courier reported on memos from E.P. Giambastiani to Charles Stimson Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, requesting that Hamdy, Padilla and al Marri be transferred to Guantanamo.
The memos were from 2005.
Giambastiani's request was declined.
The memos were released to the Post and Courier in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, filed eight years previously, for information about changes to the role of the prison triggered by al Qaeda's attacks on September 11, 2001. They wrote that when the DoD's response was finally received, "A Pentagon official apologized but gave no explanation for the long delay."


Financial Police (Austria)

The Financial Police () are an Austrian civilian police force under the authority of the Austrian Ministry of Finance. It was founded in 2013 after the "Zollwache" (Customs guard) was dissolved in 2005.
History.
In October 1830 the predecessor organization was founded. During its existence the organization had different denominations like "Gränzwache" (Border guard), "Finanzwache" (Financial Guard) and until its liquidation in May 2004, "Zollwache" (Customs guard). The Italian "Guardia di Finanza" has its roots in the Austrian "Finanzwach"e. The liquidation was conducted, due to the fact, that all neighbour states became members of the European Union or part of the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area.
On 1 July 2013 the Financial Police was founded as a uniformed law enforcement organisation to fight tax fraud, social fraud, illegal gambling, violation of both labour rights and employment regulations. Unlike the predecessor organization of the customs guards, the financial police are unarmed.
Equipment of the Financial Police.
Uniforms.
The financial police officers officially use "service clothing" (uniforms). If the purpose of the application is required, financial police can also intervene in plain clothes. The uniform color of the Ministry of Finance is gray, combined with the red logo of the ministry and black applications.
The standard adjustment consists of: beret, shirt (long / short sleeve), trousers, multi-purpose belt, and boots.
In addition, the following garments are used depending on the weather and application: pullover, fleece jacket, sleeveless vest, raincoat and trousers, safety vest, and protective gloves.
Following special clothing is provided: protective helmet, and safety shoes
The institutions of the financial police have a service card which, on the front, contains the inscription "Dienstausweis Republik Österreich", the photograph of the servant, the designation "Finanzpolizei", the official number of the staff member and the period of validity. With the successful completion of basic training, each financial policeman will also receive a badge (service mark).
Financial Police Vehicles.
The Financial Police have a partly labeled vehicle fleet of different vehicles. In addition to small buses, cars and all-wheel-drive vehicles are also used. The vehicles of the financial police are (partially) equipped with Emergency vehicle equipment as well as stopping bars, for the use in the road traffic. Partially, the vehicles are also labeled "Finanzpolizei". If necessary, the office buses can be marked on the vehicle flanks by magnetic panels.
All vehicles use government Vehicle registration plates with the abbreviation "FV" (for financial administration), the Federal coat of arms and a three-digit number.


VMSB-244

Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 244 (VMSB-244) was a dive bomber squadron in the United States Marine Corps. The squadron, also known as the “Bombing Banshees”, fought in World War II in the Pacific Theater as part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. They were deactivated shortly after the end of the war.
History.
Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 244 was organized and commissioned as VMSB-242 at Midway Atoll on March 1, 1942. While at Midway they were responsible for defensive patrolling, escort missions, and tactical flight training. They remained on Midway until 11 April 1942 when they sailed aboard the USS William Ward Burrows (AP-6) headed for Hawaii. They remained at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu until 20 April when the entire squadron again set sail this time for the west coast of the United States.
The squadron arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara, California on June 14, 1942 and became part of Marine Aircraft Group 24. On 14 September 1942 the squadron was redesignated as VMSB-244. In October of that year they changed out their Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers for the new Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver.
During the early part of January 1943, the squadron was assigned to overseas duty and left San Diego on 7 January 1943 for Midway Atoll. After staging through Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii for a little more than a month VMSB-244 disembarked at Midway on 20 March 1943 where they maintained the same duties as a year earlier. On 18 August 1943 the squadron departed Midway for the Hawaiian Islands where it was then split; both echelons arrived in Espiritu Santo in October where a brief training program and simulated attacks against shipping and airfields soon make them ready for combat. During this training period the squadron insignia and appropriate nickname, the "Bombing Banshees" was originated. Banshee was the USAAF's name for the SBD Dauntless and the title of an ancient Scottish and Irish spirit whose wailing foretold the coming of terror, death and destruction.
In May 1945, as the campaign on Mindanao wound down, the squadron replaced its Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft with the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and shortly thereafter VMSB-244 became the only squadron of MAG-24 to remain active.


Regiment University of Stellenbosch

Regiment University of Stellenbosch was an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it had a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It was part of the South African Army Infantry Corps.
History.
Origins.
In the late 1950s in South Africa, military units were attached to each large university. The University of Stellenbosch acquired an infantry capability transferred from the previous Regiment Tobie Muller itself dating from November 1953.
The regiment was renamed in January 1960.
The concept was for long term students to complete their obligatory military training in these units. Training would also be organised so as not to unduly interfere with university work.
Operations.
The Regiment was deployed for border duty in South West Africa as well as for internal unrest mainly in the Cape Province throughout the 1970s.


Blunts Point Battery

The Blunts Point Battery, also known as Blunts Point Naval Gun or Matautu Ridge Gun Site, is a gun battery on Matautu Ridge near Pago Pago, American Samoa. It was part of the fortification of the Samoan Islands which took place after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and is a rare example of a World War II Pacific coastal gun which remains in relatively pristine condition. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
On August 28, 1941, the two guns shot sixteen rounds at a target floating in Pago Pago Harbor. The guns’ discharge could be heard for miles away. Approximately one week after the guns were tested, ten rounds were shot from each of the two recently-placed guns at Breakers Point.
Description and history.
Blunts Point is a projection on the west side of the mouth of Pago Pago Harbor, on the south side of the island of Tutuila, southeast of the village of Utulei. Two six-inch naval guns are mounted at a point about above sea level, at this point, which has a commanding view of the harbor entrance. The guns are mounted in circular concrete structures with a parapet about high around the outside. A short way below the emplacement is a magazine which is built into the hillside. The battery has recently been restored and is in good condition. It is accessible to the public via a moderately difficult hiking trail.
The tensions of World War II prompted the United States government to begin fortifying American Samoa in 1940. United States Marines installed the two guns at Blunts Point, and another two on the east side of the harbor at Breakers Point. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the capture of Guam shortly thereafter, American Samoa became of critical importance as the only major American base in the western Pacific, and it was further fortified in anticipation of attack. Although no attack ever came, American Samoa was a critical supply and training point for American military actions in the Pacific.


List of lighthouses in the United States

This is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights. Michigan has the most lights of any state with over 150 past and present lights. Lighthouses that are in former U.S. territories are not listed here.
Most of the lights in the United States have been built and maintained by the Coast Guard (since 1939) and its predecessors, the United States Lighthouse Service (1910–1939) and the United States Lighthouse Board (1852–1910). Before the Lighthouse Board was established, local collectors of customs were responsible for lighthouses under Stephen Pleasonton. As their importance to navigation has declined and as public interest in them has increased, the Coast Guard has been handing over ownership and in some cases responsibility for running them to other parties, the chief of them being the National Park Service under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
New England.
New Hampshire
The state of New Hampshire only has two lighthouses both of which are located along the Atlantic coastline.
Vermont
Midwest.
Nebraska
The state of Nebraska has at least two faux lighthouses which were first lit in 1939. There is no evidence that either were used for navigational purposes as the state has no large bodies of water that would require the need. Linoma Lighthouse is located on a privately owned recreation area which was developed around an artificial lake, while Lake Minatare Lighthouse was "built to simulate a lighthouse". Also of note is a faux lighthouse called Rock Garden Lighthouse (not listed below) which is located in Kearney. Lighthouse and rock garden at Harmon Park English: Harmon Park
United States Minor Outlying Islands.
This table lists lighthouses that are in insular areas of the United States. All of the islands listed below are uninhabited, and have not been formerly incorporated into the country.


Gilles G. Brunet

Sergeant Gilles G. Brunet was a career officer in Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 1972 American suspicions had triggered one of Brunet's colleagues, Leslie James Bennett, to lose his security clearance, leading to his dismissal. A year after Brunet's death, a Soviet defector named Vitaly Sergeyevich Yurchenko would clear Bennett, and assert that Brunet was the mole.
Brunet was the son of Josaphat Brunet, the first director of the RCMP Security Service.
According to "The Fifth Estate", Gilles Brunet lived beyond his means, and made frequent trips to Mexico.
His father would rise to the rank of Deputy Commissioner.
Brunet joined the RCMP Security Service in the early 1960s, and at first, seemed to show promise that would merit holding greater positions of trust. He was offered Russian Language training, and did well. He played a significant role in the conviction of Bower Featherstone, and won a promotion in 1966.
But Brunet was drinking too much, and his marriage was in trouble because his wife, correctly, believed he was sexually unfaithful to her.
According to "Secret Service: Political Policing in Canada -- from the Fenians to Fortress America", Brunet enlisted as a Soviet informant in January 1968. Later in 1968, his wife, looking for traces of his infidelities, found a $2,000 payment from the Soviets in his car. She reported the suspicious funds to the RCMP, and her report was dismissed because Brunet had warned colleagues that his jealous wife would say anything to bring him down.
Brunet betrayed Nikolai Artamonov, a Soviet who had found political asylum in the USA.
After making his way to the USA, and seeking asylum, Artamonov started working with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Soviet agent Igor Kochnov approached Artamonov, and invited him to return home. While Artamonov pretended to agree, and to meet someone to handle his extraction, in Montreal, he informed his FBI handler. Because the meet was in Canada, the RCMP Security Service became involved, and Brunet told his handlers that Artamonov's negotiations to return home were a trap. No one was captured in Montreal, but the Soviets caught up with Artamonov two years later in Vienna, where he died of a drug overdose when they tried to abduct, drug and repatriate him.
Brunet was still receiving glowing performance reviews as late as 1972. In 1973, however, he and colleague Donald McCreery were fired, because it was believed they had ties to organized crime figures in Montreal.
After they were fired, Brunet and McCreery founded a private security firm.
In 1977 Brunet and McCreery were key witnesses before the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP. According to "Crimes by the Capitalist State", the pair testified about "barn burning, the theft of documents, and 'participation and assistance to the CIA in offensive activities in Canada.'"
According to the "Historical Dictionary of Air Intelligence", Brunet still had knowledge of the handling of Soviet defectors in 1978. The book asserts Brunet told his handlers that Vladimir Vetrov had not been emphatic in rejecting recruitment efforts by the RCMP, which triggered an investigation into Vetrov's loyalty to the Soviet Union, that, in turn, triggered hard feelings that led him to leak secrets about how the Soviets covertly copied western military and technology projects to French agents.
According to "Moles, Defectors, and Deceptions: James Angleton and CIA Counterintelligence", Brunet died of a heart attack shortly before the RCMP was going to interview him about whether he was a mole.
In "Enquêtes sur les services secrets", Normand Lester writes that he died on April 9, 1984 while he was manager of the Centennial Memorial Gardens cemetery (now Rideau Memorial Gardens) in Dollars-des-Ormeaux, a Montreal suburb.
Nigel West, in a book profiling the directors of Britain's MI6, asserted that the RCMP didn't begin investigating Brunet until their suspicions were confirmed by MI6. West claimed "SIS's contribution greatly enhanced the Service's standing across the Atlantic..."


Cross of Combat Merit

The Cross of Combat Merit () was the highest award of Ukrainian Insurgent Army. It awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian army. The Order was instituted on January 27, 1944 by the Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council leaders, Roman Shukhevych and Dmytro Hrytsai.
The Order is awarded in five (golden, silver and bronze) grades and had a red ribbon with a black stripe.


USNS Trenton (T-EPF-5)

USNS "Trenton" (T-EPF-5), ("formerly" JHSV-5), (ex-"Resolute") is a vessel. "Spearhead"-class ships are used to support overseas operations, conduct humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and support special operations forces. This type of vessel also has an aviation flight deck and can operate in shallow waters. "Trenton" completed acceptance trials on 13 March 2015 and was delivered to the United States Navy on 13 April 2015.
June 2018 rescue.
On 12 June 2018 "Trenton" rescued 40 migrants from a dinghy in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, 12 people died before they could be picked up. Due to an ongoing dispute between Italy and Malta about the acceptance of migrants, arriving with Non-governmental organization (NGO) Search and rescue (SAR) ships, "Trenton" was at first unable to find a port willing to accept the people. The private NGO ship "Sea Watch III" denied "Trenton"s request to transfer the migrants, fearing to share the fate of the NGO ship , which had been turned away by Italy and Malta two days earlier on 10 June and had to travel to Spain instead.
"Trenton" was spotted waiting for orders off the port of Augusta, Sicily on 15 June. The 41 individuals were finally accepted by Italy and were handed over to the Italian Coast Guard vessel "Diciotti" on 17 June at Lampedusa.


The Airmen of Note

The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force and part of the United States Air Force Band. Created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, the "Note" is a touring big band that consists of 18 professional jazz musicians from across the United States.
The band has presented jazz performances to audiences throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and produces broadcasts and recordings, with one release reaching number two on the "JazzWeek" jazz album chart. In 1954 the Airmen of Note played Miller's band in the movie "The Glenn Miller Story".
Musical style.
The Glenn Miller sound has remained central, but the band adopted a more contemporary sound in the 1950s and 1960s largely due to staff arrangers such as Sammy Nestico. Over the past four decades, Mike Crotty and Alan Baylock have taken that role. To augment its writing staff, the Airmen of Note has commissioned works by Bob Florence, Bob Mintzer, Rob McConnell, and Bill Holman. Sammy Nestico and former band member Tommy Newsom have composed works for the group. The group took a further step in diversifying their sound in their 2019 album "Global Reach", which featured tunes inspired by cultures from across the world.
Music education.
Many of its members have backgrounds in music education. They lead clinics at high schools and colleges across the country and have been invited to perform at conventions such as the International Association of Jazz Educators, , and The Midwest Clinic.
Guests.
The Airmen of Note have recorded and performed with Allen Vizzutti, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson. In 1990, the Airmen of Note established the Jazz Heritage Series, featuring the "Note" in concert with icons of jazz. Musicians that have joined the "Note" for the program include Al Jarreau, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Kurt Elling, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Paquito D'Rivera, Nicholas Payton, and Karrin Allyson. Every year, the Jazz Heritage Series is broadcast over National Public Radio, independent jazz radio stations, satellite radio, and the internet.


Red Ponchos

The Red Ponchos () are a militia mostly containing Aymara reservists of the Bolivian Army in the Andean region of Omasuyos. Their actions keep in mind their original culture, and they use Ayllu organizational forms with a communal structure, a practice that is used in Aymara and Quechua societies. They are estimated to have numbers in the thousands.
History.
The Red Ponchos originated from Achacachi, the capital of Omasuyos. The date of the Red Ponchos' founding is uncertain, although they did come to prominence in September 2003, when they fought against the government of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. They fought him again in 2007, when he announced that he would defend the territorial integrity of Bolivia against separatism.
On November 23rd, 2007, the Red Ponchos beat and beheaded two dogs in Sucre as a threat. Red Ponchos Eugenio Rojas and Ruperto Quispe warned that the Red Ponchos would march to Sucre on November 25th, saying that the Red Ponchos would attack any opposition.
The Red Ponchos were supporters of President Evo Morales when he tried to reform the Constitution of Bolivia in order to make it a multicultural state. In 2013, they protested against the banning of Morales's flight by the French government. In 2016, when Morales was inquiring about whether a renewed presidential campaign would be constitutional or not, the Red Ponchos strongly believed that Morales should have been able to run for President again.
Bolivian protests of 2019.
Due to Evo Morales's Aymara heritage and his forced resignation in the 2019 Bolivian political crisis, Red Ponchos left the city of El Alto in protest on November 11th. They called for a civil war that would occur. Their terms, declared on November 18th, was that, if figures in the new government would not step down within 24 hours, they would march to La Paz and start a civil war.
Uniform.
The Red Ponchos wear red ponchos, for which the movement is named after. It is a "symbol of war" and can also be used as a blanket for sleeping in the open. At the throat is the Chalina, which holds the ponchos in place and serves as protection for the throat against weather. The Q'urawa, also known as the Honda, is a weapon that is two or more meters long and made with llama or sheep wool. Dynamite and stones can be inserted inside an opening in the center. The Red Ponchos also wear the Lluch'u (Andean Cap) as headwear during training nights. They wear around the Ch'uspa, a multicolored bag used for carrying food, drinks, and various other things, as well as the Whiska, a flexible of various colors in criss-crossing lines, which is used to tie and suspend weights. It can also be used as a blunt weapon.


Modular Tactical Vest

The Modular Tactical Vest (MTV or MoTaV) is a ballistic vest originally adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 2006. The MTV was designed as a solution to shortcomings in the decade-old Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) and was selected after a rigorous proposal and examination process by the Marine Corps. The MTV provides better protection levels than the IBA, although it uses the same Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) plates. The MTV weighs , three pounds more than the IBA, but is designed to more effectively distribute its weight throughout the wearer's torso.
History.
After conducting a survey of more than 1,000 Marines and finding that a majority of the Marine Corps had been overall highly satisfied with the MTV, in January 2009 the Marine Corps announced that it would be making some modifications to the MTV to improve comfort, mobility and safety. The Marine Corps awarded a major contract to Protective Products International (subsidiary of Protective Products of America) to produce 60,000 vests and began fielding them in 2007 and a continued roll-out is expected. The Navy also ordered 28,364 MTVs.
Design.
The MTV includes the following features:
The vest is donned and doffed using a hook-and-pile "cummerbund," which fastens around the waist, and a buckle atop each shoulder. Some users have complained that the vest is more time-consuming to don (especially with a full combat load attached) when compared to the Interceptor's single hook-and-loop flap. The quick-release system was designed in response to concerns that the Interceptor was difficult for medical personnel to remove from incapacitated troops and in some cases had to be cut off. When pulled firmly, a cord at the bottom of the vest causes the cummerbund to separate into two pieces. The shoulder buckles can then be unfastened and the vest removed in pieces, with no need to change the casualty's body position.
Improved Modular Tactical Vest.
In July 2013, the Marine Corps announced its Improved Modular Tactical Vests. The IMTV is made for smaller stature Marines who cannot wear the full-sized MTV comfortably. The vest comes in small-short, medium-short, and large-short sizes. Most Marines use the Scalable Plate Carrier in the field, so it is hoped that the additional sizes will encourage Marines to wear the IMTV in combat. The Corps does not want to design female-specific body armor and has found that the issue was different statures related to the length of the torso. The IMTV can fit women as well as smaller stature men.
Protection offered.
The vest has slots for NIJ Level 3A analogue (it is not tested against .44 SWC) kevlar soft armor inserts, with additional slots for hard armor plates, in this case the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts (ESAPI). The ESAPI Rev G, the latest model of such armor plates, will protect the wearer against two rounds of .30-06 M2AP at 868 meters per second and will stop multiple hits of lesser threats such as 5.56×45mm NATO, 7.62×51mm NATO, and 7.62×39mm. This is opposed to Rev A versions, which would stop M2AP 1.6 times, once with complete confidence, and a second one 60% of the time.


Gathering of Eagles Program

The Gathering of Eagles Program is an annual aviation event that traces its origin back to 1980, when retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets was invited to visit the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base to share some of his experiences with the students. Tibbetts' visit became the genesis for Gathering of Eagles. The first official Gathering of Eagles, known at the time as, "Great Moments in Aviation History," was held in 1982 when a small faculty and student group was chartered to develop an aviation heritage program. This initial cadre designed a program encouraging the study of aviation history, and the contributions of aviation pioneers. The Gathering of Eagles program at ACSC at Maxwell AFB, Alabama was started by Lt. Col. David L. McFarland in 1982, and he was the principal advisor of this program from 1982 through 2000. Each academic year, students (with rank of major) could apply and be selected to help plan this annual project, under the guidance of Lt. Col. McFarland and other faculty members. Dave McFarland personally traveled all over the world to meet and invite famous aviators to participate and be honored in the program, and his name is referenced in the annual booklet that was published for each gathering.
Mission.
The Gathering of Eagles (GOE) is a year-long program that capstones the ACSC curriculum. Each year, people who have made a significant contribution to Airpower receive invitations to a week-long event to share their personal stories of courage, perseverance, and innovation to the ACSC class and local community. GOE has been an annual event since 1982 and has honored over 450 Eagles including Neil Armstrong, Jimmy Doolittle, Bea Haydu, John Glenn, Curtis LeMay, and Chuck Yeager.
Current Eagles.
In Academic Year 2019, the Gathering of Eagles team selected 9 legends in Air, Space, and Cyberpower. The lineup for 2019 includes: General (ret) Kevin P. Chilton, Lt Gen (ret) Frank Klotz, Col (ret) Carlyle Smitty Harris, Col (ret) William 'Hawk' Mol, Col (ret) Walter Watson Jr., Col (ret) Merryl Tengesdal, CMSgt Don A. Beasley, SMSgt Thomas Case, and Mr. Abe Karem. From 28-30 May 2019, each of these Eagles are being honored at Air University. On May 29th, 3 Eagles will present their story at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
History.
The first official Gathering of Eagles (then known as "Great Moments in Aviation History") was held in 1982 when a small faculty and student group were selected to develop an aviation heritage program. This initial cadre designed a program encouraging the study of aviation history and the contributions of aviation pioneers. Fifteen distinguished aviators were invited to share their unique personal experiences through a series of teaching interviews and social events with members of the class. They were a diverse group from many nations and services. The first "Eagles" — George Vaughn, Leigh Wade, Jimmy Doolittle, Curtis LeMay, George Gay, Joe Foss, John Mitchell, "Chuck" Yeager, Gail Halvorsen, Paul Tibbets, "Gabby" Gabreski, Robin Olds, Mike Novosel, "Pete" Knight and Neil Armstrong spanned aviation history from World War I to the Space Age. The Eagles who followed included Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., "Robbie" Risner, George Bush, John Glenn, Joe Engle, Jeremiah Denton, "Bud" Day, Dolphin D. Overton III, Ramon Colon-Lopez.


Coast Guard Air Station Salem

Coast Guard Air Station Salem was a United States Coast Guard air station located in Salem, Massachusetts from 1935 to 1970. Its area of coverage extended from New York City to the Canada–United States border.
Mission.
The air station's missions included search and rescue, law enforcement, counting migratory waterfowl for the U.S. Biological Survey, and assisting icebound islands by delivering provisions. During World War II anti-submarine patrols were also conducted from the air station.
History.
With little room to expand at Coast Guard Aviation Station Ten Pound Island in Gloucester, a new air station was established at Salem in 1935. CGAS Salem was built with a barracks, hangar, an apron, and a seaplane ramp; it never had facilities for fixed-wing landplanes. The station was built on Winter Island, on land adjacent to the War of 1812 vintage Fort Pickering, and on or near the site of the construction of the sail frigate by one of Enos Briggs' shipyards in 1799. The station performed 26 medevac missions in its first year of operation. During World War II anti-submarine patrols were conducted from the air station. In October 1944 the station was the first on the eastern seaboard to be designated as part of the Air-Sea Rescue Service.
In 1950, Air Detachment Quonset Point, Rhode Island was established as a sub unit of Air Station Salem. During the 1950s, helicopters were introduced with a great deal of success as a rescue platform.
With the development circa 1960 of the Sikorsky HH-52A, an amphibious helicopter, the need for flying boats was lessened. The US Navy retired its last seaplane, the P5M Marlin, in 1967. Therefore, air stations having only water landing capabilities, such as Salem, were phased out. It was replaced by Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod in 1970, and CGAS Salem closed that year. The station's surviving facilities are part of Salem's Winter Island Marine Park.
Aircraft.
Over its history from 1935 to 1970 CGAS Salem operated numerous types of seaplanes and helicopters. Seaplanes included the Vought UO-4, General Aviation PJ-1, J4F Widgeon, Curtiss SOC-4, Grumman JRF Goose, Vought OS2U Kingfisher, Martin PBM-5, Consolidated PBY, and the Grumman HU-16 Albatross. Helicopters included the Sikorsky HO3S, HH-52A Seaguard, Piasecki HUP Army Mule, and the Piasecki HRP-1. An indoor Link Trainer was also at the air station for pilot proficiency.


Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal

The Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal is awarded to Department of the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps civilians who distinguish themselves by performing well above that which is usually expected of an individual commensurate with his or her grade or specialty, and above the degree of excellence which can be appropriately reflected in the individual's performance evaluations, or personnel records. The medal may be awarded after a significant achievement (such as an invention, or improvement in design, procedure, or organization) or after an extended period of time (such as a deployment or overseas tour). Recipients are recognized at the equivalent level of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal awarded to military personnel for similar achievement.
The award consists of a certificate and citation signed by the activity head, the medal on a suspension ribbon, and a lapel emblem. The award is the fourth highest Navy civilian award, ranking just behind the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, and before the Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal. The approval authority for the award is commanders in the rank of O-6 and above and civilians in equivalent positions and above. The earliest known medal presentation was to Bilyana Atova at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Jan. 16, 2019.
Medal and ribbon description.
The medal shape is a bronze hexagon. On the obverse is an eagle, perched on a horizontal anchor, with horizontally displayed wings and bearing a shield with thirteen strips and a broad band across the top. The eagle is adapted from the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the arrows were replaced with an anchor to denote civilian service in the Department of the Navy.
On the reverse of the medal, arched across the top, are the words "Honor Courage Commitment." In the center a stacked inscription reads "Department of the Navy Civilian Service Commendation," and at the bottom is a fouled anchor resting upon a laurel wreath. The anchor conveys service to the Navy while the laurel wreath is emblematic of achievement and honor. Together, the wreath and anchor characterize the Navy and Marine Corps core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.
The colors of the ribbon are myrtle green with three white stripes. These colors are consistent with the equivalent award for military service members (the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal).


Training and Doctrine Command (Nigeria)

The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC Minna) is a research-oriented formation in the Nigerian Army. It is headquartered in Minna in the Niger State. TRADOC is charged with doctrinal training and combat development, supervising training centers. It also serves as a senior think-tank in Nigeria. TRADOC was formed in 1981 under the leadership of Major General Geoffrey Obiaje Ejiga, and currently supervises all the Army's schools, as well as an army depot.
Functions.
TRADOC supports army training and coordinates research on the development of army corps and schools. It serves as a liaison between the army and educational establishments in ensuring the professional development of junior officers in the field. When multiple army divisions concurrently deploy, TRADOC serves as a corps headquarters to direct the operational tasks of the divisions.
Structure.
Outside its organizational departments, TRADOC consists of 18 corps training schools, as well as a museum, a training depot and a command college. TRADOC also sponsors the Nigerian Military School at Zaria. The Training and Doctrine Command consists of:


Newman A. Flanagan

Newman A. Flanagan (born March 5, 1930) is an American attorney and politician who served as the district attorney of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. He was also a State Deputy of Massachusetts in the Knights of Columbus.
Early life and education.
Flanagan was born in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. He graduated from Boston College High School in 1947 and served in the United States Navy during the Korean War, where he won three battle stars and a unit citation. In 1954, he graduated from Boston College. He spent two years at Boston College Law School and then transferred to the New England Law Boston, where he graduated in 1957.
Career.
In May 1961, he took a job working for Suffolk County District Attorney Garrett H. Byrne and in November 1962 he was made an Assistant District Attorney. He prosecuted 2,500 cases, including a successful manslaughter case against physician Kenneth C. Edelin in 1975 for performing an abortion.
Flanagan resigned his position on December 31, 1977 and ran against Byrne for the position of district attorney. He beat Byrne and three others in the Democratic primary on September 19, 1978 and faced no opposition in the general election. After he resigned in 1992, he became the executive director of the National Association of District Attorneys.
Knights of Columbus.
Flanagan joined the Knights of Columbus while at Boston College. He rose through the ranks and was elected State Deputy on May 18, 1980. He served until 1982. His father, James H. Flanagan, was state deputy from 1944 to 1946, making them the only father-son duo to be state deputy in Massachusetts history and only the sixth in the history of the order. His son, Paul A. Flanagan, was elected state deputy in 2018, making them the first three-generation set of state deputies in the history of the Knights of Columbus. He went on to become a supreme director.
Personal life.
His brother, James H. Flanagan, Jr., was a diocesan priest and his brother Joseph F.X. Flanagan was a Jesuit priest. With his wife Eileen P. Gushue he has four sons and three daughters.