After 150 years, Confederate submarine’s hull again revealed

Conservator Virginie Ternisien works at removing the encrustation from the hull of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley at a conservation lab in North Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 27, 2015. Scientists say that after six months of work, about 70 percent of the encrusted sand, silt and rust from the outside of the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship has been removed. Scientists hope that when the entire hull is revealed, it will provide the clues as to why the Hunley sank after sinking a Union blockade ship off Charleston, S.C., in 1864.

Via MSN News

This was in my inbox today. Another great piece of history via a(n) US veteran.  They really look out for me–making sure I get these wonderful stories to share with you. Enjoy, This one is cool! 

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — A century and a half after it sank and a decade and a half after it was raised, scientists are finally getting a look at the hull of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship.

What they find may finally solve the mystery of why the hand-cranked submarine sank during the Civil War.

How To Thank A Soldier, By George W. Bush (It is actually very easy)

Whatever opinion we may have about George W. should be put aside; at least for the time it takes to see this. We can never forget our defenders and their sacrifices. Great way to lead by example, (former) Mr. President!

Benny Johnson

BuzzFeed Staff

We are a generation winding down from a decade of war.

Mastery of Fear

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. – Mark Twain

Senior Airmen Mike Malarsie (left) and Bradley Smith pose for a photo during their Afghanistan deployment. An improvised explosive device attack mortally wounded Airman Smith and injured Airman Malarsie in January 2010 in Afghanistan. The two tactical airlift control party Airmen were assigned to the 10th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Riley, Kan. (Air Force photo

 

#HonorTheFallen

Bradley Smith – January 2010 – While returning fire, Smith ran through lethal crossfire to save his comrades. He also rescued the disoriented and blinded Airman from the water and recovered the mortally wounded Soldier. After administering first aid, Smith continued returning fire and coordinated close air support. While trying to recover the remains of another mortally wounded Soldier, a second improvised explosive device detonated killing him instantly.

Rest Easy, Warrior

The Air Force museum (Troy) has an exhibit featuring  Sr. Airman Bradley Smith, that focuses on the unique duties and dangers of Air Force forward air controllers, the men who risk their lives directing air strikes against enemy ground targets.  In early Sept. 2012, just a few days before what would have been Bradley Smith’s 27th birthday, the Air Force presented his widow and parents the Silver Star for valor during a ceremony at Tri-Township Park in Troy.

For more information,  follow the link below. 

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Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2015/01/19/3618473/troy-airmans-heroism-to-be-depicted.html#storylink=cpy

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Image of the Day: 31 January 2015

U.S. Army Pfc. Shawn Williams of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, gives the thumbs-up to members of his unit as he is evacuated after being injured by a roadside bomb, Friday, June 17, 2011, in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. Photo by U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Haraz N. Ghanbari.

A Few Good Dogs

Meet Helo, Bubba and Oscar, three incredible military working dogs based at Fort Meade, Maryland. Together, with their Army Handlers, they protect the men & women of the United States Armed Forces both here and overseas.

19 Terms Only Sailors Will Understand

All sailors from the “old salts” to the newly initiated are familiar with the following terms:

Chit: A chit in the Navy refers to any piece of paper from a form to a pass and even currency. According to the Navy history museum, the word chit was carried over from the days of Hindu traders when they used slips of paper called “citthi” for money.

This Marine Was The ‘American Sniper’ Of The Vietnam War

We Are the Mighty 

Long before Chris Kyle penned “American Sniper,” Carlos Hathcock was already a legend.

He taught himself to shoot as a boy, just like Alvin York and Audie Murphy before him. He had dreamed of being a U.S. Marine his whole life and enlisted in 1959 at just 17 years old. Hathcock was an excellent sharpshooter by then, winning the Wimbledon Cup shooting championship in 1965, the year before he would deploy to Vietnam and change the face of American warfare forever.

AFRICOM General Killed By Wildebeest Stampede

Duffel Blog

NSFW

PRIDE LANDS, Africa — General David M. Rodriguez, commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), died yesterday afternoon, trampled to death in a freak wildebeest stampede, Duffel Blog has learned.

“It’s all my fault,” sobbed 2nd Lt. Simon Imba. “I was always wandering off and getting lost, and the General would always come get me. If I hadn’t been dicking around in that gorge, he would never have fallen in and been killed by those fucking wildebeests. I just don’t think I’m fit to lead anyone.”

Image of the Day: 30 January 2015

Men of the 8th Air Force standing at attending during an award ceremony for the Distinguished Flying Cross, Sept 1942

T minus Three…

 

Something. Anything,  but it’s time to move.

S.W.A.K. 1940’s

 

Take a look back at the greatest generation sending off and welcoming their heroes home from war.

“The more things change, the more the stay the same.”

Talk of War: A mother’s concern for her deploying son

The following comment was  on my Google Plus  after I posted a blog about US military  training  Soldiers how to survive in the event of a capture. I think this mother conveys a similar sentiment for most military families. I have full permission to share this here.

Anna,
This is one of the things that worried me the most hun when my son joined the military, he would not back out of it he was determined to go at 18 years old. So I crying my eyes out told him I was proud which I am so very proud of him. He was so young. We talked about the worry his father and I had about when he was a baby what if someone stole him? I would and his father would rather know he was heaven than being tortured by people and us never finding our son again. He said, “mom you don’t have to worry about that happening.” That was before his first tour. I am so glad to have him home now even though he has changed from the war.

 

Link to Band of Mothers website here! 

President Johnson requests additional funds: 1968

This Day in History

In his annual budget message, President Lyndon B. Johnson asks for $26.3 billion to continue the war in Vietnam, and announces an increase in taxes. The war was becoming very expensive, both in terms of lives and national treasure. Johnson had been given a glowing report on progress in the war from Gen. William Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in South Vietnam. Westmoreland stated in a speech before the National Press Club that, “We have reached an important point when the end begins to come into view. I am absolutely certain that, whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing. The enemy’s hopes are bankrupt.”

Marine Informed He Is Dead By Corpsman

Duffel Blog

NSFW

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Despite being pronounced dead after a rocket-propelled grenade attack last September in Helmand province, Marine Sgt. Robert McWilliams insists he is fine and able to train with his platoon.

“Damn grunts,” said Navy Corpsman HM2 Jason Bronson. “They’re either hyponchondiratic sick bay commandos or in a state of knuckle dragging denial about their health. Guess which one McWilliams is?”

Image of the Day: 29 January 2015

Soldiers and toy soldiers