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Friday, April 18, 2008

Bush Marks 25th Anniversary of Terror Attack on U.S. Embassy in Beirut

From DefenseLink:



President and Nancy Reagan file by the flag-draped caskets of victims of the April 18, 1983, bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in an April 23, 1983 file photo. Photo courtesy Ronald Reagan Presidential Library


By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – Twenty-five years after terrorists detonated a massive car bomb, killing 52 people at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, President Bush urged unity in condemning terrorism he said continues to threaten the United States.

The Islamic Jihad Organization, today known as the terrorist group Hizballah, launched the April 18, 1983, attack that left 17 Americans and 35 Lebanese citizens dead. Those killed included Marine Cpl. Robert V. McMaugh, an embassy guard, and Army trainers Sgt. 1st Class Richard Twine, Staff Sgt. Ben H. Maxwell and Staff Sgt. Mark E. Salazar.

Employees of the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development and members of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Middle East contingent were also killed.

President Ronald Reagan quickly denounced the “vicious terrorist bombing” as a “cowardly act” that would not deter U.S. goals of peace in the region.

Bush marked the anniversary of the Beirut embassy bombing in a statement released yesterday remembering those killed and honoring the sacrifice of their family and friends and those wounded in the attack. He called the anniversary “a timely reminder of the danger U.S. diplomats, military personnel and locally employed staff bear in their service to the the United States.”

“Since the Beirut attack, we and citizens of many countries have suffered more attacks at the hands of Hizballah and other terrorists, backed by the regimes in Tehran and Damascus, which use terror and violence against innocent civilians,” Bush said. “All nations should condemn such brutal attacks and recognize that the purposeful targeting of civilians is immoral and unjustifiable.”

The bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack the United States had ever faced in its history, although more attacks were to follow.

The Beirut embassy bombing opened a new chapter in attacks against Americans overseas. Six months later, on Oct. 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck barracks in Beirut that houses U.S. and French members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon. The attacks, which occurred 20 seconds apart, killed 241 U.S. Marines, as well as 58 French servicemen and six civilians.

Other embassy attacks were to follow: in 1998 on the embassies in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania; and Nairobi, Kenya; and in 2002 on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.

Bush noted that the people of Lebanon have remained resilient despite living the better part of three decades living under the threat of violence, assassinations and other forms of intimidation.

“They and their leaders continue to work for a peaceful and democratic future, even as Syria, Iran, and their Lebanese proxies seek to undermine Lebanese democracy and institutions,” he said.

“The United States will continue to stand with the Lebanese people and their government as they struggle to preserve their sovereignty and independence, seek to bring justice to victims of terrorism and political violence, and seek election of a president committed to those values,” Bush said.


Related Sites:
White House Statement

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Combat control students maneuver the "teamwork" log April 9 during a "monster mash" event of the combat control school field training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C. The monster mash is an endurance event to build individual stamina and encourage teamwork. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Scott Reed)

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Iraqi-Born Marine Becomes American Citizen in Country of Birth

From Defenselink:


Marine Lance Cpl. Evan Eskharia shows off his certificate of naturalization after a ceremony at Al-Faw Palace, Baghdad, April 12. Eskharia has wanted to be a U.S. citizen since coming to America when he was a child. He serves as a basic water systems technician assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. U.S. Army photo


By Marine Cpl. Scott McAdam
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – Marine Lance Cpl. Evan Eskharia, a basic water systems technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), received his United States citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at Al Faw Palace here April 12.

Receiving his U.S. citizenship in the war-torn country of his birth represents the culmination of his family’s determination and will to flee an oppressive regime and seek the freedoms and opportunities only offered in America.

“This is in my top three proudest days of my life,” said Eskharia, who lived in El Cajon, Calif., prior to joining the Marine Corps. “It’s up there with the birth of my son and receiving my eagle, globe and anchor,” he said referring to the Marine Corps symbol.

The naturalization ceremony was the largest outside the United States, with 259 servicemembers from 71 different countries receiving their citizenship.

“It’s that feeling in your heart, that now you’re a U.S. citizen; it feels really good,” Eskharia added.

When Eskharia was 9 years old, he and his family fled Iraq to Turkey due to Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime. At the time, when an Iraqi boy turned 16, he would be drafted into the Iraqi military. Having five male children, Eskharia’s mother and father decided they would rather leave the country than see their children become part of Saddam’s tyranny.

“It was very difficult for my parents to leave everything behind,” Eskharia explained. “My parents wanted us to have a better life and better opportunities, so we left.”

Once the Eskharia family reached Turkey, the Turkish government placed them in a refugee camp in Istanbul for more than three years.

Eskharia remembers his time in the refugee camp as difficult -- his family treated horribly, with clean water scarce, very little liberty to go outside, and living with nine to 10 people in rooms built for three.

In 1993, the Eskharias applied for and received a green card from the United States. The family moved to California and started a new life as so many immigrants have done before them.

Even though the time in Turkey was hard for the Eskharia family, it made coming to the United States and enjoying the freedom afforded to Americans well worth it.

To repay the country who took him and his family in, Eskharia made a decision few American citizens and even fewer immigrants make -- to join the United States Marine Corps.

“He’s (Eskharia) put in a lot of hard work to get into the Marine Corps and to get his naturalization,” said Eskharia’s brother-in-law, Sgt. Wendall F. Anderson, a special intelligence systems administrator in 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward). “He feels that since America took him and his family in, he owes America a debt of gratitude and that’s why he joined the Marine Corps.”

While in the Marine Corps, Eskharia used his newfound brotherhood as a support system while applying for citizenship.

“It is a great feeling knowing you have the backup and support of the Marine Corps,” Eskharia said. “They are always there for help.”

Through deploying with the Marine Corps, Eskharia found himself back in the country of his birth.

“It feels good knowing that I can contribute to Iraq,” Eskharia said. “I do speak Arabic, not fluently, but I can still understand what people say, and if Iraqis have a question, I can help them out and try to explain what is going on.”

Though a lot has changed in the last 15 years, being in Iraq has brought back some childhood memories.

Currently stationed at Taqaddum, Eskharia remembers Lake Habbaniyah, where he, his father and two brothers used to fish and swim.

“We drove by Lake Habbaniyah the other day, and I was like, ‘Huh, I remember this lake,’” Eskharia said. “I remember the hills around there, but there is a lot of barbed wire and fences now that weren’t there before. It’s a lot different now.”

Conquering one of his life goals, Eskharia stays focused on his future. Speaking Aramaic, and with his knowledge of Arabic, Eskharia would like to go to military linguist school in Monterey, Calif., to hone his Arabic language skills and become a linguist for the Marine Corps.

“I feel he makes a great Marine; he’s a good person, a good father, a good husband and a good brother,” said Anderson, a Buffalo, Mo., native. “I think this is well-deserved.”

“In my heart, this is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Eskharia explained. “I’ve wanted to be a U.S. citizen ever since we came to the states from Baghdad. It’s very important to me because it’s an accomplishment and an achievement in my life.”

(Marine Cpl. Scott McAdam is assigned to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.)



Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq

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ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Hank Lemar, a corpsman assigned to the Marine Corps' Company D, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, feels the damage of gunshots to windshields. The Company D Marines practiced engaging targets through glass during a week-long training exercise in Melbourne, Fla., April 8, 2008. U.S. Marine Cpl. Nathaniel Sapp

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Soldiers Distribute School Supplies

From Multi-National Force - Iraq:


A student from Abu Shear School takes an arm full of backpacks back to the classroom April 14 in the Monsouri area of Iraq. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-76th FA, 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., delivered backpacks, soccer balls and notebooks to students there. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tami Hillis.


Friday, 18 April 2008
By Sgt. 1st Class Tami Hillis
4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — A convoy rolls up to a small school in the Monsouri area of Iraq, just outside FOB Kalsu, and at first glance the school looks abandoned. Then small faces start appearing and heads lean out the windows.

Moments later, Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Kalamazoo, Mich., currently assigned to 1-76th FA, are surrounded by helpful faculty and eager students, waiting to see what has been brought.

The Soldiers delivered backpacks filled with school supplies, soccer balls and notebooks April 14 to the al-Raqhaa School, for primary and secondary students, and the Abu Shear School, for primary students. Each school has approximately 800 students.

“A lot of the missions we’re doing right now are school improvements and this mission helps the kids get the materials they need in order to get an education,” said Cpl. Markbradley Vincze, a father of one from Lufkin, Texas.

Spc. Christopher Ryder, a Lake Charles, La., native and three-year veteran, said they try to put a smile on the kids’ faces.

“It makes me feel like I am actually making a difference,” Ryder said. “It shows the kids that we’re good people.”

Over time the goal is to get a backback and supplies to each student.

“Right now we’re using a systematic way of distributing our generosity throughout our (area of operation),” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Green, target acquisition platoon leader. “So we started with these two schools and we’re kind of going in a clockwise motion around our AO with school drops.”

There are approximately 10 schools in the unit’s AO.

“We’ve gotten to know the people in our AO and it feels nice doing something good for them,” said Spc. Joseph Carroll, a one-year veteran from South Bend, Ill. “It also gives the Army a positive image.”

This type of mission helps build relationship between Coalition forces and Iraqi residents.

“It shows the people that we’re not just here for ourselves; we’re going to work for the community, work for the children,” said Green, a father of three and St. Louis, Mo., native. “I think if you win the children, you win the adults. They’re kids just like our kids, they just have less.”

The unit plans to work with the CA team on a continuous basis until each school has supplies for every student, said Green.

“Hopefully the young ones remember American Soldiers as helpful, so maybe our kids won’t have to be here in 20 years,” said Pfc. Agustin Aguilar Jr., a one-year veteran from Tucson, Ariz. “They are grateful for anything and they don’t look at us and run away - they know we’re friendly to them.”

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THE ADMIRAL'S FAREWELL - Adm. William J. Fallon kisses his daughter Christi at the end of his retirement ceremony onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., April 18, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Story

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In Today's News - Friday, April 18, 2008

Quote of the Day
“The bravest are surely those
who have the clearest vision
of what is before them,
glory and danger alike,
and yet notwithstanding,
go out to meet it.”

-- Thucydides

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi troops face off with Sadr followers

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Homeless Man Claims He Found Ground Zero Plans in Trash
Plans for West Bank Homes Anger Palestinians
Carter-Hamas Meeting Comes on Anniversary of Attack
Probe sought of whether Israel targeted media crew
Carter sets out ceasefire plan in Hamas talks - Video
EU to punish incitement to terrorism on Internet
(Gasp!) N.Y., L.A. Airports Use Revealing Body Scanners
Palestinians tout Moscow peace summit but U.S. lukewarm
Colombian gov't infiltrated by "paras" - witness

Other Military News
Bill would boost U.S. power to prosecute war fraud
Was Bush lucky for U.S. soldier on TV game show?

Religion of Peace??
Father, Son Banned From U.K. Swimming Pool for Not Being Muslim

Politics / Government
Dueling Data - Polls: Obama either surging or stumbling
Report: Clinton Blames Caucus Losses on MoveOn.org
Orrin Hatch Writes Song for McCain Campaign
McCain Uses Hamas Obama Compliment in Fundraiser
Comment: What are their chances?
Businesses eye Dems' trade position
Factbox: Statistics on Pennsylvania
Obama keeps rolling as Clinton running out of time
It's still "the economy, stupid" in Pennsylvania
Clinton says Obama can't stand the heat
Clinton, Obama complain about complaining
Bush nominates SBA's Preston as housing chief
Video: Race may play a role in Pennsylvania
Topics: Election 2008, The Reuters/Zogby Index Election '08
Blogs: Tales from the Trail
Philadelphia suburbs hold key to Pa. primary
Former Clinton cabinet member, 2 ex-senators endorse Obama
McCain reports $405,409 in earnings for 2007
Bush nominates SBA's Preston as housing chief
Most Searched Name on Google Today - Barack Obama!
REUTERS POLL: McCain Even with Obama, leads Clinton in National Poll
Pennsylvania Voter Registration Total Hits Historic High for a Primary Election
Alaska's 1st female governor gives birth to son
Vladimir Putin Denies Reports He Divorced Wife to Marry Gymnast
Moscow move on Georgia "provocative": Estonia

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Texas, Sect Battle Over Children - PHOTOS
Polygamist Sect Wives May Have Given Birth as Early as 13, Investigator Testifies
Polygamous-sect children ordered to stay in Texas custody
Oklahoma Sheriff Charged With Running Sex-Slave Operation From Jail
Child Killer Asks to Represent Himself at Sentencing
Judge Tosses Suit, Upholds 'God' License Plate
Dad, Stepmom Arrested in Girl's Deadly 6-Story Fall
Cops: Camp Counselor Taught Boys 'Choking Game'

U.N. News
EXCLUSIVE: UNDP Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
U.N. food aid agency's gap grows, ration cuts loom
Lack of Cooperation Prompts UN to Close Angola Human Rights Office

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Maher to Apologize for Calling Pope a Nazi
Report: CNN Journalist Arrested on Meth Charges
Woman pleads guilty in Craigslist murder-for-hire
CBS CEO says no plans to replace Couric: source
Eve, Heidi Klum, Nicky Hilton among Us Weekly revelers

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
FOXBusiness: Artificial Turf Lead Threat Probed
Debate rages over plastic bottle chemical's safety
Cholera kills 67 in Kenya, fungus wipes out rice: UN
U.S. teams aim to grow ears, skin for war wounded
New virus causes South American fever
Ariane rocket launches satellites
Senator urges FCC to block XM-Sirius deal
Dutch to ease ban on self-balancing Segway scooter
MTV's "Rock Band" to launch full-album downloads
Video: Makers hope e-paper prints cash
Is it her genes? Oldest known person turns 115 on Sunday
The oldest Americans are also the happiest, research finds

Mother Nature
Snickers the Puppy Rescued After Drifting at Sea, Scavenging on Pacific Atoll
5.2-Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Midwest
Experts: Even Bigger Quake Could Hit Midwest - PHOTOS
Climate talks advance, but split on 2050 goals - Video
Freshening of deep Antarctic waters worries experts
States court presidential hopefuls on CO2
Quebec joins U.S.-Canada group to cut emissions
Attenborough ends nature TV cycle, fears for future
Video: Candid camera chicks of prey
Nevada dog finds its way home after a week, 77 miles

News from My Neck of the Woods
Praying Passenger is Removed From Plane at New York Airport
Pope gets warm welcome in New York synagogue - Video
Foxy Brown freed from prison in New York

Oddities
Yale Officials Conclude Student's Shocking Claim of 'Abortion Art' Was 'Creative Fiction'
Yale Student Insists Abortion Art Project Is Real
Reports: Katie Holmes' Rep Denies Separation; Cruise Was Original 'Edward Scissorhands'
Drunk Man Falls Asleep With Knife Stuck in His Back
Teensy thief crawls in mail flap
"What are you starin' at?"
Psychics see big trouble over new laws
School team hit for 66 runs in two innings - Video
Get the right name and open doors for your child
Oddly Enough: The Odd Blog
Alleged drug dealer calls police to report robbery

Other News of Note
Pope: Power to the People - PHOTOS
SECURITY BARRIER: A look at Pope's Honor Guard
Book Blames Titanic Tragedy On Use of Low Grade Rivets

Fox News
Feds Want Answers on Canceled Flights
NBA Owners OK Sonics Move to Oklahoma City
Pop Tarts: Mariah Carey's Backstage Ordeal at 'Idol'
Springsteen Keyboard Player Danny Federici Dies at 58
William Shatner: Nobody Liked Me
'American Idol' Cast-Off Kristy Lee Cook Engaged

Reuters
Wall St. braces for thousands of pink slips
Google and Caterpillar power gains on Wall St.
U.S. to more closely examine air safety
Knicks fire Thomas as coach
Zimbabwe election battle turns to partial recount - Video
Springsteen keyboardist Danny Federici dies at 58
Half say celebrities don't aid causes they promote: poll
Top seeds Lakers, Celtics recall golden days
Knicks fire Thomas as coach
SuperSonics get go ahead to leave Seattle
Glover takes charge at Heritage Classic
Rays' rookie Longoria signs nine-year contract
Peabody changes tune on banks
Global Finance:The "jingle mail" phenomenon
Personal Finance:Kids and money
Global Finance:Look for next phase
Commentary: Counting their chickens
Regulator settles with ex-Fannie Mae execs
Ford weighs third China plant to meet demand
Alliance Data ends merger agreement with Blackstone
Turning around companies in crisis
Weak dollar helps some U.S. companies, hurts non-U.S.
Fed officials cool on need for rate cuts
Wendy's rejects offers, says Peltz "misleading"
Airline deals could hurt airports' credit
EA extends Take-Two bid; 8 pct of shares accepted

AP World News
Iglesias says Kournikova keeps rebuffing marriage proposals
Mugabe blames Zimbabwe's troubles on Britain, whites, foes
Citigroup cuts value of investments by $14B in 1Q
Catch 22: Tulowitzki's double gives Rockies 22-inning win

News Blaze
MND-B, ISF Warns of Potential Suicide Bomber Attacks
How big is the NFL?
Fake Public Apology Letter Not Written By Chinese Student
Chinese Repression in Tibet: Raid on Labrang Monastery: Monks Taken Away
Aggressive Anti-Dalai Lama Campaign in Kham; Imminent Food Shortages
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Intercepted al-Qaida letter reveals tactics, strategy
ISF, Coalition troops conduct joint operation
Microgrants transform lives of Iraqis
Iraqi forces making progress in Basra, Baghdad
Iraq's largest power plant awaits improvements
Improved security benefits Qarghuli school
Leaders meet at development conference
Generator brings power, jobs to clothing factory
Colonel: Coalition, Iraqi forces winning in Anbar

USJFCOM
Task Force Ramadi gets fuel flowing
DoD honors USJFCOM efforts to improve command and control linkages - podcast
USJFCOM signs letter of intent to support interagency online training
Phase two of Multinational Experiment 5 kicks off
More about Multinational Experiment 5 - podcast
Joint Interoperability Division helps training take flight - podcast
USJFCOM opens new Joint Intelligence Laboratory
Joint fires team assists Army training center

Multi-National Force - Iraq
‘America’s Battalion’ Capitalizes on Ramadi’s Security Situation
Iraqi Army Transformed Into National Force
Helicopter Pilots Return to the Air
IED kills two Iraqi children (Baghdad)
Coalition forces detain four suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists (Samarra)
MND-B Soldier attacked by IED (Baghdad)
MND-B Soldiers detain suspected Special Groups cell leader in Abu T’shir
Eight suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq facilitators detained in Mosul
MND-B, ISF warns of potential suicide bomber attacks Credible intelligence indicates numerous terror

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Course Teaches Civilians About Military Commitment

IRAQ NEWS
Inspectors to Eliminate Corruption
Troops Nab Special Groups Leader
Coalition Helps Streamline Army
Troops Trade Supplies for Smiles

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Police Training Targets Corruption
Troops Detain Bombing Suspect

MILITARY NEWS
Gates Salutes Fallon for 'Unparalleled' Energy
Military's Top NCO Has New Outlook for Retirement
First Recruits Enlist Using Biometric Technology
Robot Introduces Deployed Soldier to Baby Boy

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Non-Profit Helps Employers Hire Heroes
Texas Festivities Celebrate American Heroes

FACE OF DEFENSE
Army Physical Therapist Shares His Experience

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

Today in History
0310 - St Eusebius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1521 - Parliament of Worms Cardinal Alexander questions Martin Luther
1552 - Mauritius of Saksen occupies Linz
1663 - Osman declares war on Austria
1666 - Peace of Kleef Netherlands & bishop Von Galen of Münster
1676 - Sudbury, MA attacked by Indians
1775 - Paul Revere & William Dawes warn "the British are coming!"
1797 - France & Austria sign cease fire
1834 - Charles Darwin sails to Rio Santa Cruz up Patagonia
1835 - William Lamb Lord Melbourne forms British government
1838 - Wilkes' expedition to South Pole sails
1856 - Russian Republic Chancellor Earl von Nesselrode resigns
1861 - Colonel Robert E Lee turns down offer to command Union armies; Battle of Harpers Ferry, WV
1862 - Battles of Fort Jackson, Fort St Philip & New Orleans LA
1864 - Battle of Poison Springs, AR (Camden Expedition)
1865 - Confederate General Johnson surrendered to General Sherman in North Carolina
1879 - Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on Indians citizen rights begins
1890 - New York Commission of Emigration ends, closing Castle Clinton
1902 - Denmark is 1st country to adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals
1906 - San Francisco earthquake & fire kills nearly 3,000 & destroys approximately 75% of the city
1909 - Joan of Arc declared a saint
1923 - Poland annexes Central Lithuania
1924 - 1st crossword puzzle book published (Simon & Schuster)
1927 - Chiang Kai-shek forms anti-government in China
1929 - Palace for People's industry in Amsterdam devastated by fire
1934 - 1st "Washateria" (laundromat) opens (Fort Worth TX); Hitler names Joachim von Ribbentrop, ambassador for disarmament
1935 - Netherlands election (Musserts NSB wins 8% of vote)
1936 - Pan-Am Clipper begins regular passenger flights from San Francisco CA to Honolulu HI
1939 - Franz von Papen becomes German ambassador in Turkey; Hubert Pierlot forms Belgian government
1942 - "Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts; James H. Doolittle bombs Tokyo & other Japanese cities
1945 - Clandestine Radio 1212, after broadcasting pro-Nazi propoganda for months used their influence to trap 350,000 German army group B troops; Epe freed (by Corporal G van Aken)
1946 - League of Nations dissolves (3 months after the UN starts); US recognizes Tito's Yugoslavia government
1948 - International Court of Justice opens at Hague Netherlands
1949 - Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth
1950 - 1st transatlantic jet passenger trip; Polish Catholic church & government sign accord over relations
1951 - Dutch Antilles government of Da Costa Gomez forms
1954 - Colonel Nasser seizes power & becomes PM of Egypt
1955 - 1st Bandoeng Conference - Afro-Asian conference opens
1956 - Egypt & Israel agree to a cease fire
1958 - Government troops reconquer Padang, Middle-Sumatra Indonesia
1963 - Dr. James Campbell performed the 1st human nerve transplant
1968 - Dutch Department of Amnesty International forms; London Bridge is sold to US oil company (to be erected in Arizona)
1974 - Red Brigade kidnaps Italian Attorney General Mario Sossi
1978 - Senate votes to turn Panamá Canal over to Panamá on Dec 31, 1999
1979 - Major Haddad declares South-Lebanon independent
1983 - A lone suicide bomber kills 63 at the US Embassy in Lebanon
1986 - Robert M. Gates becomes deputy director of CIA; Titan rocket explodes seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg AFB
1987 - An unconscious skydiver is rescued by another diver in mid-air
1990 - Supreme Court rules that states could make it a crime to possess or look at child pornography, even in one's home
1991 - Congress ends railroad workers' 1 day strike; Census Bureau says it failed to count up to 63 million in 1990 census
1994 - Former President Richard Nixon suffers a stroke & dies 4 days later; Lebanon drops relations with Iran; STS-59 (Endeavour) lands
1995 - Houston Post folds after 116 years; Quarterback Joe Montana announces his retirement from football

Birthdays
1480 - Lucretia Borgia, murderess (poison)/daughter (Pope Alexander VI)
1521 - François de Coligny, ruler of van Andelot, French General (Jarnac)
1590 - Ahmed I, 14th sultan of Turkey (1603-17)
1797 - Louis-Adolphe Thiers, President of France
1803 - Charles F. Pahud de Montagnes, Governor-General of Netherlands East Indies (1856-61)
1857 - Clarence S. Darrow, defense attorney at the Scopes monkey trial
1889 - Jessie Street, Australian pro women's/aborigine rights fighter
1906 - Edgar Unsworth, Justice of Appeals (Gibralter)
1910 - Jamie L. Whitten (Representative-MS)
1914 - Henk Lankhorst, pacifist/Dutch MP (PSP)
1917 - Louise Frederika, Queen of Greece
1924 - Henry J. Hyde (Representative-IL); Lord Mason of Barnsley, MP (Lab)/British defense secretary
1934 - Jaap F. Scherpenhuizen, Dutch MP (VVD)
1935 - Joel Hefley (Representative-CO)
1938 - Andreas J. "Cat" Liebenberg, supreme commander (South Africa army)
1940 - Joseph L. Goldstein, physician (Nobel-1985)
1942 - Dick K. J. Tommel, chemist/(D66) Dutch Assistant Secretary of State

Passings
0680 - Mu'awijja, kalif of Al-Schaam
1567 - Wilhelm von Grumbach, German military man, dies at 63
1610 - Robert Parsons, English jesuit leader/plotter, dies at 63
1689 - George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem/infamous judge
1690 - Charles V. Leopold, Duke of Lotharingen/Austrian fieldmarshal
1853 - William King, US Vice President, dies a month after his inauguration
1871 - Omar Pasha [Michael Lats], Croatian Governor, dies at 64
1917 - Moritz F. Freiherr von Bissing, Governor-General of Belgium (1914-17), dies at 73
1941 - Alexander Korysis, PM of Greece, commits suicide
1943 - I Yamamoto, Admiral of Japanese fleet
1945 - Ernest T. Pyle, British/US newscaster, killed in WWII at 44
1955 - Albert Einstein, German/US physicist (E=MC²)
1958 - Maurice-Gustave Gamelin, French Generalissmo (WWI, WWII), dies at 85
1963 - Henrietta Kreis 3rd of famous Wallenda aerialist killed in a fall
1986 - Marcel Dassault [Bloch], French airplane builder, dies at 94
1994 - Ken Oosterbroek, South African press photographer, shot dead at 32
1995 - Arturo Frondizi, President of Argentina (1958-62)
1996 - Kalim Siddiqui, Islamic campaigner, dies at 62

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Wheeler, James A., USAF (AZ); A1E crashed at target site

1969
Ellis, Randall S., US Army (SC)

1973
James, Samuel L., USAF (TN); F4E crashed (w/Martin) - remains ID'd April, 1999 - ID disputed

Martin, Douglas K., USAF (TX); F4E creashed (w/James - remains ID'd April, 1999

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