This post stays towards the top, and will be updated periodically. Scroll down for current posts

From Milblogging.com:

Nominations are now Open for the 2006 Milbloggies
Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 11:59 AM
The Milbloggies Award recognizes military bloggers for their contribution to blogging, news and information, and to the military over the past year.

Overview

1. A military blog can be nominated ONLY once by the same registered user. However, a user can nominate as many military blogs as they wish. All nominations must be submitted online through Milblogging.com by 5:00 pm EST on February 21, 2007.

2. The top five nominees in each branch and country category will be announced on February 22nd and those nominees will move into the Voting Phase beginning February 22, 2007. The Voting Phase will close on February February 26, 2007. Instructions on voting will appear on the website on February 22, 2007.

3. Nominees may be military blogs that belong to the following branch categories and countries in the Milblogging.com database:

Branch Categories:
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Army
U.S. Civilian
U.S. Civilian Contractor
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Marine Corps
U.S. Military (Parent)
U.S. Military (Spouse)
U.S. Military (Veteran)
U.S. Military Supporter
U.S. Navy
U.S. Reporter
Foreign National (Civilian)
Foreign National (Military)

Countries:
Afghanistan
Germany
Canada
Iraq
United States

4. To nominate a military blog, you must be signed in or a registered user (just like last year). Registration is quick and free and you will not receive any SPAM. This helps maintain the integrity of voting. To place you nomination, simply click on the listing in the Milblogging.com database, and click the Nominate button at the top of the blog profile. You can reivew the milblogs you nominated at any time, by signing in and clicking Manage Favorites.

Click the link that says View Milblogs Nominated by You.

5. Winners will be presented awards at the 2007 Milblog Conference on May 5, 2007. Winners are not required to attend the conference in order to receive their awards.

6. You can track the Nomination Standings any time by viewing the Charts:
Branch Nomination Standings
Country Nomination Standings

(note: We are currently fixing the standings, so that you do not have to be signed in or a registered user to view the current standings)

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Feel free to leave your comments below or send an email to milblogging-AT-gmail.com

You can also discuss and chat about this year's Milbloggies with other members in the Discussion Boards.


Just in case you wanted to know - ahem - this blog is currently listed in the U.S. Civilian category.

Labels: Milbloggies

It's a post I've wanted to do - a look into what was being said about WWII while it was going on. As I've said multiple times, the anti-war crowd hasn't changed its tune in a long, long time. And they're just as wrong now as they have been all along.

The Jawa Report has a post you need to read, for a little walk down Moonbat Memory Lane...

Grave concern was expressed today by informed officials that the United States might soon lose the fruits of victory in Germany through the failure to prepare adequately for carrying out its long-term commitments under the Potsdam Declaration. Government failures were attributed in part to public apathy. The predictions of a coming crisis are predicated upon three points...

Go Read the Rest

Labels: History, Jawa Report, Moonbats

Marines from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, for whom this is their first combat tour, are faced with an array of missions that can be overwhelming to inexperienced Marines. Luckily, they have battle tested Marines like Cpl. Dennis W. Simon, 28, from Leesburg, Fl., to lead them. The short time between deployments has given birth to a generation of Marines tasting combat for the second, third, or even fourth time. Photo submitted 02/20/2007, Taken by Lance Cpl. Christopher Zahn

Read the story associated with this photo

Labels: 3-6 Marine Regiment, photos, USMC

Do you have the will, Congress?

That's the question posed by Brat over at Tanker Brothers. She received an email from Deborah, whose son was killed in Iraq. Deborah wants Congress to know that she, her husband, and other families will "stand for no less than VICTORY on behalf of speaking out against the part of Congress that seems to demoralize our troops and families, and split this nation."

Brat also shares a letter to Deborah from a Chaplain currently in Iraq that's a must-read. And of course, Brat's added her thoughts too.

Go check it out, at Tanker Brothers.

No one has more understanding of the price of this war than the family of a Soldier who's paid the ultimate price for it. If they can understand the importance of our efforts in Iraq, why can't Congress?

Labels: Fallen Heroes, politics

Last month, I meant to get to a post to note my 2-year blog-iversary.

Hard to believe it's been two years since I started here.

The two-year blog-iversary came with some other milestones, too. I was named one of the Ten Best Milblogs in the VA Mortgage Center Blog contest. And more recently, I've been nominated for a Milbloggie. Pretty darned cool, to put it mildly - I can remember when I said to myself, how cool would it be to get nominated for a Milbloggie?.

I started blogging tentatively, after forwarding a few items to Patti. She finally turned the blog over to me, a responsibility I take seriously. I have always tried to stay true to what Patti started this for - to support our Heroes, to post lots of pictures in the hopes that those who knew the Heroes pictured would be able to see them, and to get out the good news about what our Heroes were doing. Nervously, I often asked Patti if something would be OK to post - especially when it concerned my early rants. Patti was always encouraging - "Anything you like, I like," she'd say. Pictures were always a large part of this blog, which is why you'll still find several posted daily. My favorites are the "My Hero..." posts. Anything that lets military families brag about their Heroes is OK by me.

A darker element of the beginning of my blogging days is that they started right about the time that we lost a young Hero named Gunnar Becker. I have posted about Gunnar before. He was very special to Soldiers' Angels, as is his Mom, Debey. It was Debey that let me know about an anti-war display that was using Gunnar's name, and then sent the pictures of how fallen Heroes should be honored. If you can today, please spare a moment to honor his memory. And let Debey know you're thinking of her. I have a special project to tell you about soon that Gunnar's memory, for me, plays a part in, but I'll save that for another post.

Then there was the other event marking my blog-i-versary this year - a bit of a shocker, actually, but in a very, very good way.

Another Soldier I've mentioned more than once is my first adoptee with Soldiers' Angels. I can remember the day I got his name in my email - I fired off my first excited letter, and was thrilled to get a reply pretty much immediately (almost two weeks to the day that I sent my letter off - pretty remarkable). My first adoptee was a Cavalry Scout, with a wife and a young daughter at home. We shared the same wry sense of humor, and we hit it off immediately. He became a sort of little brother to me, and I could predict the day letters would arrive from the land of sand. His picture is on my wall at work, there's an Iraqi bill in a frame on my desk, and there's a letter on my wall from his squad, thanking me for Halloween candy I sent. They all signed it.

Eventually, he was able to instant message me, and I remember one day, when he was talking with me about a very difficult day he'd had. I won't go into specifics, but he was asking me if his reaction - almost none - had been normal given what had happened. He asked me if it was messed up.

I can remember struggling for what to say, and I can remember when it hit me - 'Holy crap, I'm trying to cheer up a Soldier in a war zone. What the hell do I say here???'

'No,' I told him. 'It's not messed up. You're a Sergeant, and you were taking care of your men. You were doing your job. Remember what I told you - there's the you at home with your wife and your daughter, and there's Super Sarge. You'll be OK.'

'Then again,' I said, 'you're asking me what's normal in a war zone. I'm not sure there's any such thing. And how the heck would I know, anyway? I'd probably freak out if I did your job.'

'Yeah, you're paranoid of spiders,' he said - the first sign of his humor kicking in.

'Now, that's not fair. I'm telling you, just 'cause I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get me.'

And just like that, the darkness passed. He was laughing again - that was a good thing. By the end of the conversation, he was in really good spirits, and I was left hoping I'd helped.

It's a momentous thing to do what Angels do. For those of us who are lucky enough to get close to our adoptees, I think there comes a universal moment when you realize exactly what it is you're doing - trying to help, in whatever small way you can, to keep "your" Soldier (or Airman, or Sailor, or Marine) OK, trying to let them know what they mean to all of us.

My little bro hadn't really been specific about anything he was seeing until one letter I'd written. I had been travelling, and I'd seen the news - talking about a pretty ugly event in the area he was working in. I'd included in my letter the following sentiment.

Just want you to know, there is nothing you can ever do that will make me think of you as anything other than a Hero. I know that my father-in-law tells some stories that are pretty ugly about where he was, and judging from the few stories he thinks are fit to tell, I probably don't want to hear the other ones. I know enough to know that war is ugly. If you need to vent, vent. It will not change one thing about what I think of you. You are, and will always be, a Hero to me.

That must have unlocked something, because after that I got more glimpses into what it was to be a Soldier in Iraq. Nothing too specific - nothing that would violate OPSEC, of course, but little details here and there about what his life was like. Some funny, some scary, but each one a treasure in that they represented the fact that a Hero trusted me enough to share them.

I cried the day he told me he was coming home - most of that was joy and relief. Some, admittedly, was the fact that I'd miss talking with him. He promised to stay in touch, and part of what my husband referred to as his "coming home dream" was to come up and visit. In our last IM conversation before he left Iraq, I told him,

'It would be very cool to see you, and you're certainly welcome to visit, but I just want you to know that if you change your mind when you get home, that's OK. Things may change a lot once you actually get home to your wife and daughter.'

He insisted he still wanted to come and visit, and again I said he was welcome, but would not be hurt if he didn't. I also told him that whether we stayed in touch or not would be entirely up to him. Soldiers' Angels has a policy that once your Hero comes home, contact ends unless it's requested, initiated, by the Hero.

'I'm a part of a pretty ugly episode in your life,' I said, 'so I understand if you don't want to stay in touch. If you ever need me again, I'm here. I told you in my first letter - my support comes with no strings whatsoever. It's a privilege to have been your Angel.'

He was still insistent that he wanted to stay in touch. And, in truth, he did email me a little while after he got home to let me know he was home safe. After that, the emails got rarer, and then stopped. Much as I missed talking to him, I also took it as a good sign - if he didn't need to talk with me, then life was probably just motoring on, which was my hope all along. Come home safe, and get on with your life.

I emailed him all the major holidays his first year home, and heard from him a couple of times. The next year (this past one), I only emailed him once - on his birthday.

Much to my surprise, I got a reply. He thanked me for the birthday e-card, and told me how much it meant that I'd remembered his birthday. He also told me something else - he was headed back to Iraq.

He was a little nervous about it this time, to say the least. And he promised to stay in touch.

Then I got an email from Kuwait, letting me know he'd gotten there OK, and would email again when he got a chance.

And so I've come sort of full circle in my angelling. From the first day, when I got the email with my first Soldier's name, to now, nearly three years later, emailing with the same Soldier, it's been quite a journey.

Still the best thing I think I've ever done with my time. Bar none. I am humbled, and honored, and proud, to be able to enter the world of Heroes. And every blog entry I post, every letter that I write, every package that I send, is, in some small way, related to one Cav Scout with a dry sense of humor, and a wife and daughter at home.

Keep your helmet on, your head down, and your wits sharp, little bro - hubby and I are always here if you need us. And you are always, always our Hero.

Labels: Gunnar Becker, opinion, Soldiers' Angels, Supporting the troops, tributes

DoD Working on Patient-Care Issues
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007 – The Defense Department is working to address patient-care problems recently identified at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the department’s flagship medical facility, a DoD spokesman said today.

Wounded servicemembers at Walter Reed still receive the best medical care available, but they do face some administrative and personnel problems that need to be fixed, Bryan Whitman told reporters.

“Taking care of our wounded servicemembers is about taking care of the entire person, and taking care of the entire person is making sure that their administrative needs are taken care of, that when they’re outpatients that their housing needs are taken care of, and there are some shortcomings there,” Whitman said.

A recent Washington Post series of articles detailed housing problems, a lack of assistance and bureaucratic frustrations for Walter Reed outpatients, who live in buildings on post or in nearby houses, apartments and hotels while continuing treatment or awaiting decisions about their duty status.

The Army has known about these issues for some time and has been working on them, Whitman said, but DoD leaders have just been made aware of them. Top leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, are discussing the issues and how best to address them, he said.

“The department takes these issues very seriously; they’re being looked into,” Whitman said. “Our servicemembers that are wounded deserve the kind of holistic care that goes beyond just the medical treatment that they receive in our facilities, which is unquestionably outstanding.”

Whitman added that Winkenwerder is looking into whether similar problems may exist in other DoD medical facilities. No formal review has been announced, however.


Related Posts:
Accusations of Poor Conditions at WRAMC
ROFASix: Second Look at the Walter Reed Story

Labels: Walter Reed, Wounded Heroes

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Blair to Announce Iraq Withdrawal Timetable
Attacks in Baghdad Leave at Least 18 Dead
Iraqis take Basra command as UK plans troop cuts
Maliki orders security forces to crush foes
9 killed when gas tanker bombed in Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghan and Coalition Forces Destroy Large Taliban Munitions Cache
Afghans, U.S. Soldiers Recognized for Heroism

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Donor to GOP Hit With Terrorism Charges
Appeals Court Rules Against Gitmo Detainees
Report finds U.S. terrorism statistics inaccurate
Hamas hopes for softer U.S. line on deal - Video
Israel threatens to ignore Abbas
Sketches released of India bomb suspects

Troops on Trial
U.S. soldier pleads guilty in Iraq rape, murders

Other Military News
PBS Documentary Captures Corps’ Values (Airing tonight on PBS)

Religion of Peace??
Pakistani Minister Murdered For Refusing to Wear a Veil
Islamic spies to snoop on lovers

Worldwide Wackos
Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Stop Nuke Enrichment If Western Nations Do, Too
Iran offers atomic assurances via talks - Video

Politics / Government
Bush Urges Diversity in Spy Recruitment
White House defends Rumsfeld from McCain criticism
McConnell takes over as new intelligence chief
Russian missile "blackmail" won't work, Czechs say

Immigration / Border Control
Border Agents Find 2 Tons of Pot in Camouflaged Trucks

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Mom Vanishes Into the Night
11-Year-Old Florida Girl Returns Home After Amber Alert Issued
High Court Won't Review NYC Nativity Ban
Prosecutors say Libby lied as trial ends
Judge: Calif. prison transfers illegal

U.N. News
UN Security Council approves Somalia peacekeepers Video
Serbs, Albanians open last talks on UN Kosovo plan

Science / Medicine / Technology
Pregnancy hormone may offer hope for MS patients
Parents bank kids' umbilical cord blood
Merck suspends lobbying for vaccine

Mother Nature
EPA seeks comment on greenhouse gas inventory

Oddities
Bros. Killed After Crashing Into Each Other
Please don't invite us to your wedding, couple says

Other News of Note
Treasure Trove of Egyptian Tombs Unveiled to World
Holocaust Monument Defaced in Ukraine

Fox News
Oops! It's Rehab, Again!
High Court Tosses $79.5M Tobacco Award
JetBlue Introduces 'Customer Bill of Rights'
AMA to Hear Fears Over 'Forever Young' Girl
Startup Wants to Help You Find Parking Space
Court Battles Over Anna Nicole Smith
Doctors Extend Hospital Stay of Tiniest Premature Baby
Katie Holmes' Creepy Magazine Cover Story
Kelly Osbourne Says Member of Her Family Has AIDS

Reuters: Top News
Police swarm Mexico City barrio in anti-drug push
Mardi Gras revelry brings New Orleans hope - Video
Ground delays impact millions at U.S. airports yearly
New finds show longevity of Egyptian necropolis
Windows Vista well received: Gates
Bill Gates keeps close eye on kids' computer time
U.S. film shows despair under mountain of debt
China's investment curbs face test of steel
Yearning most common after loved one's death-study
Low testosterone in men may be diabetes risk factor
O.J. Simpson residuals must go to Goldman: judge
Indexes rise on mergers
Oil falls over 2 pct as warm weather hits U.S.
Stocks rise, bonds little changed
Two dollar funds begin trading on AMEX
KBW quarterly earnings soar, shares jump
Private equity goes it alone
Chips set to sizzle
HP quarterly profit rises
JetBlue says delays could cost $30 mln
Maguire to buy ex-EOP property from Blackstone
Sapporo considers management buyout - Video

AP World News
Hewlett-Packard 1Q profit up 26 percent
Bonds' message: Go ahead, investigate me
Leyland: Young criticism was out of line
JetBlue vows to win back passengers
Boyfriend: Smith wanted to be in Bahamas
Spike Lee wins Polk Award

Military.com
Plan Lowers Reserve Retirement Age
New Spy Chief Takes Over
Iran Sets Conditions for Halting Nukes
DT: New Dirty Bomb Threat
Sgt. Shaft: Bills Extending Benefits
Op-ed: Pointing the Finger at Iran
Blog: Russia Redux
This Milspouse is a Cartoon
Military Poll

CENTCOM: Press Releases
HELO ACCIDENT WRECKAGE DESTROYED BY COALITION
IA, 2-7 CAVALRY PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO ONE CACHE AFTER ANOTHER
USS JOHN C. STENNIS CARRIER STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES IN 5TH FLEET
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR FEB. 19
UPDATE ON TARMIYAH ATTACK: MND-B TROOPS FIGHT OFF INSURGENTS, DETAIN SEVEN IN WAKE OF ONSLAUGHT

USJFCOM
USJFCOM partners with ACT to sponsor NATO urban workshop - podcast
JPADS continues to improve the way it delivers aerial drops to the warfighter - podcast

DefenseLink
McConnell Takes Oath, Joins Security Team - Story
Survivors of Afghan Helicopter Crash in Germany - Story
Wreckage Destroyed; Coalition Forces Target Taliban

More Headline News
Volunteer Leads With Passion for Troops
Iraqi, Coalition Forces Nab Suspected Terrorists
Dedication Key to Baghdad Security Plan
Force Increase Necessary for War on Terror

Military News
Troops to Teachers Adds Advance Hiring Feature
Officials Accelerate Army Unit's Deployment
Military Health System Excels at Mission
Chu: Recruiting, Retention Remain Solid

War on Terror
Soldiers Help Bomb Victims
Troops Die in Iraq, Afghanistan
Baghdad Security Plan Named

Transformation
Training Becomes More Realistic - Story
Propane Plant Fuels Alternatives
New Program Encourages Savings
U.S., Peruvian Air Forces Train

America Supports You
Businesses Aim to Hire Vets - Story
Foundation Helps Wounded
Group Helps Soldier Fly
Operation Jellybeans Launches

Face of Defense
Soldier Survives Sniper's Bullet
Spouses Serve in Iraq
Sailor Earns Bronze Star

DefendAmerica
NEWS UPDATES
Injured Survivors of Afghan Helicopter Crash Carried to Germany - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
New Pump Station Improves Quality of Life - Story
Air Cavalry Brigade Observes Black History Month - Story
Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Set Up Headquarters - Story
Medic Re-visits Residents During Medical Ops - Story
U.S. Marines, Sailors Help Clean Up Local School - Story
U.S. Military Helps Build Health Center on Island - Story
Deployed Servicemembers Become U.S. Citizens - Story

IN IRAQ
Chaplain, Soldiers Escort Fallen Heroes Home
Market Opening Signifies Iraqi Resilience
Air Cavalry Brigade Hits 200th Re-enlistment
Soldiers, Iraqi Citizens Share Goal of Peace
Iraqi Police Train to Lead, Protect Fellow Officers
Comedians Bring Laughter to U.S. Troops
Army Vice Chief of Staff Visits Ironhorse Troops
1st Stinger Battery Begins Iraq Deployment
U.S. Troops, Iraqis Celebrate Bridge Opening
U.S. Marines Help Secure 'Smugglers Town'
Organization Delivers Supplies to Iraqi Families

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

Today in History
1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury
1431 - England begins trial against Joan of Arc
1564 - Philip II routes cardinal Granvelle to Franche-Comté
1574 - Spanish garrison of Middelburg Netherlands surrenders
1598 - Boris Godunov crowned tsar
1613 - Michael Romanov, son of the Patriarch of Moscow, elected Russian tsar
1673 - Michiel A de Ruyter appointed Lieutenant-Admiral-General of Dutch fleet
1675 - Prince Willem III appointed viceroy of Gelderland
1764 - John Wilkes thrown out of English House of Commons for "Essay on Women"
1777 - English ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag
1782 - US Congress resolves the establishment of a US mint
1792 - Congress passes Presidential Succession Act
1795 - Freedom of worship established in France under constitution
1797 - Trinidad, West Indies surrenders to the British
1804 - 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for 1st time, in Wales
1828 - 1st American Indian newspaper in US, Cherokee Phoenix (weekly), Georgia
1842 - 1st known sewing machine patented in US, John Greenough, Washington DC
1846 - 1st US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell MA
1853 - US authorizes minting of $3 gold pieces
1857 - US issues flying eagle cents; Congress outlaws foreign currency as legal tender in US
1858 - Edwin T Holmes installs 1st electric burglar alarm (Boston MA)
1861 - Navaho Indians elect Herrero Grande as chief
1862 - Texas Rangers win Confederate victory at Battle of Val Verde, NM; Confederate Constitution & Presidency are declared permanent
1864 - 1st US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore, MD; Battle at Okolonam, MS
1866 - Lucy B. Hobbs (Taylor) becomes 1st US woman to earn a DDS degree
1874 - Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as English premier
1885 - Washington Monument dedicated (Washington DC)
1887 - Oregon becomes 1st US state to make Labor Day a holiday; 1st US bacteriology laboratory opens (Brooklyn)
1895 - North Carolina Legislature adjourns for day to mark death of Frederick Douglass
1902 - Dr. Harvey Cushing, 1st US brain surgeon, does his 1st brain operation
1903 - Cornerstone laid for US army war college, Washington DC
1907 - SS Berlin sinks off Hoek van Holland Netherlands (142 dead)
1914 - White Wolf troops attack Zhanjiang China
1915 - 20th Russian Army corps surrenders
1916 - Battle of Verdun (WWI) begins (1 million casualties)
1917 - British Mendi sinks off Isle of Wight, 627 die; Train near Chirurcha, Romania catches fire & explodes; 100s die
1918 - Australians chase Turkish troops out of Jericho, Dutch Palestine
1922 - Airship Rome explodes at Hampton Roads Virginia; 34 die; Great Britain grants Egypt independence
1925 - 1st issue of "New Yorker" magazine published
1931 - Alka Seltzer introduced
1932 - André Tardieu becomes premier of France
1934 - Nicaraguan patriot Augusto Cesar Sandino assassinated by National Guard
1939 - Belgian government of Pierlot forms
1941 - US Senate accepts Omar Bradley's demotion to Brigadier-General
1943 - Dutch Roman Catholic bishops protest against persecution of Jews; German offensive at Western Dorsalgebergte Tunisia
1944 - "The War As It Happens" news show premieres on NBC (NYC only)
1945 - Archbishop De Jong calls for help with war casualties; British Army captures Goch; US 10th Armour division overthrows Orscholz line
1946 - Anti-British demonstrations in Egypt
1947 - 1st instant developing camera demonstrated in NYC, by E.H. Land; 1st broadcast of 1st US TV soap opera "A Woman to Remember"
1952 - Bangladesh Martyrs Day (martyrs of Bengali Language Movement)
1952 - Dick Button performs 1st figure skating triple jump in competition
1953 - F. Crick & J. Watson discover structure of DNA-molecule
1958 - Egypt-Syria as UAR elect Nasser President (99.9% vote)
1961 - Mercury-Atlas 2 reentry test reaches 172 km; Gabon adopts constitution
1966 - Indonesia's President Sukarno fires General Nasution
1968 - 150,000 demonstrate against leftist students in West-Berlin
1969 - 1st launching of heavy N-1 rocket at Baikonur Kazachstan (explodes)
1970 - Pathet Lao conquerors Xieng Khuang & Muong Suy
1971 - Series of tornadoes cuts through Mississippi & Louisiana, killing 117
1972 - Richard Nixon becomes 1st US President to visit China
1974 - Israeli forces leave western Suez; Yugoslavia adopts constitution
1979 - Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite & Corsa-B (550/580 km)
1980 - Hanni Wenzel is 1st Liechtensteiner to win Olympics gold (giant slalom); Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1500 meter in 1 55.44
1981 - Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k); NASA launches Comstar D-4
1987 - Syrian army marches into Beirut
1988 - During a live TV broadcast, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart (age 52) admitted to visiting a prostitute, then announced he would be leaving his ministry for an unspecified length of time. (Defrocked in April by the Assemblies of God, he was ordered to stay off TV for a year, but returned after only three months)
1989 - US bust Chinese heroin ring, capture record 820 lbs heroin ($1 billion street value)
1991 - USSR announces Iraq agrees to a proposal to end Persian Gulf War - US calls the plan unacceptable
1995 - RAF-pilot Jo Salter is 1st woman to fly in a tornado
1996 - Soyuz TM-23, launched into orbit
1997 - STS 82 (Discovery 22) lands

Birthdays
1417 - Louis IX, Duke of Bayern (University of Ingolstadt)
1728 - Peter III, Russian tsar (1761-62), husband of Catherine
1794 - Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of México (1833-36)
1800 - John Henry Winder, Confederate Brigadier General
1802 - George Douglas Ramsey, Union Brevet Major General
1805 - David Tod, US diplomat/(Governor-OH, 1861-63)
1829 - Johnson Hagood, Confederate Brigadier General
1857 - Jules de Trooz, baron/premier of Belgium (1907)
1867 - Otto Hermann Kahn Banker, organized Metropolitan Opera Company
1875 - Jeanne Louise Calment, France, world's oldest woman (died at 122)
1902 - John Smallenbroek, Dutch minister of Internal Affairs
1910 - Douglas R.S. Bader, British pilot (WWII)
1913 - Glenn M. Anderson (Representative-CA)
1917 - Victor G.M. Marijnen, Dutch premier (1963-65)
1924 - Robert G. Mugabe, Premier/President of Zimbabwe
1931 - Larry Hagman, TV actor (I Dream of Jeannie, Dallas)
1932 - Harald V, King of Norway
1936 - Barbara Jordan, (Representative-TX, 1972-78)
1938 - Beryl F. Anthony, Jr. (Representative-CA)
1940 - John Lewis (Representative-GA)
1941 - Charlie Shelburne, English earl/large landowner
1947 - Olympia J. Snowe (Representative-ME)
1964 - Mark E. Kelly, Lieutenant USN/astronaut, Scott J. Kelly, Lieutenant USN/astronaut

Passings
1513 - Julius II (Giuliano dellea Rovere), Roman Catholic Pope (1503-13), dies at 69
1554 - Hieronymus Bock, German doctor (founder of modern botany)
1648 - Christian IV, King of Denmark/Norway
1711 - Joan van Hoorn, Governor-General of Netherlands-Indies (1707-09), dies at 57
1730 - Benedict XIII (Pietro F Orsini), Pope (1724-30), dies at 81
1803 - Edward Despard, last person drawn & quartered in England
1864 - Jeffery Forrest, US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle
1872 - Pavel P. Gagarin, Russian monarch/politician, dies at 82
1879 - Peter P. van Bosse, Dutch liberal minister of Finance, dies at 69
1919 - Habib Ullah Chan emir of Afghanistam (1901-19), murdered at 46; Karl von Hohenzollern Prince of Belgium; Kurt Eisner, premier Bayern (socialist), murdered at 51
1926 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Dutch physicist (Nobel 1913), dies at 72
1938 - George Ellery Hale, astronomer
1965 - Malcolm X (Little), Black Muslim leader, assassinated in New York, NY at 39
1992 - Franc Holden British astronomer (Binary Stars); Kate A ter Horst-Arriëns, Dutch nurse (Battle of Arnhem), dies at 85

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Borja, Domingo R., US Army SF (CA); KIA in ground action, body not recovered

Wright, Arthur, US Army (MI); disappeared while checking outpost perimeter wire

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