Veterans...Get the hell in here now!

doublejj

Well-Known Member
These are the mandatory vaccinations that all service members are required to receive before initial entry or basic training:

  • Adenovirus
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Influenza
  • Measles, mumps, rubella
  • Meningococcal
  • Poliovirus
  • Tetanus-Diphtheria
  • Varicella
Other vaccines administered depending on risk and occupation:

  • Anthrax
  • Haemophilus influenzae type B
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Pneumococcal
  • Rabies
  • Smallpox
  • Typhoid fever
  • Yellow fever
and now you can add Covid...
The Marine Corps Is Rapidly Forcing Out Vaccine Refusers, As Promised
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
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The first snow of the year covers headstones and wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Jan. 3, 2022. Photo By: Elizabeth Fraser, Army


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A soldier assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," walks the mat during a snowstorm at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Jan. 3, 2022. Photo By: Elizabeth Fraser, Army


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Navy Cmdr. Laura Santiago’s son pins on her new rank during a promotion ceremony aboard the USS Tripoli in San Diego, Dec. 20, 2021. Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Malcolm Kelley
 
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doublejj

Well-Known Member
Active Army achieves 98 percent vaccination rate with less than one percent refusal rate
The United States Army announced today that 468,459 active-component Soldiers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, fewer than 120 days after a vaccination mandate went into effect for all U.S. service members. That number represents 98 percent of the active-duty force who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 96 percent – a total of 461,209 Soldiers – are fully vaccinated.
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member

In 2020, the National Park Service announced that veterans and Gold Star Families, who've lost loved ones in the line of service to this country, would receive free access to the park service's 423 sites around the country. This new law makes the move permanent and also cements the free annual passes available for active-duty military.

 
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DarkWeb

Well-Known Member

In 2020, the National Park Service announced that veterans and Gold Star Families, who've lost loved ones in the line of service to this country, would receive free access to the park service's 423 sites around the country. This new law makes the move permanent and also cements the free annual passes available for active-duty military.

I have a letter from my grandfather sent to my great grandmother from somewhere in the Pacific. He was 16 when he joined.
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
Today in Military History:

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On "S-Day", 9 January 1945, the U.S. 6th Army landed on a roughly 25 mi (40 km) beachhead at the base of the Gulf between the towns of Lingayen and San Fabian beginning the invasion of Luzon, the largest and most populous island in the Philippines, thereby fulfilling Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur's 1942 pledge to recapture the island from the Japanese.

Since the Japanese controlled nearly every island between the Philippines and Hawaii in 1942, getting to the Philippines meant seizing many of those islands, which included Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tinian, Tarawa and Peleliu. The islands would provide runways for U.S. aircraft and deny them to Japan.

Rather than strike directly at Luzon, Army and Navy planners decided first to capture the Philippine islands of Leyte and Mindoro to the south. Two airfields were established on Mindoro in late December 1944 from which aircraft would be launched to assist in the upcoming landings on Luzon. A U.S. fleet of some 70 ships carried 175,000 troops from the 6th Army to the beaches of Lingayen Gulf, on northwest Luzon, where the landings took place, Jan. 9, 1945. A naval bombardment of the shore assisted.

According to several naval historians, kamikazes were likely used more successfully by the Japanese at Lingayen Gulf, and beginning in the last two weeks of December 1944 in the Western Philippine islands of the Visayas and Mindoro, than in any other Pacific conflict with the possible exception of the Battle of Okinawa. At least for the kamikaze attacks on January 6 at Lingayen Gulf and likely earlier in the battle, eminent Naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote, they were "the most effective of the war in relation to the number of planes involved – 28 kamikazes and 15 fighter escorts." Though General McArthur had written that 58 kamikazes were employed on January 6, and 18 fighter escorts, a few more than Morison's estimate, Morison's conclusion as to the effectiveness of kamikazes still seems well taken considering the staggering damage done by roughly 100–200 kamikazes to around 47 ships in the ten days of the battle between January 3 – January 13, shown in the large table below. Those ten days in January 1945 on the way to and within Luzon's Lingayen Gulf resulted in the deaths of around 738 and the wounding of 1282 ship-based seamen, marines, and infantry

Then on Jan. 15, a second smaller invasion took place, 45 miles southwest of the capital Manila. Ultimately, 10 U.S. divisions and five independent regiments would see action on Luzon, making it the largest campaign of the Pacific war and involving more troops than the United States had used in North Africa, Italy or southern France.

After heavy fighting, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division entered Manila, Feb. 4, 1945. In so doing, the soldiers liberated a camp holding about 4,000 civilian prisoners.

Liberating Manila, the largest city in Southeast Asia, was not easy, however. Fighting continued until March 4, 1945, when the city was officially declared liberated.

Capture of Manila didn’t end the fighting, which continued in the hinterlands of Luzon right up until the surrender of Japan, Aug. 15, 1945.

Casualties on both sides were staggering. Around 230,000 Japanese were killed on Luzon. American casualties were also high. Ground combat casualties for the 6th and 8th Army were 10,380 killed and 36,550 wounded.

By the summer of 1945, the Americans had thus destroyed nine of Japan's best divisions and made another six combat ineffective on Luzon. Losses stemming from the battle so drastically reduced Japanese air power that their use of kamikaze operations was necessary throughout the rest of the war.

It should be noted that Mexican and Australian troops also participated in the battle for Luzon, as well as a very large number of Filipino fighters.


 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
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Marines walk together with Afghan children at Fort Pickett, Va., Jan. 5, 2022. Photo By: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Intriago


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The Stars and Stripes of the American flag are on display in the cockpit of an F-16 Fighting Falcon as the pilot prepares for refueling by a KC-10 Extender from Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 25, 2021. Photo By: Air Force Master Sgt. Dan Heaton


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Marine Corps 1st Lt. Gregory Dreibelbis enjoys a snowball fight with Afghan children at Fort Pickett, Va., Jan. 3, 2022. Photo By: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Intriago
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
Today in Military History:

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January 12, 1879, the British-Zulu War begins as British troops under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus invade Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal.

In 1843, Britain succeeded the Boers as the rulers of Natal, which controlled Zululand, the neighboring kingdom of the Zulu people. Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers who came to South Africa in the 17th century. Zulus, a migrant people from the north, also came to southern Africa during the 17th century, settling around the Tugela River region.

In 1838, the Boers, migrating north to elude the new British dominions in the south, first came into armed conflict with the Zulus, who were under the rule of King Dingane at the time. The European migrants succeeded in overthrowing Dingane in 1840, replacing him with his son Mpande, who became a vassal of the new Boer republic of Natal. In 1843, the British took over Natal and Zululand.

In 1872, King Mpande died and was succeeded by his son Cetshwayo, who was determined to resist European domination in his territory. In December 1878, Cetshwayo rejected the British demand that he disband his troops, and in January British forces invaded Zululand to suppress Cetshwayo. The British suffered grave defeats at Isandlwana, where 1,300 British soldiers were killed or wounded, and at Hlobane Mountain, but on March 29 the tide turned in favor of the British at the Battle of Khambula.

At Ulundi in July, Cetshwayo’s forces were utterly routed, and the Zulus were forced to surrender to the British. In 1887, faced with continuing Zulu rebellions, the British formally annexed Zululand, and in 1897 it became a part of Natal, which joined the Union of South Africa in 1910.


(The heroic defence of Rorke's Drift by British and Colonial troops occured 22–23 January 1879. 150 troops defended the station attack against 4000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, the most ever received for a single action by one regiment. bb)



THE BRITISH INVASION OF ZULULAND
The Zulu War Of 1879
 

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
Today in Military History:


January 12, 1879, the British-Zulu War begins as British troops under Lieutenant General Frederic Augustus invade Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal.

In 1843, Britain succeeded the Boers as the rulers of Natal, which controlled Zululand, the neighboring kingdom of the Zulu people. Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers who came to South Africa in the 17th century. Zulus, a migrant people from the north, also came to southern Africa during the 17th century, settling around the Tugela River region.

In 1838, the Boers, migrating north to elude the new British dominions in the south, first came into armed conflict with the Zulus, who were under the rule of King Dingane at the time. The European migrants succeeded in overthrowing Dingane in 1840, replacing him with his son Mpande, who became a vassal of the new Boer republic of Natal. In 1843, the British took over Natal and Zululand.

In 1872, King Mpande died and was succeeded by his son Cetshwayo, who was determined to resist European domination in his territory. In December 1878, Cetshwayo rejected the British demand that he disband his troops, and in January British forces invaded Zululand to suppress Cetshwayo. The British suffered grave defeats at Isandlwana, where 1,300 British soldiers were killed or wounded, and at Hlobane Mountain, but on March 29 the tide turned in favor of the British at the Battle of Khambula.

At Ulundi in July, Cetshwayo’s forces were utterly routed, and the Zulus were forced to surrender to the British. In 1887, faced with continuing Zulu rebellions, the British formally annexed Zululand, and in 1897 it became a part of Natal, which joined the Union of South Africa in 1910.


(The heroic defence of Rorke's Drift by British and Colonial troops occured 22–23 January 1879. 150 troops defended the station attack against 4000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, the most ever received for a single action by one regiment. bb)



THE BRITISH INVASION OF ZULULAND
The Zulu War Of 1879
Dad passed down an original Martini-Henry Rifle in .577/450. I've never fired it & probably won't due to the complexity/expense of the ammunition though I see there are adapters out there to allow firing .45 Colt. I have one in my shopping cart - I may go that route.
 

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
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On Jan. 13, 1942, German U-boat attacks officially started against merchant ships along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. From then until early August, German U-boats dominated the waters off the East Coast, sinking fuel tankers and cargo ships with impunity and often within sight of shore.

In less than seven months, U-boat attacks would destroy 22 percent of the tanker fleet and sink 233 ships in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The U-boats killed 5,000 seamen and passengers, more than twice the number of people who perished at Pearl Harbor.

While thousands of New Englanders looked to the sky for enemy airplanes, few had any idea about the carnage wreaked in the waters nearby.

The U.S. Navy lied to the public about the terrifying U-boat attacks. The news media agreed to government censorship, which helped to hide the military’s incompetence in protecting shipping and the lives of merchant seamen.

In the first three weeks of January, U-123 would destroy eight ships and damage a ninth. During that time the nine German U-boats in the Atlantic destroyed 35 Allied merchant ships and a British destroyer and killed 1,219 crew and passengers.

In February, the killing continued. Sixteen U-boats destroyed 34 more Allied merchant ships and a warship between Nova Scotia and Venezuela and 15 more vessels, mostly oil tankers, in the Caribbean. The cargo ship Dixie Sword sank on Feb. 12, 1942 near Monomoy Island off Cape Cod.

The United States fired nary a shot in their defense. But by then, the U.S. military began to take some defensive measures against the U-boat attacks. Mine fields were laid in the harbors and mobile artillery was positioned to protect the harbors. Shore craft and planes were ordered to be ready for combat. It was something, at least.

In March, the U-boats attacked 48 ships, and almost all sank. They were easy prey as the U-boats could spot them easily against the lighted cars, buildings, streetlights and billboards along the coast. Ships continued to operate with all their lights on.

The U-boat attacks were destroying ships faster than the British and Americans could replace them.
By April, the U.S. finally had a plan and a fleet of 65 antisubmarine vessels. At the end of the month, all tankers were ordered into port. No tankers hauled oil around the Atlantic Ocean until the they had escorts. From then on, most merchant ships traveled in escorted mini-convoys known as bucket brigades along the coast. At night, merchant ships put into sheltered harbors.

The Civil Air Patrol, one-fifth of which were women, began sorties. Pilots in small, privately owned aircraft patrolled the coast from bases stretching from Trenton, Maine, to Lantana, Fla.

Though they weren’t effective at sinking U-boats, the little planes prevented attacks. The U-boats were under orders to submerge at the sight of an aircraft. From March 5, 1942 to August 31, 1943, the Coastal Patrol flew 86,865 missions, sighted 173 U-boats, reported 91 ships in distress and 17 floating mines and rescued 363 survivors of U-boat attacks. Ninety planes were lost on those missions, and 26 people died.

Less effective than the ‘Flying Minutemen’ was the auxiliary patrol comprised of luxury yachts and small fishing boats known as the Hooligan Navy. Some, including Ernest Hemingway, volunteered. Some were requisitioned.

The Hooligan Navy didn’t sink any U-boats. The crew of one cabin cruiser was shocked to see a U-boat coming at them off the Florida coast. A German crewman yelled at them, “Get the hell out of here, you guys! Do you want to get hurt? Now scram.” The Hooligan Navy, however, did rescue hundreds of survivors of vessels sunk by U-boat attacks.

By the second half of April, Allied shipping losses fell by half. On April 17, a Coast Guard cutter sank U-175 with depth charges while escorting a convoy south of Iceland. On May 9, another Coast Guard vessel sunk U-352 in the North Atlantic.

In May and June, there were only 87 U-boat attacks on U.S. shipping. By July and August, the government finally ordered the coast blacked out, and U-boat attacks fell to 26 on the East Coast.

Military air defenses were getting stronger, and on July 7 the first Army Air Corps bomber sank U-701 with two bombs.

On July 19, German Admiral Donitz ordered the U-boats redeployed. Operation Drumbeat was over.


 
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