Veterans Day Stuff, Part III
Winding this up.
That's a C-130 aircraft. On September 2, 1958, Soviet fighter jets shot down a similar C-130 with 17 U. S. airmen aboard. The Soviets denied that they shot down the plane, even after a tape recording of the Soviet pilots' conversation was released to apply pressure. They did return six sets of remains but the fate of the 11 remaining airmen remained a mystery throughout the Cold War.
This is just one incident. According to an NSA document there were more than 40 such incidents of U. S. aircraft being shot down during the Cold War.
Did you know there is still an American POW in the hands of the North Koreans? That ship above, the USS Pueblo is it. It was attacked and captured by the North Koreans on January 23, 1968. One member of the crew was killed in the attack. The remaining 82 sailors were help captive while negotiations for their release dragged on. They were finally released on December 23, 1968.
Sometimes the danger doesn't come from the "enemy." That's the USS Liberty. It was in international waters near the Sinai peninsula on June 8, 1967. That was in the middle of the Six Day War. Israeli fighter jets and patrol boats attacked the ship. 34 men died (1 civilian, the rest military), 171 were wounded and the ship was severely damaged. The Israelis claimed the Liberty was mistaken for an Egyptian ship.
That's Navy Lt. Commander Albert Schaufelberger. He was assassinated in El Salvador on May 25, 1983 by terrorists under the umbrella of the FMLN.
On April 24, 1980, an attempt was made to rescue the 52 Americans being held hostage by Iran. At a staging site in the desert an EC-130 plane collided with a RH-53 helicopter. Eight serviceman died in the crash and subsequent fire.
I guess there will be one or two more parts to this, to include the two Gulf wars and the war in Afghanistan.
That's a C-130 aircraft. On September 2, 1958, Soviet fighter jets shot down a similar C-130 with 17 U. S. airmen aboard. The Soviets denied that they shot down the plane, even after a tape recording of the Soviet pilots' conversation was released to apply pressure. They did return six sets of remains but the fate of the 11 remaining airmen remained a mystery throughout the Cold War.
This is just one incident. According to an NSA document there were more than 40 such incidents of U. S. aircraft being shot down during the Cold War.
Did you know there is still an American POW in the hands of the North Koreans? That ship above, the USS Pueblo is it. It was attacked and captured by the North Koreans on January 23, 1968. One member of the crew was killed in the attack. The remaining 82 sailors were help captive while negotiations for their release dragged on. They were finally released on December 23, 1968.
Sometimes the danger doesn't come from the "enemy." That's the USS Liberty. It was in international waters near the Sinai peninsula on June 8, 1967. That was in the middle of the Six Day War. Israeli fighter jets and patrol boats attacked the ship. 34 men died (1 civilian, the rest military), 171 were wounded and the ship was severely damaged. The Israelis claimed the Liberty was mistaken for an Egyptian ship.
That's Navy Lt. Commander Albert Schaufelberger. He was assassinated in El Salvador on May 25, 1983 by terrorists under the umbrella of the FMLN.
On April 24, 1980, an attempt was made to rescue the 52 Americans being held hostage by Iran. At a staging site in the desert an EC-130 plane collided with a RH-53 helicopter. Eight serviceman died in the crash and subsequent fire.
I guess there will be one or two more parts to this, to include the two Gulf wars and the war in Afghanistan.
posted by me at 9:56 PM
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