Personnel of the United States Navy

The United States Navy has nearly 500,000 personnel, approximately a quarter of whom are in ready reserve. Of those on active duty, more than eighty percent are enlisted sailors, and around fifteen percent are commissioned officers; the rest are midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy and midshipmen of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at over 180 universities around the country and officer candidates at the navy's Officer Candidate School.
Sailors prove they have mastered skills and deserve responsibilities by completing Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) tasks and examinations. Among the most important is the "warfare qualification", which denotes a journeyman level of capability in Surface Warfare, Aviation Warfare, Naval Aircrew, Special Warfare, Submarine Warfare or Expeditionary Warfare. Many qualifications are denoted on a sailor's uniform with U.S. Navy badges and insignia.
Commissioned officer.
Commissioned officers in the navy have pay grades ranging from O-1 to O-10, with O-10 being the highest; those with paygrades between O-1 through O-4 are considered junior officers and O-5 and O-6 as senior officers. Officers in the O-7 to O-10 range are called flag officers or "the admiralty". Promotion through O-8 is based on performance in an officer's current paygrade, which is recorded in "FITREPS" (fitness reports). Promotions to Vice Admiral (O-9) and Admiral (O-10) are based on assignment to specific positions and subject to U.S. Senate confirmation. Above the rank of admiral is Fleet Admiral, which was awarded to only four officers in World War II and is intended to be used only during a declared war. In 1899, a special rank called Admiral of the Navy was created for Admiral George Dewey, a war hero of the Spanish–American War, with the condition that it would cease to exist upon his death. Commissioned officers originate from the United States Naval Academy, Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), Officer Candidate School (OCS), and a host of other commissioning programs such as the Seaman to admiral-21 program, the Limited Duty Officer and Chief Warrant Officer Selection Programs, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, or receive direct commissions via Officer Development School (ODS) or from its reserve component, the Direct Commission Officer School (DCO School).
Commissioned officers can generally be divided into line officers and staff corps; line officers can be further split into unrestricted and restricted communities. Unrestricted Line Officers are the warfighting command element and are authorized to command ships, aviation squadrons, and special operations units. Restricted Line Officers, on the other hand, concentrate on non-combat related fields, such as engineering and maintenance; they are not qualified to command combat units. Staff Corps officers are specialists in fields that are themselves professional careers and not exclusive to the military, for example: medicine, science, law, and civil engineering. Staff officers typically serve on the staff of their line officer counterparts to provide professional advice. Navy line officers are promoted based on an "up or out" system. The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 establishes uniform rules for timing of promotions and limits the number of officers that can serve in the navy at any given time.
Chief Warrant Officer.
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) pay grades range from W-2 to the highest rank of W-5. United States Navy CWOs are officers whose role is to provide leadership and skills for the most difficult and demanding operations in a very specific technical specialty. They occupy a niche that is not as well served by the line officer community, who tend to have a broader command focus. CWOs come from the non-commissioned officer ranks of the enlisted and receive their commission after completing the Chief Warrant Officer Program. They typically become CWOs in specialties that are most related to their previous enlisted rating. Like Staff Corps officers, CWOs wear special insignia above the rank devices on their shoulder boards and sleeves to indicate their field of expertise.
Enlisted sailors.
Enlisted members of the navy have pay grades from E-1 to E-9, with E-9 being the highest. All enlisted sailors with paygrades of E-4 and higher are considered "Petty Officers" while those at E-7 and higher are further named "Chief Petty Officers". Those who demonstrate superior performance are given an increase in paygrade; the official navy term is to be "advanced". Two notable advancements are from Seaman to Petty Officer Third Class (E-3 to E-4) and from Petty Officer First Class to Chief Petty Officer (E-6 to E-7). Advancement to Chief Petty Officer is especially significant and is marked by a special induction ceremony.
Enlisted members are said to be "rated", meaning that they possess a "rating", or occupational specialty. Members of grades E-1 to E-3 can become "strikers", meaning they have rating designations like Petty Officer (example: a BM3 is a Petty Officer Third Class rated as a Boatswain's Mate; BMSN is a Seaman designated as a Boatswain's Mate striker), but the striker is doing on the job training to become a rated petty officer rather than attending a school to become rated. There are more than 50 ratings covering a broad range of skills and subspecialties. However most sailors in today's navy with grades E-1 through E-6 obtain their rating through its respective "A" school. An "A" school is a rating specific school where sailors are trained as experts in their field. Upon completion of their training they are considered "Rated", regardless of their pay-grade.
For example, SN TESTER, MARY, would be considered a Seaman Tester. Prior to her rank of SA a rating would be placed. Therefore, her entire title would be ITSA SMITH, MARY. IT indicating that she is an Information Systems Technician. As for ENFN THOMPSON, JOHN. EN specifying that he is an Engineman and FN as Fireman.
Uniforms and appearance.
The uniforms of the United States Navy are designed "to combine professionalism and naval heritage with versatility, safety, and comfort". The Navy currently incorporates many different styles that are specific for a variety of uses and occasions. In most cases, distinctions are made to distinguish officers and enlisted men in their uniformed appearance. U.S. Navy uniforms can generally be divided into three categories: dress uniforms, service uniforms, and working uniforms.
In the 2000s, the navy completed a project named "Task Force Uniform" to streamline navy uniforms. Among the changes were that enlisted personnel from Seaman Recruit to Petty Officer First Class (E1–E6) will have one year-round service uniform instead of winter blues and summer whites. All personnel from Seaman Recruit to admiral will also have new working uniforms dubbed Navy Working Uniform (NWU) to replace the wash khakis, coveralls, utilities, and aviation working greens then in use. The uniform was a digital patterned camouflage in predominantly haze gray and blue hues.
Grooming for both male and female sailors is regulated to a high degree, with exact standards in regards to hair, facial hair, use of cosmetics, and jewelry. New male recruits are given the military crew cut and are prohibited from having hair longer than four inches (102 mm) while in the service. Men are required to be clean shaven at all times, although mustaches are allowed. Women do not have a hair length regulation, however hair cannot fall past the bottom edge of the uniform collar and the style of hair is strictly controlled. Multicolored hair, body piercing, and tattoos on the head, neck, and hands are banned for both sexes.


Battle of Vimeiro order of battle

This is an order of battle for the Battle of Vimeiro that was fought on 20 August 1808.
British-Portuguese Army.
Commander-in-chief: Lt Gen Sir Arthur Wellesley
French Army of Portugal.
Commander-in-chief: General of Division Jean-Andoche Junot, duke of Abrantes
Notes.
There is no exact muster of the French Army of Portugal at Vimeiro, so the unit strength is given for the end of the July.
Sir Charles Oman calculated that the French Army of Portugal at Vimeiro on the day of the battle (20 August) was:
Total force: 13,056


Maritime Force Protection Unit

A Maritime Force Protection Unit (MFPU) is a U.S. Coast Guard unit type tasked with the protection of U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) while surfaced and transiting U.S. territorial waters to and from their patrol stations.
Maritime Force Protection Units have approximately 150 personnel and are "single-mission" units, meaning they have no other responsibilities other than the defense of SSBNs.
As of 2017, there were two Maritime Force Protection units, both of which were activated in 2007. The first, Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay, is based at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay; a second, Maritime Force Protection Unit Bangor, is based at Naval Submarine Base Bangor.


USCGC Sherman

Two ships of the United States Coast Guard or its antecedent services have borne the name Sherman, in honor of John Sherman (1823–1900), who was Secretary of the Treasury during the Hayes administration (1877–1881).


Cari Batson Thomas

Cari Batson Thomas is a retired rear admiral in the United States Coast Guard and a 1984 graduate of the U. S. Coast Guard Academy. On January 22, 2010, Thomas was ceremoniously advanced to rear admiral (lower half) and became the third recent female commander of the training center to be advanced to a flag officer. Her final assignment was Assistant Commandant for Human Resources at the Coast Guard Academy.
Coast Guard career.
Cari Thomas served aboard cutters "Vigorous", "Valiant", and commanded "Manitou". Additionally, other operational assignments included Group-Air Station Atlantic City and as plankowner and Commander, Sector Miami, Response Operations. Some of her responsibilities included transitions to the RB-S, 47' MLB, 49' BUSL, and 87' CPB as well as numerous USCG, joint DOD, and interagency operations in the Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Bahamas, Straits of Florida, New Jersey coast and Delaware Bay. Thomas also served in the Enlisted Personnel Division of the Personnel Command, Admissions at the Coast Guard Academy, as a Program Reviewer at Headquarters and as the Executive Assistant to the Atlantic Area, Fifth District and Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic Commanders. She was able to gain experience in leading new Department of Homeland Security response regimes, she served two years as the Chief of Staff to Principal Federal Official (PFO), Northeast Region and as the predesignated Deputy PFO, Florida (collateral duty). Completing assignment as the Atlantic Area Resource Director, she reports to Training Center Cape May, her 13th permanent duty station in 24 years of service.
Thomas graduated with distinction from the Naval War College with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. She also holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Troy State University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Coast Guard Academy. She served on the Board of Directors for the Academy Alumni Association, and participated in various Coast Guard studies, including Project Kimball, Academy Task Force and as co-lead for the Force Readiness Command design team. Her awards include two Legions of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Coast Guard Commendation Medals and two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, among many other personal, unit and campaign awards. She earned permanent cutterman status in 1994.
Thomas' husband is Loran Support Unit Commander Gary Thomas and her daughter is Andi Thomas.


Nisim Albahari

Nisim Albahari (Tešanj, 1916 — Sarajevo, 1991), was a Yugoslav Partisan, People's Hero of Yugoslavia and political leader in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Biography.
Nisim Albahari was born on January 28, 1916 in the town of Tešanj to a Jewish family. He attended school in Sarajevo, where he was first introduced to revolutionary socialism thought and participated in cultural, sports and political activities.
After finishing school, he continued his revolutionary activities, becoming active in the trade union movement and joining the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1935. The following year he was imprisoned for a year by authorities, a sentence he served in Sarajevo, Belgrade's infamous "Glavnjača" prison, and on Adi Ciganliji.
Upon his release in 1937, Albahari returned to his political work, and by the time he returned to Sarajevo following military service, he was a well-known figure within the local communist party. Due to his status, he was arrested in December 1940 and imprisoned in Ivanjica until March 29, 1941.
After the Invasion and Occupation of Yugoslavia Nisim worked actively to organize resistance against the occupying forces. He collected weapons and medical supplies, and later formed one of the first Partisan detachment around Sarajevo.
While organizing Partisan resistance in and around Vareš-Breza, Albahari was captured by the Ustashe and imprisoned in Sarajevo. After facing extreme torture in prison, he escaped with Iso Jovanovic (Communist Party Secretary for BiH), Milutin Djuraskovic and Vas Miskin to liberated territory in the mountainous Bosnian region of Romanija.
While in Romanija, he was named secretary of the communist party for the "Zvezda" squad, where he became well known as a soldier. He participated in several battles during the Liberation of Yugoslavia and fought with several divisions, including the Sixth East Bosnian Brigade. Albahari served in a variety of political roles as well. He was head of the OZNA for the 3rd Corps, as well as the political commisar for Eastern Bosnia.
After the liberation of Yugoslavia, Albahari studied political science in Belgrade. Upon his return to Bosnia, he took on a variety of political roles. He served as President of the Union of Sarajevo Trade Unions, and was a member of both the Communist Party of Yugoslavia's Bosnia and Herzegovina division as well as the Central Committee for the Communist Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the latter of which he was a founding member in 1948.
For more than ten years Albahari served on the Central Committee of the Communist Party in a variety of different roles. Additionally, he served as Minister of Labor for the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and as a member of the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia.
Decorations.
Albahari was the recipient of the Partisan's Commemorative Medal 1941 among other national decorations and awards. He received the Order of the People's Hero on November 27, 1953.


List of tallest lighthouses in the United States

The height of existing lighthouses is expressed in two measures: the height of the tower itself, and the distance from the focal plane (that is, the center) of the light source to the water. The latter can be much greater than the former if the light stands on a promontory.
Several structures which have functioned as lighthouses exceed the height of any entry in this list, among them the Statue of Liberty at and Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial at . These are not listed because they were not constructed as lighthouses "per se".


USCGC Coos Bay (WAVP-376)


Arthur Herbert Lindsay Richardson

Arthur Herbert Lindsay Richardson VC (23 September 1872 – 15 December 1932) was an England-born Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Details.
Born in Southport, Lancashire, in 1872, Richardson emigrated to Canada in 1891. After a period as a rancher, he joined the North-West Mounted Police in 1894. After the outbreak of the Second Boer War, in 1900 he joined the newly raised Strathcona's Horse.
Richardson was 27 years old and a sergeant when the deed, for which he was awarded the VC, took place. The VC was announced in the "London Gazette" on 14 September 1900, four months before the death of Queen Victoria. The medal was presented to him by King Edward VII at the first presentation of VCs after the King ascended the throne. Richardson was the third of three VCs presented with their medals on 12 March 1901 at St James' Palace.
The commander of his unit, Lieutenant Agar Adamson, reported:
Richardson was the first member of a Canadian unit awarded the Victoria Cross.
He re-joined the NWMP in 1902 and served until ill health forced him to retire in 1907. After his wife's death in 1916, Richardson returned to Liverpool and died there in 1932.
The medal.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. His gravestone can be seen at the Liverpool Cathedral St. James Gardens.


USCGC Hamilton

USCGC "Hamilton" may refer to:


Headquarters, Department of the Army


Battle of Wischau

The Battle of Wischau occurred on 25 November 1805, between the Russian and French armies. The conflict resulted in a minor Russian success. It followed the action at Hollabrun and Schöngrabern, and preceded the Battle of Austerlitz. The relatively easy Russian victory convinced the Third Coalition Allies that the French army would be easy to beat, having reached the end of their supply and communication lines, and having suffered several losses in previous weeks of fighting.
Orders of Battle.
French forces.
Total: 20 squadrons, 12 guns, approximately 1400 men.
11th Dragoons lost an Imperial Eagle and a guidon during the fight.
Russian forces.
Advanced Guard
Total: 12 battalions, 35 squadrons, and 8 sotnias, 24 guns, approximately 12,000 men.


Cedric E. Pringle

Rear Admiral Cedric E. Pringle (born c. 1964) is an active duty United States Navy officer and career Surface Warfare Officer who is currently serving as the 31st Commandant of the National War College. He has been serving in this position since October 16, 2019. As the commandant, Pringle is responsible for formulating academic policies, supervising curriculum planning, preparation, and ensuring excellence in classroom teaching. Prior to this assignment, Pringle served as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3, from December 2017 to September 2019.
Early life and education.
Pringle graduated from the University of South Carolina in December 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and received his commission through Navy ROTC. He also earned a Master of Science in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1998 and a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy from the Naval War College in 2003.
Military career.
At sea, he served in the engineering department onboard USS Ranger (CV-61) and USS Portland (LSD-37) and as executive officer on USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43). In July 2004, he assumed command of USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41). During his tour, he participated in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in response to Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. In February 2012, he took command of the Navy’s first hybrid propulsion drive ship, USS Makin Island (LHD-8). During his tenure, Makin Island completed its maiden deployment and achieved numerous successes, including earning the Battle “E” Award, the Retention Excellence Award, Afloat and Aviation Operational Safety Awards and the President’s Volunteer Service Award for community outreach.
Ashore, he served on various staffs up to and including on the Joint Staff Force Structure, Resources and Assessment Directorate (J8). He also served as director, Navy Senate Liaison for the Secretary of the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs. From September 2015 to November 2017, he served as deputy director of Joint Interagency Task Force South. During this tour, he also volunteered to serve as commander, Joint Task Force Matthew, leading relief and recovery efforts in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.
From December 2017 to September 2019, he served as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3, the Navy's largest Strike Group that is composed of 15 ships, 31 subordinate commands, and 15,000 Sailors and Marines. During his tenure, ESG3 led the first-ever Arctic Expeditionary Capabilities Exercise as a Littoral Combat Force headquarters, orchestrating simultaneous operations across 2.2 million square miles, ranging from Adak, Alaska to San Diego, California.
Pringle assumed command as the 31st commandant of National War College on 16 October 2019.
Pringle is the recipient of the 2015 Navy’s Stars and Stripes Award.


Air Education Training Command Collaboration Portal

The Air Education Training Command Collaboration Portal(ACP) provides collaboration services to the United States Air Force academic institutions and select training organizations. The Air Collaboration Portal has evolved and now provides other collaboration components such as blogs, wikis, and instant messaging to the U.S. Air Force.
History and mission.
AETC Collaboration Portal was established in 2007 as a single enterprise environment that enhances cyber security to the Air Force ".mil" network. The Air Collaboration Portal creates a collaboration environment to enhance training, education, and research for the United States Air Force. The mission statement is "Establish and maintain one “af.edu” domain, without exposing the af.mil network to security risks." The Air Collaboration Portal benefits Air Force users worldwide.
The Air Collaboration Portal provides the following benefits:
Users.
AETC Collaboration Portal's stated goal is to enable Air Force personnel, both airmen and civilian contractors access to information anywhere, anytime.
Authorized users include the following:
Capabilities and features.
AETC Collaboration Portal offers multiple enterprise collaboration features and capabilities to the Air Force.
Features and capabilities include:
Accomplishments and supported units.
AETC Collaboration Portal is innovative in scope and concept for collaboration, research, and training. They can be credited with providing highly mobile Civilian Institute students and faculty with e-mail addresses, web portals, and instant messaging capabilities. It also enhances professional development, and cultural awareness.
The Air Collaboration Portal supports the following organizations:
Enterprise Service Desk.
Assistance provided via:


USS Ericsson (DD-56)

USS "Ericsson" (Destroyer No. 56/DD-56) was an built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S. Navy vessel named in honor of John Ericsson, the Swedish-born builder of the ironclad warship during the American Civil War.
"Ericsson" was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, in November 1913 and launched in August of the following year. The ship was a little more than in length, just over abeam, and had a standard displacement of . She was armed with four guns and had eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. "Ericsson" was powered by a pair of steam turbines that propelled her at up to .
After her May 1916 commissioning, "Ericsson" sailed off the east coast and in the Caribbean. She was one of seventeen destroyers sent out to rescue survivors from five victims of German submarine off the Lightship Nantucket in October 1916, and carried 81 passengers from a sunken British ocean liner to Newport, Rhode Island. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, "Ericsson" was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, "Ericsson" made several unsuccessful attacks on U-boats, and rescued survivors of several ships sunk by the German craft.
Upon returning to the United States after the war, "Ericsson" conducted operations with the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet until August 1919, when she was placed in reserve, still in commission. After a brief stint of operations in mid 1921, she was placed in reserve until she was decommissioned at Philadelphia in June 1922. In June 1924, "Ericsson" was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the "Rum Patrol". She operated under the name USCGC "Ericsson" (CG-5) until May 1932, when she was returned to the Navy. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.
Design and construction.
"Ericsson" was authorized in March 1913 as the sixth and final ship of the which was an improved version of the s authorized in 1911. Construction of the vessel was awarded to New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey, which laid down her keel on 10 November 1913. Just over nine months later, on 22 August 1914, "Ericsson" was launched by sponsor Mrs. J. Washington Logue, wife of the Pennsylvania Congressman. The ship was named in honor of John Ericsson, the builder of the ironclad warship during the American Civil War, and was the second U.S. Navy ship named for the Swedish native. As built, the destroyer was in length, abeam, and drew . The ship had a standard displacement of and displaced when fully loaded.
"Ericsson" had two Zoelly steam turbines that drove her two screw propellers, and an additional triple-expansion steam engine connected to one of the propeller shafts for cruising purposes. Four oil-burning White-Forster boilers powered the engines, which could generate , moving the ship at up to .
"Ericsson"s main battery consisted of four /50 Mark 9 guns, with each gun weighing in excess of . The guns fired armor-piercing projectiles at . At an elevation of 20°, the guns had a range of .
"Ericsson" was also equipped with eight torpedo tubes. The General Board of the United States Navy had called for two anti-aircraft guns for the "O'Brien"-class ships, as well as provisions for laying up to 36 floating mines. From sources, it is unclear if these recommendations were followed for "Ericsson" or any of the other ships of the class.
Early career.
USS "Ericsson" was commissioned into the United States Navy on 14 August 1915 under the command of Lieutenant Commander W. L. Pryor. From October through December 1915, "Ericsson" operated out of New York and Newport, Rhode Island, on drills, in training, and on the Neutrality Patrol. With the Torpedo Flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet she sailed on 7 January 1916 for maneuvers in the Caribbean, using Key West and Guantanamo Bay as bases. She returned to Newport on 23 May.
At 05:30 on Sunday, 8 October 1916, wireless reports came in of a German submarine stopping ships near the Lightship Nantucket, off the eastern end of Long Island. After an SOS from the British steamer "West Point" was received at about 12:30, Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves ordered "Ericsson" and other destroyers at Newport to attend to survivors; "Ericsson" was the fourth of seventeen destroyers to get underway. The destroyers arrived on the scene at about 17:00 when the U-boat, under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Hans Rose, fired shots across the bow of the Holland-America Line cargo ship , signaling her to stop. Shortly after, "U-53" stopped the British passenger ship . As Rose had done with three other ships "U-53" had sunk earlier in the day, he gave passengers and crew aboard "Blommersdijk" and "Stephano" adequate time to abandon the ships. "Ericsson" was one of six destroyers taking on passengers from "Stephano" that witnessed her sinking. In total, 226 survivors from "U-53"s five victims were rescued by the destroyer flotilla. "Ericsson" transported 81—including 35 women and children—back to Newport, where she arrived at 01:30 on 9 October.
After finishing out the rest of 1916 at Newport, "Ericsson" again joined in exercises in the Caribbean for the first three months of 1917, and then returned to New York City and Newport to prepare for distant service.
World War I.
After the United States declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917 entering World War I, "Ericsson" was prepared for overseas duty. On 7 May, "Ericsson" sailed from Boston with , , , and
for Queenstown, Ireland, where they arrived on 17 May. "Ericsson" began patrol duty in the war zone, and almost at once came upon a surfaced U-boat shelling two sailing ships. She opened fire, forcing the submarine down and preventing further attack, then picked up 37 survivors of the sailing ships. She continued on patrol and escort duty, and on 28 September, at night, sighted a surfaced submarine, at which she fired. "Ericsson" dropped depth charges, but before she could carry out her plan to ram the German U-boat, she lost contact in the darkness.
"Ericsson" continued to sail out of Queenstown on patrol and escorting convoys, many times attacking submarines, standing by damaged ships, and rescuing survivors. After June 1918, she was based at Brest, France; and during that summer, usually sailed about ahead of convoys, towing aloft a kite balloon used for observation. At the close of the war, "Ericsson" was overhauled at Liverpool, but returned to Brest in time to take part on 13 December in the welcoming honors rendered for President Woodrow Wilson, arriving in France on the transport . On 21 December, "Ericsson" departed for the United States, arriving at New York on 8 January 1919.
Postwar.
In May 1919, "Ericsson" sailed to the Azores to observe and support the historic first aerial crossing of the Atlantic, made by Navy seaplanes. After exercises along the east coast and in the Caribbean, she entered New York Navy Yard for repairs, and there was placed in reserve, still in commission, on 7 August. She was laid up in reduced commission at Philadelphia and Charleston, South Carolina, in the years that followed, and put to sea only during the summer of 1921, when drills and exercises took her to Newport. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia on 16 June 1922.
United States Coast Guard career.
On 17 January 1920, Prohibition was instituted by law in the United States. Soon, the smuggling of alcoholic beverages along the coastlines of the United States became widespread and blatant. The Treasury Department eventually determined that the United States Coast Guard simply did not have the ships to constitute a successful patrol. To cope with the problem, President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 authorized the transfer from the Navy to the Coast Guard of twenty old destroyers that were in reserve and out of commission. "Ericsson" was activated and acquired by the Coast Guard on 7 June 1924.
Designated "CG-5", "Ericsson" was commissioned on 28 May 1925, and joined the "Rum Patrol" to aid in the attempt to enforce prohibition laws. On 11 April 1926, she captured the rum-runner "Atalanta". During her time in the Coast Guard, "Ericsson"s gunners were awarded the USCG Gunnery Trophy for Destroyers for 1925–26 and 1926–27. "Ericsson" was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 30 April 1930, and returned to the U.S. Navy on 23 May 1932. She was scrapped and her salvaged material sold on 22 August 1934 in accordance with the London Naval Treaty.


Navy Federal Credit Union

Navy Federal Credit Union (or Navy Federal) is a global credit union headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, chartered and regulated under the authority of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Navy Federal is the largest natural member (or retail) credit union in the United States, both in asset size and in membership. As of March 2021, Navy Federal has US $138.6 billion in assets, and has 10.1 million members.
History.
Navy Federal was originally incorporated on 17 January 1933 as the Navy Department Employees' Credit Union of the District of Columbia (NDCU). Only Navy Department employees who were members of the federal employees' labor union and members of their families were eligible to join. The next year, President Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Credit Union Act, which would eventually become the basis of business for the credit union. On July 17, 1947, the credit union was granted a Federal Charter as a credit union, named Navy Department Employees Federal Credit Union (NDEFCU). It also expanded membership to include all Navy personnel in the Washington, DC area, both military and civilian.
In 1954, the credit union changed its charter again to open membership to Navy and Marine Corp officers everywhere, regardless of geographic location, and changed its name to Navy Federal Credit Union. Eventually, membership was opened to enlisted personnel as well. By April 1962, the credit union reached a milestone, becoming the biggest credit union in the world, a distinction which it still holds today. In 1977, the credit union moved into its current headquarters in Vienna, Virginia, eventually undergoing several major expansions of its facility there.
In 2003, the credit union opened its membership further, to include Navy contractors. There have also been several times in the credit union's history that NCUA has asked Navy Federal to merge with or absorb other credit unions that were experiencing financial or other difficulties. Members of these prior credit unions remained members of Navy Federal after the merger (following NCUA's policy of "once a member, always a member"). In September 2010, Navy Federal Credit Union announced plans to absorb/merge with USA Fed, stating that joint operations would begin 4 October 2010 under the Navy Federal banner.
In May 2008, Navy Federal Credit Union widened its membership to include the entire Department of Defense, which made eligible all active duty, retired, and reserve Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force personnel, as well as contractor and civilian personnel within the Department of Defense. In March 2013, Navy Federal Credit Union further widened its membership to include all Coast Guard members and employees as well. In 2020, Navy Federal Credit Union also expanded its membership to include Space Force members. In 2014, Navy Federal expanded its Vienna headquarters. As of December 2020, 4,500 employees work at the Vienna location.
 An increase in membership also led to an expansion at the credit union's Pensacola location in 2015, where Navy Federal has 8,300 employees.
Legal issues.
In 2017, Navy Federal Credit Union settled a class action lawsuit over millions of unwanted phone calls, many of which had gone to individuals who were not credit union members and specifically asked not to be contacted. NFCU settled a similar class action lawsuit in 2020 over unwanted text messages, paying out $9.25 million.
Membership.
Navy Federal's field of membership is set by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). As with all credit unions, membership in Navy Federal is limited to individuals sharing the common bond defined in its credit union charter. Membership in Navy Federal is limited to:
Organization.
Navy Federal is chartered with NCUA as a single-sponsor credit union, with its sponsor being the Department of Defense. Like all credit unions, Navy Federal is governed by a board of volunteers, elected by and from its membership. Navy Federal also has a separate subsidiary, named Navy Federal Financial Group, which operates as a credit union service organization (CUSO). CUSOs were established by NCUA as a way for credit unions to pursue product offerings that would normally be outside of the purview of a credit union.
As a member-owned and not-for-profit credit union, Navy Federal's values are Service, Integrity, and Community, meaning the credit union focuses on serving with compassion, operating with integrity and championing the community. These values support Navy Federal's mission to "always put members first".
Employees.
As of March 2021, the credit union had over 22,400 employees worldwide. Navy Federal, founded in 1933, has never had a layoff, choosing instead to move employees to other departments to avoid layoffs. It was ranked number 78 on the 2008 "Fortune's" 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which is produced by the Great Place to Work Institute. They were 95th in 2012, rose to 56th in 2013, 96th in 2014, 72nd in 2015, 44th in 2016, 29th in 2019 and rose to 19th in 2020 on that same list.
Services.
Navy Federal offers the typical suite of account services offered by most financial institutions, including savings accounts, checking accounts, debit cards, IRA accounts, and certificates. The savings product is named "Share Savings" to reflect the fact that a member's initial savings deposit ($5.00) literally represents their share of ownership in the credit union. Navy Federal also offers members consumer loans (including personal loans, auto loans, and student loans), credit cards, mortgages and home equity lines of credit, and digital banking as well as some small business services, such as PPP loans. Navy Federal's CUSO, Navy Federal Financial Group, offers more extensive investment services, an electronic trading platform, and insurance.
As of January 2021, Navy Federal has 343 branches worldwide. Navy Federal offers extensive online services via its corporate website, Navy Federal Online, and its banking app. In addition, members can make transactions through a network of more than 30,000 free ATMs in the U.S. and Canada without any surcharge fees.
Due to the nature of its membership, which includes actively deployed military personnel in every time zone, Navy Federal maintains 24x7 operations at its three contact centers in Vienna, Virginia, Winchester, Virginia, and Pensacola, Florida, its largest contact center, as well as round-the-clock online services.
Major banking competitors include Bank of America-Military Bank, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, and USAA.
Charitable contributions.
Navy Federal Credit Union engages in multiple charitable partnerships, including a decades-long relationship with Toys for Tots, dedicated to helping families surrounding the Vienna, Virginia headquarters, and a partnership with the National Hockey League's Stick Tap for Service Program. Navy Federal has also made multiple disaster relief donations, most recently to the communities near their Pensacola, Florida offices that were adversely affected by Hurricane Sally in October 2020.
Awards.
Navy Federal Credit Union has received the following awards and honors:


Port Security Unit

United States Coast Guard Port Security Units are deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. They can deploy within 96 hours and establish operations within 24 hours. PSUs conduct OCONUS port security in support of requesting regional Combatant commander. They provide waterside protection to key assets (e.g. pier areas, high-value vessels, harbor entrances) at the termination/origination point of the Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs). PSUs may operate in U.S. territorial waters under the direction of a Coast Guard or Maritime Defense Zone (MDZ) command or in foreign waters as part of Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces (MESFs) within the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command structure.
PSUs often operate with other MESF elements, such as Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons (MSRONs) within a Maritime Expeditionary Security Group, and were part of the Coast Guard's Deployable Operations Group (DOG) until the DOG was decommissioned; PSUs are now a part of the Deployable Specialized Forces.
History.
In addition to their most recent support of homeland security operations around the country, PSUs were deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1990. They also served in Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy in 1994 and more recently responded to Port-au-Prince, Haiti immediately after the devastating 2010 earthquake. In December 2000, PSU 309 from Port Clinton, Ohio was deployed to the Middle East to provide vital force protection for the Navy assets following the attack on the USS "Cole".
The current PSUs evolved out of Coast Guard Ninth District's Reserve PSU program that began in the 1980s, but the port security mission and service goes back even further.
Previously, the Port Security program of the Coast Guard began with the passage of the Espionage Act of 1917 and due to the Black Tom explosion. Coast Guard's Captain of the Port (COTPs) were given responsibility for the security of port areas under this act. During World War I, port security operations were conducted by active duty personnel.
After the war, interest in port security waned until pictures of burning ships visible from US shores as the country entered World War II rekindled media and public attention. The Temporary Reserve was created and made up of armed volunteers under command of the COTP. Over 125,000 citizens would eventually serve as Temporary Reserves.
Insignia.
There are two insignias for PSU members, the pewter color insignia is for enlisted members and gold color insignia is for officers. It is only earned by a small number of Coast Guardsmen (approx. 1%), and is primarily a Coast Guard Reserve decoration.
The design for the pin was developed in 1991 by Reserve Coast Guardsman, Storekeeper First Class Terry D. Jelcick while sitting on his bunk at Batar Camp, Dammam, Saudi Arabia in the evenings after work. Jelcick is now retired and is a former member of PSU 312 based in San Francisco, California.
The parts of the insignia are
Capabilities.
Each PSU has 6 fast and maneuverable 32' Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSBs). The PSU has a large suite of weapons. Each unit is outfitted with spare material, pick-up trucks, boat trailers, transportable kitchens, tents, and DoD-compatible radios. They maintain an inventory of equipment and spare parts to sustain operations for up to 90 days. Ongoing logistics support provides routine replenishment. All personnel have required individual gear for field operations.
Each PSU is staffed by 140 reservists and 6 active duty personnel (one officer and 5 first-class petty officers). The officer may or may not be a reservist. Personnel prepare for contingency operations during weekend drills and normally participate in either an exercise or specialized training during two weeks of annual Active Duty.
PSUs may operate independently or with other naval coastal warfare units, including:
Boat Division.
PSUs are equipped with six Kvichak (Vigor) 32' Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSBs) (four operational, one in maintenance, one pre-staged theater spare); which are the fourth generation of the Transportable Security Boats (TPSB) used by the Coast Guard for the port security mission. These boats are well-equipped and armed with three mounted machine guns, in addition to the crew's personal weapons.
The mission of the TPSBs is to provide waterside protection to key High Value Assets (HVA) such as U.S. warships and military supply vessels in foreign ports and may include the port, harbor or pier itself. Through the use of vigilant escort and patrol techniques, the HVA is protected from asymmetrical threats such as assaults by small boats or swimmers.
Each TPSB is crewed by 3-4 enlisted personnel, usually Boatswain's Mates, Machinery Technicians, and Maritime Law Enforcement Specialists
Members of PSUs use a variety of light and crew-served weapons. The Weapons Division ensures that the Unit is properly armed, equipped and trained for exercises, operations or incidents that the PSU may respond to. The Weapons Division consists of a Weapons Officer (WEPO), a Gunner's Mate First Class (GM1), and two or three Third Class Gunner's Mates (GM3s).
The division maintains a variety of weaponry, including the .50 caliber M2 Machine Gun, 7.62mm M240G Machine Gun, M4 Carbine, M16A2 Rifle, 12 Gauge Remington 870 shotgun (lethal and non-lethal), and 40mm M203 grenade launcher. PSUs have recently switched from the DoD-standard 9×19mm Beretta M9 to the .40 S&W SIG Sauer P229R DAK USCG Service Pistol.
Security Division.
To most observers, the Boat Division remains the most visible element of a PSU. Behind the scenes, the Security Division is tasked to not only provide protection to vessels in security zones and pier areas but also to provide security for internal unit functions such as the Command Center, Communications Center, berthing areas, Entry Control Points (ECP), Vehicle Control Points (VCP) and traffic control/vehicle movement.
The Security Division's mission is to provide security for the entire PSU as well as assisting the Joint Rear Area Commander's security forces in protecting joint command areas.
The PSU Security Division consists of 40 Maritime Enforcement Specialists (ME's) led by the Unit Security Officer. It is subdivided into squads with 3 four-person fireteams each. Each squad and fireteam has a designated squad or fireteam leader.
Besides general expertise in the missions listed above, security personnel are also trained in defensive position construction, individual movement and patrolling, and assorted weaponry including the M4 Carbine, .40 S&W SIG Sauer P229R DAK Service Pistol, 40mm M203 grenade launcher, 12 Gauge Remington 870 shotgun (lethal and non-lethal), 7.62mm M240G Machine Gun and .50 caliber M2 Machine Gun.
Operations.
PSUs are capable of worldwide deployment in national defense regional contingency environments, with the exception of polar regions or areas with ice-covered water.
Operating environments include operations from shore sites, barges or other moored platforms (including oil platforms). PSUs will normally operate independently, but may operate with U.S. Navy Naval Expeditionary Combat Command.
PSUs are capable of conducting continuous boat operations with three or four boats underway simultaneously. An additional boat will be manned and mechanically ready at all times as a ready response boat. The remainder of the boats may be undergoing maintenance or repair or used for spares. Boat hulls can be expected on station (not including transit and maintenance time) 18 hours per day when more than one boat is undergoing maintenance. During high threat conditions, PSUs are capable of conducting continuous operations with four operational boats for a maximum period of 24 hours.
Maximum expected boat crew underway period is 8 to 10 hours (with breaks when able) in any 24-hour period. Sufficient personnel have been assigned to provide a three or four section watch rotation for each of the teams (boat crews for three boats, unit security teams, C3 staff) that are required to be manned continuously. This operating tempo can be maintained for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
PSUs conduct layered defensive operations to protect high-value assets within the protected waters of a port or harbor. The operation area may extend to the sea buoy if environmental conditions permit. PSU boats are fully mission capable when operating in less than seas and winds. If necessary, PSU boats may operate in up to seas for less than 1 hour with a severely degraded mission capability.


Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)

Deputy of Staff of the Army (DoSA) has been the title of the second in command of the Sri Lanka Army. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of Major General and is the third senior position in the army. Deputy of Staff is charged with assisting the Chief of Staff of the Army in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the "Acting Army Commander" in his absences or incantation.


USCGC Halibut

USCGC "Halibut" is a United States Coast Guard Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat based in Marina del Rey, California. Her patrol area is the from Morro Bay to Dana Point, California, and several important offshore islands.
Like her sister ships, "Halibut" was built at the Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, Louisiana.
Commissioned on April 26, 2002, she replaced the Point-class cutter . She was commissioned on 26 April 2002.
In the early morning of 2 December 2012, "Halibut" encountered a suspicious vessel and dispatched her pursuit boat to investigate. The crew of the pursuit boat hailed the vessel and attempted to board her for an inspection, upon which the suspicious vessel rammed "Halibut"′s boat. Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne, "Halibut"s executive petty officer, was credited with heroically pushing a colleague to safety at the cost of his own life.
In October 2016, "Halibut" joined the Coast Guard patrol boat in supporting operations by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) personnel aboard the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary′s research vessel R/V "Shearwater" who used a VideoRay Mission Specialist remotely operated vehicle to find and identify the wreck of the Coast Guard cutter , which sank in the Pacific Ocean 3 nautical miles (5.5 km) off Point Conception, California, on 13 June 1917 after colliding with the passenger steamer "Governor".


Latvian partisans

Latvian national partisans were the Latvian national partisans who waged guerrilla warfare against Soviet rule during and after Second World War.
Aftermath of World War I.
The decisions of the 1917 congresses and the declaration of independence on November 18, 1918, with Latgale as part of the Latvian state, moved both the military of Latvia as well as local partisans to struggle for the liberation of Latgale. This was a difficult task, given the territorial interests of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Second Polish Republic, and Belarusian People's Republic. On June 10, 1919 the Lithuanian army reached the territory controlled by the partisan (Green Guard).
Aftermath of World War II.
Latvian national partisans waged guerrilla warfare against Soviet rule during the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 during World War II, and the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic after the war. Similar anti-Soviet resistance groups fought against Soviet rule in Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Romania and Galicia (Eastern Europe).
The Red Army occupied the formerly independent Latvia in 1940–1941 and, after the period of occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany, again in 1944–1945. As Stalinist repression intensified over the following years, thousands of residents of this country used the heavily forested countryside as a natural refuge and basis for armed anti-Soviet resistance.
Resistance units varied in size and composition, ranging from individually operating guerrillas, armed primarily for self-defence, to large and well-organised groups able to engage significant Soviet forces in battle.
Background.
Caught between two powers.
Latvia had gained her independence in 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire. The ideals of self-determination had taken hold with many people as a result of having established an independent country for the first time in history. Allied declarations such as the Atlantic Charter had offered promise of a post-war world in which Latvia could re-establish itself. Having already experienced occupation by the Soviet regime followed by the Nazi regime, many people were unwilling to accept another occupation.
In the first weeks of Operation Barbarossa Latvia was overrun by German Army Group North. The German advance had been so swift that thousands of Red Army troops had been by-passed without taking them as prisoners. Thousands of Latvians joined partisan units which were organized by Latvian officers in the rear of the Soviet front line. The Latvians now collected the Reds and sometimes fought fierce battles with those who resisted. The national partisans ahead of the German front line took Sigulda on July 2 (two days before the Germans). They secured Alūksne on July 5, but that evening strong Red Army forces, retreating from the Germans, reached the town, and the partisans withdrew without a fight. The next morning the Reds departed, and the partisans re-occupied the town. The Germans occupied Alūksne on July 7. At the village of Mālupe the partisans attacked the headquarters of the 183rd Rifle Division, killing its commander and several staff officers and capturing their supplies and transportation. By July 8 the Red Army had retreated beyond the Latvian border.
Preparations for partisan operations in Courland were begun during the German occupation, but the leaders of these nationalist units were arrested by Nazi authorities. Longer-lived resistance units began to form during the last months of the war; their ranks were composed of a good number of Latvian Legion soldiers as well as civilians. On 8 September 1944 in Riga, the leadership of the Latvian Central Council adopted a Declaration on the restoration of the State of Latvia. The adoption of the Declaration was an attempt to restore de facto independence to the Republic of Latvia, in hopes of international support and by taking advantage of the interval between changes of occupying powers. The Declaration prescribed that the "Satversme" is the fundamental law of the restored Republic of Latvia, and provided for establishment of a Cabinet of Ministers that would organise the restoration of the State of Latvia.
Some of the most prominent LCC accomplishments are related to its military branch – General Jānis Kurelis group (the so-called "kurelieši") with Lieutenant Roberts Rubenis battalion which carried out the armed resistance against Waffen SS forces.
The partisan operations in Latvia had some basis in Hitler's authorisation of a full withdrawal from Estonia in mid-September 1944—and in the fate of Army Group Courland, among the last of Hitler's forces to surrender after it became trapped in
the Courland Pocket on the Latvian peninsula in 1945. After the capitulation of Germany on May 8, 1945 approximately 4000 legionaries went to the forests. Others, such as Waffen SS commanders Alfons Rebane and Alfrēds Riekstiņš escaped to the United Kingdom and Sweden and participated in Allied intelligence operations in aid of the partisans.
The ranks of the resistance swelled with the Red Army's attempts at conscription in Latvia after the war, with fewer than half the registered conscripts reporting in some districts. The widespread harassment of disappearing conscripts' families pushed more people to evade authorities in the forests. Many enlisted men deserted, taking their weapons with them.
The partisan war.
There was not any significant support to the national partisans from the West. Most of the agents sent by the Western- British (MI6), American, and Swedish secret intelligence services in a period from 1945 to 1954 (about 25 agents) were arrested by KGB and could not get into contact with partisans. And also this poor support diminished significantly after MI6's Operation Jungle was severely compromised by the activities of British spies (Kim Philby and others) who forwarded information to the Soviets, enabling the KGB to identify, infiltrate and eliminate many Latvian partisan units and cut others off from any further contact with Western intelligence operatives.
The conflict between the Soviet armed forces and the Latvian national partisans lasted over a decade and cost at least thousands of lives. Estimates for the number of fighters in each country vary. Misiunas and Taagepera estimate that figures reached between 10,000 and 15,000 in Latvia.
The number of active combatants peaked at between 10,000 and 15,000, while the total number of resistance fighters was as high as 40,000. One author gives a figure of up to 12,000 grouped in 700 bands during the 1945–55 decade, but definitive figures are unavailable. Over time, the partisans replaced their German weapons with Russian ones. The partisan organizations which attempted to unite and coordinate their activities were the Latvian National Partisan Association in Vidzeme and Latgale, the Northern Courland Partisan Organization, Latvian National Partisan Organization in Courland, Latvian Defenders of the Homeland (partisan) Association in Latgale and the "Fatherland Hawks" in Southern Courland. In some 3,000 raids, the partisans inflicted damage on uniformed military personnel, party cadres (particularly in rural areas), buildings, and ammunition depots. Communist authorities reported 1,562 Soviet personnel killed and 560 wounded during the entire resistance period.
The Latvian national partisans were most active in the border regions. The forests hid the partisan dugouts, their workshops for weapons, their printing presses for leaflets and underground newspapers. Areas where they were most active included Abrene district, Ilūkste, Dundaga, Taurkalne, Lubāna, Aloja, Smiltene, Rauna and Līvāni. In the Northern regions, they had ties with Estonian Forest Brothers. As in Estonia, the partisans were killed off and infiltrated by the MVD and NKVD over time, and as in Estonia, Western assistance and intelligence was severely compromised by Soviet counter-intelligence and Latvian double agents such as Augusts Bergmanis and Vidvuds Šveics. Furthermore, the Soviets gradually consolidated their rule in the cities, help from rural civilians was not as forthcoming, and special military and security units were sent to control the partisans. The last groups emerged from the forest and surrendered to the authorities in 1957.
Decline of the resistance movements.
To destroy the partisan base of support major deportation took place in March 1949. Most part of supporters were deported and others were forced to join kolkhozs. By the early 1950s, the Soviet forces had eradicated most of the Latvian national resistance. Intelligence gathered by the Soviet spies in the West and KGB infiltrators within the resistance movement, in combination with large-scale Soviet operations in 1952 managed to end the campaigns against them.
Many of the remaining national partisans laid down their weapons when offered an amnesty by the Soviet authorities after Stalin's death in 1953, although isolated engagements continued into the 1960s. The last individual guerrillas are known to have remained in hiding and evaded capture into the 1980s, by which time Latvia was pressing for independence through peaceful means. (See The Baltic Way, Singing Revolution) Latvia regained their independence in 1991.
Aftermath, memorials and remembrances.
Many Latvian national partisans persisted in the hope that Cold War hostilities between the West, which never formally recognized the Soviet occupation, and the Soviet Union might escalate to an armed conflict in which Latvia would be liberated. This never materialised, and according to Laar many of the surviving former "Forest Brothers" remained bitter that the West did not take on the Soviets militarily. (See also Yalta Conference, Western betrayal)
As the conflict was relatively undocumented by the Soviet Union (the Latvian fighters were never formally acknowledged as anything but "bandits and illegals"), some consider it and the Soviet-Latvian conflict as a whole to be an unknown or forgotten war.
Trivia.
The last known Forest Brother is Jānis Pīnups who become a legal citizen again only in 9. May 1995. He went to the forest in 1944 as a member of a resistance organization called "Don't Serve the Occupant Army". Jānis Pīnups never had a Soviet passport and his legal status was nonexistent during the era of Soviet occupation. His hideaway was located in the forest of the Preiļi district, Pelēči parish. In 1995 a new passport of the Republic of Latvia was issued to Jānis Pīnups and he has said that he's waiting for a moment when he can see Riga – capital of once more independent Latvia.


USCGC Fir

Two buoy tenders of the United States Coast Guard have borne the name USCGC "Fir".


Coast Guard Station Merrimack River

United States Coast Guard Station Merrimack River is a United States Coast Guard station located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is one of the 20 surf stations in the Coast Guard. Its primary missions include search and rescue and law enforcement.


M67 grenade

The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States military. The M67 is a further development of the M33 grenade, itself a replacement for the M26-series grenades used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War I.
Overview.
The M67 grenade has a spheroidal steel body that contains of composition B explosive. It uses the M213 pyrotechnic delay fuze. The M67 grenade weighs in total and has a safety clip to prevent the safety pin on the grenade from being pulled accidentally. The safety pin prevents the safety lever, or "spoon" on the grenade from moving and releasing the spring-loaded striker which initiates the grenade's fuse assembly.
The M67 is typically known as a "baseball" grenade, because it is shaped like a ball that can be easily thrown. According to the FY2021 US Army Justification, the average cost of a single M67 grenade is around 45 US dollars.
The M67 can be thrown by the average male soldier. Its fuse delays detonation between 4 and 5 seconds after the spoon is released. Steel fragments (not to be confused with shrapnel) are provided by the grenade body and produce an injury radius of , with a fatality radius of , though some fragments can disperse as far out as .
Variants.
M33 Fragmentation Grenade.
The M33 was the original successor to the M26 fragmentation grenade. It was essentially identical to the M67, but lacked the safety clip that is fitted to the safety lever of the M67.
M68 Fragmentation Grenade.
This is a variant of the M67 fitted with the M217 impact fuze and a safety clip on the safety lever. This fuze has an electrical impact function which arms within 1 to 2 seconds and will detonate the grenade upon impact, and a back-up pyrotechnic delay function which will initiate the grenade after 3 to 7 seconds if the impact function fails. The M68 has the same specifications and markings as the M67 except it has a red-painted fuze and lever to indicate it has an impact fuze.
M33A1 and M59 Fragmentation Grenades.
Predecessors to the M68, these impact fuzed grenades used the M33 grenade body fitted with the M217 impact fuze, without a safety clip on the safety lever, and are marked in a similar manner to the M68.
M69 Practice Grenade.
The M69 grenade is used for grenade training to safely simulate the M67 grenade. The fuze screws into the body, and is replaceable after use. The simulator produces a report and small puff of white smoke when properly employed.
The M69 has a blue-painted lever and a blue body. This is to indicate that it is a safe practice grenade rather than a live fragmentation grenade like the M33 or M67.


List of Royal Canadian Air Force Bands

The Royal Canadian Air Force maintained multiple military bands during its close to a century of existence. All Canadian military bands, including RCAF bands, provide entertainment and public affairs support to their units and communities. These bands provides musical support for air bases, military areas, and communities across the country.
List of bands.
Regular Force.
Central Band of the Canadian Forces.
The Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces is the senior regular band in the Canadian Armed Forces. Attached to the Commandant of Canadian Forces Support Unit in Ottawa, it support institutions such as the Department of National Defence and the Government of Canada, as well as performs at events throughout the National Capital Region. Small numbers of musicians in the band belong to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army, with the RCAF providing majority of the personnel, as well as its Director of Music and Drum Major.
RCAF Band.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Band is a 35-member military band which represents the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Canadian Armed Forces. Currently located at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, the RCAF Band provides musical accompaniment for ceremonies of the RCAF in Canada. It is home to a wide range of ensembles including the Spitfire Kings rock band that was formerly part of the band.
Voluntary bands.
The Royal Canadian Air Force has eight authorized voluntary bands, located at 4 Wing Cold Lake, 8 Wing Trenton, 12 Wing Shearwater, and 22 Wing North Bay. With the exception of the 22 Wing, they all consist of a voluntary brass-reed concert band and a voluntary pipe and drum band. By tradition, military/civilian volunteers parading as part of a band are authorized the band's optional items. No rank insignia are worn unless the individual holds that rank by right.
4 Wing Brass and Reed Band.
CFB Cold Lake sports a unit band that under the auspices of the 4 Wing. The band in its modern form was established in November 1982 after a resolution by the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. It performs public duties for the base as well as the city of Cold Lake and what was formerly Lakeland County. The following have served as bandmasters for the band: Jeff Gaye (1990–2009), Cam Martin (2014–2015), Jeremy Duggleby (since 2015).
8 Wing Brass and Reed Band.
CFB Trenton is the headquarters of the oldest Air Force band in Canada; the Brass and Reed Band of 8 Wing. It was founded in 1939, when warrant officer, second class Tommy Cooper organized the first volunteer band at RCAF Station Trenton. Later that year a set of band instruments was purchased in order for it to perform during the royal tour of George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It originally consisted of enlisted tradesmen who served on a part-time basis. In recent years, the band has performed at a Battle of Britain military parade square at CFB Trenton to outreach engagements in the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. Its members also provide musical groups such as an 18-piece big band and jazz ensembles.
8 Wing Pipes and Drums.
The 8 Wing Pipes and Drums at CFB Trenton was officially formed in January 1963. The band has been in performances in the United States, Russia, Europe and Scotland. The band has a long history of success in competition, both in Canada and abroad. It won the Grade 4 North American Championships in both 2017 and 2018, as well as winning Ontario Grade 4 Champion Supreme in 2018.
12 Wing Pipe and Drums Band.
The 12 Wing Pipes and Drums is based in Shearwater, Nova Scotia, being founded in 1994.
14 Wing Brass and Reed Band.
Erle Dolsen was the first bandmaster of the 14 Wing Brass and Reed Band, serving from 1962 to 1972. The band has performed for events like the lawn party at the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. The history of the band is immortalized in a display at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum.
14 Wing Pipes and Drums Band.
The 14 Wing Pipes and Drums Band is associated with Land Force Atlantic Area Training Centre Aldershot and 14 Wing Greenwood. It serves in the Annapolis Valley. It has been maintained since 1979.
22 Wing Band.
The 22 Wing Band is based at CFB North Bay in Ontario. It is a squadron-sized band that consists of 60–65 musicians who make up the parade and concert band, as well as a jazz and brass quartet.
RCAF Pipes and Drums.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Pipes and Drums is the official pipe band of the RCAF. It is currently the longest continuous serving Air Force Pipe Band in the CAF. The 40 member pipe band participates in public duties such as National Remembrance Day parade in Ottawa. The Pipe Band wears a modified highland dress that is augmented with a kilt patterned in the RCAF Tartan.
Primary Reserve.
400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron Band.
The 400 "City of Toronto" Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron Pipe Band from CFB Kingston was established started in the 1930s. The band has won the North American Championship and the PPBSO Champion Supreme aggregate title in several grades in the past. The longest serving pipe major was Terry Cleland, who served for a total of 37 years.
402 Squadron Pipes and Drums.
The 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron Pipes and Drums was originally formed in 1954 from the Winnipeg Thistle Pipes and Drums with Pipe Major, J. Reay becoming the first Pipe Major. The band has a composition of 22 members currently under the direction of Pipe Major Greg McTavish. It has traveled across the world to make appearances at events such as the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, festivals in Denmark and Sweden, the Minneapolis Aquatennial and the 1967 Pan American Games. It bas also performed in Albuquerque, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio and Oklahoma City.
Musique du 438e Escadron Tactique d'hélicoptères.
The Musique du 438e Escadron tactique d'hélicoptères "Ville de Montréal" (Band of the 438 "City of Montreal" Tactical Helicopter Squadron) is based at the Hartland de Montarville Molson Hangar of CFB St. Hubert in Quebec. It has been performing for Quebecker and eastern Canadian audiences since its establishment in 1961. On its golden jubilee in 2011, it traveled to the Théâtre de la Ville for a holiday concert.


Space Innovation and Development Center

The Space Innovation & Development Center (SIDC), formerly the Space Warfare Center (SWC), was a military unit of the United States Air Force. It was directly under Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) and resided at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. In 2013, AFSPC and ACC restructured the SIDC. Effective 1 April 2013, the SIDC transitioned into several Operating Locations at Schriever AFB under ACC's United States Air Force Warfare Center, headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, NV.
The SIDC aimed to "unlock the potential" as premier innovators, integrators and operational testers of air, space and cyberspace power to the warfighter. The center's mission was to advance full-spectrum warfare through rapid innovation, integration, training testing, and experimentation.
Background.
In the fall of 1992, an Air Force Blue Ribbon Panel on space recommended establishing a dedicated Space Warfare Center to exploit the capabilities of space-based assets. Combat operations during Operation Desert Storm relied on space support more than in any past conflict; however, an analysis of these operations revealed shortfalls in the Air Force's ability to leverage space capabilities. In order to better exploit space capabilities, the SWC was stood-up and officially dedicated on Nov. 1, 1993. The SWC was redesignated as the SIDC in March 2006.
The SIDC supported U.S. anti-terrorism efforts by quickly transitioning innovative combat effects to the warfighter. The center also improves exploitation of air, space and cyberspace capabilities through wargaming, exercises, experiments and space range development. The SIDC provided independent, thorough space and missile operational testing results for Headquarters Air Force Space Command.
Organization.
The SIDC was composed of the 595th Space Group and three divisions; the Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities, or AF TENCAP; the Integration Division; and the Plans, Programs and Requirements Division. The organizations work together to conduct wargaming; integrate space into exercises and experiments; rapidly prototype, field and exploit integrated air, space and cyberspace capabilities; provide advanced space testing, training and range Infrastructure; and execute AFSPC Force Development Evaluation and Operational Test programs.
AF Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (AF TENCAP) (TC).
In 1977 Congress directed the establishment of AF TENCAP with three primary missions: exploit space systems for tactical applications through rapid prototyping projects; influence the design of future space systems for tactical applications; and educate warfighters about the capabilities and tactical utility of space systems. TENCAP demonstrates leading edge space technologies with potential to enhance combat capabilities of units in the field, then transitions these combat systems to warfighters much more rapidly than traditional acquisition processes. TENCAP is responsible for keeping abreast of the latest technologies and influencing emerging space systems to make them more supportive of fielded combat forces.
Integration Division (ID).
The Integration Division, or ID, brings space to the fight by focusing on the integration of air, space and information operations to create aerospace power for warfighters. ID operates two specialized facilities. The Distributed Mission Operations Center for Space (DMOC-S) conducts exercises and mission rehearsals in support of current-day operations and provides machine-to-machine interfaces to present exercise status to players as if it were real world. DMOC-S support includes space injects, such as missile launches, blue-force tracking data, and Combat Search and Rescue injects. The DMOC-S is designed to provide integration support and testing. The Aerospace Fusion Center provides real-time data fusion systems for targeting, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction warning and enhanced missile defense operations.
ID's Wargaming Branch promotes the understanding and effective use of space power through modeling, simulation and analysis. A principal focus of the division is to provide models, simulations and operators for space participation in wargames and exercises. Currently, the branch supports Counter Air Force exercises and Title 10 wargames by providing missile threat and warning models, Global Positioning System navigation accuracy models and space operational and analytical expertise.
Plans, Programs and Requirements (XR).
Plans, Programs and Requirements, or XR, is the backbone of the SIDC, providing overarching support to all other SIDC divisions. XR manages SIDC communications and computers, security, acquisition, logistics, policy, planning, programming, financial support, manpower and personnel. XR is the SIDC commander's authority on reviewing, coordinating and consolidating all SIDC inputs to AFSPC Directorate of Strategic Plans, Programs, Analysis, Assessments and Lessons-Learned Modernization Planning Process and AFSPC Directorate of Plans and Requirements' associated Requirements Generation System. XR also serves as the SIDC's representative for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century initiatives. As the lead SIDC programming and requirements agency, XR integrates SIDC views and initiatives into these AFSPC-level programming systems to solve warfighter deficiencies through space capabilities. As the SIDC's executive agent for the submitting program objective memorandum inputs, XR develops strategy, policy, doctrine and long-range plans to control and exploit space. XR programs and advocates manpower, resources and organizational development for long-term success of the SIDC's mission.
595th Space Group.
The 595th SG is responsible for planning, managing and executing HQ AFSPC's intercontinental ballistic missile and space systems operational test and evaluation activities. The 595th SG is the focal point for coordinating all test activities between HQ AFSPC, 14th Air Force, 20th Air Force, space wings, test squadrons and external agencies. The 595th SG comprises four squadrons and one flight: 595th Operations Support Flight (595 OSF), 17th Test Squadron (17 TS), 14th Test Squadron (14 TS), 25th Space Range Squadron (25 SRS), 3d Space Experimentation Squadron (3 SES).
Air Force Space Battlelab (SB).
The mission of the Space Battlelab was to directly support combat operations in space through innovative and revolutionary applications of space systems. Its goal was to turn around projects at low cost within 18 months.
Two flights performed the operations. The Concepts Development Flight ensured that the Space Battlelab was focused on the most pressing operational problems and determined the best available solutions. They produced a detailed campaign plan as a guide for the second flight, the Demonstration Flight, to rapidly show the effectiveness of a proposed solution in an operational environment. Drawing on test experts such as Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) and the 595th Space Group, Battlelab project managers used modeling and simulation, wargaming, exercise evaluations and prototype demonstrations to quickly measure military value of promising concepts. The overall effectiveness of a technology was captured in a final report that provides detailed analysis of demonstration results and recommendations for concept transition.
The Air Force Space Battlelab stood down in an inactivation ceremony on 2 November 2007 after ten years of operation. The inactivation completed Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley's direction to inactivate all Air Force battlelabs.


USCGC Charles David Jr.

USCGC "Charles David Jr" is the seventh .
Upon her commissioning she was assigned to serve in Key West, Florida, the first of six vessels to be based there.
She was delivered to the Coast Guard, for testing, on August 17, 2013.
She was officially commissioned on November 16, 2013.
Namesake.
The vessel is named after Charles Walter David Jr., who served as a Steward's Mate 1st Class in the United States Coast Guard.
David was serving aboard escorting a convoy that included .
David was one of the "Comanche" crew members who volunteered to dive into the frigid waters to rescue exhausted crew and passengers from "Dorchester". David also rescued several other "Comanche" crew members, who grew exhausted.
David came down with pneumonia after the exertion of the rescue, dying a few days later. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.


2nd South African Infantry Regiment

2nd South African Infantry Regiment (2 SAI) was an infantry regiment of the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
History.
Origin.
The infantry regiments were raised with men from the four provinces of the Union: the 2nd Regiment troops were from Natal and Orange Free State. Many volunteers were from the Kaffrarian Rifles. Most of the recruits already had military training or experience. They were, in general, middle class, well-educated and well-bred men.
The regiment was led by serving officers of the Union Defence Force, while the whole of 1st South African Brigade part of the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force coming under the command of Brigadier-General Henry Lukin DSO, a previous Inspector General of the UDF. The Brigade was attached to the 9th (Scottish) Division.
Engagements.
The Regiment was deployed to France where it capture the village of Longueval and was deployed in the adjacent Delville Wood on 15 July 1916. The regiment then served with the Brigade at Arras during April 1917 and was part of the offensive at Ypres and Passchendale in September 1917, at Marrieres Wood in March 1918, at Messines in April 1918 and finally at Le Cateau in October 1918.
Victoria Cross.
Lance Corporal W. Hewitt of 2nd SA Infantry won his VC during the third battle of Ypres.
Leadership.
The 2nd South African Infantry Regiment commanded by Lt Col W.E.C. Tanner.
References.
http://www.1914-1918.net/south_africa.html


USCGC Dauntless (WMEC-624)

USCGC "Dauntless" (WMEC-624) is a United States Coast Guard cutter, commissioned in 1968 and still on active duty.
She is the first cutter in Coast Guard history to hold this name. Like all ships in the "Reliance" class of 210-foot medium-endurance cutters, "Dauntless" is named for an aspirational trait, in this case meaning to "persevere fearlessly." This trait is further reflected in the ship's motto "Sin Miedo" which, in Spanish, means "Without Fear."
Construction and career.
"Dauntless" was laid down on 15 May 1965 and launched on 21 October 1967 by American Ship Building Company. Commissioned on 10 June 1968.
Since her commissioning, "Dauntless" was homeported in Miami, Florida, until 1993, when she was decommissioned and entered Major Maintenance Availability (MMA) at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. After 18 months and at a total cost of $21 million, the ship was completely overhauled from stem to stern. The major renovations included the addition of an engine exhaust stack aft of the pilot house, a complete powerplant overhaul, installation of new navigation and communications systems, and extensive habitability improvements. After MMA, "Dauntless" was assigned to her new homeport of Galveston, Texas. After her overhaul, her 3”/50cal gun was put on display onboard USS Lexington Museum.
"Dauntless" has earned a reputation as one of the nation's premier "drug busters." "Dauntless" became the first cutter in history to seize one million pounds of marijuana, an accomplishment signified by a large gold marijuana leaf painted on her superstructure. During her Coast Guard career, "Dauntless" has over 85 illegal narcotics "busts" to her credit, more than any other cutter.
She has also played a leading role in search and rescue (SAR) operations. During the mass Cuban exodus (see Mariel boatlift) between April 23 and May 13, 1980, over 25 vessels were towed to safety, eight persons adrift at sea were rescued, and an astonishing 55 SAR cases were conducted.
President Ronald Reagan visited the cutter on November 17, 1982 and awarded her the Coast Guard Unit Commendation. It was the first time in 19 years that a President visited a Coast Guard cutter.
The ship's most- publicized case occurred during January 1986, when "Dauntless" was first to arrive and served as on-scene commander (until relieved by USCGC "Dallas") for the response to the space shuttle "Challenger" disaster. On November 24, 1995, Dauntless rescued 578 migrants from a grossly overloaded 75-foot coastal freighter, the largest number of migrants rescued from a single vessel in Coast Guard history.
Since relocating to Galveston, "Dauntless" has proudly performed her primary missions of law enforcement, alien migrant interdiction operations, protection of marine resources, SAR, and more recently homeland defense in the Gulf of Mexico. Operational highlights include the four "drug busts" resulting in over 3,000 pounds of illegal drugs seized; and the September 2001 rescue of a young commercial mariner from Louisiana who had fallen overboard from the vessel on which he was working, and was successfully located and returned to his ship. Since the events of September 11, 2001, "Dauntless" has conducted several patrols dedicated to enhancing port security in the Gulf of Mexico.
In July 2018, "Dauntless" arrived at her newly assigned homeport of Pensacola, Florida.
Awards.
The cutter's awards include the Coast Guard Unit Commendation (2), the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation (5), the Coast Guard Bicentennial Unit Commendation, the Coast Guard "E" ribbon (7), the National Defense Service Medal (3), and the Humanitarian Service Medal (3).
In fiction.
"Dauntless" has appeared in two motion pictures: "The Island", in which (portraying herself) she was boarded and seized by Caribbean pirates, and in the James Bond film "Licence to Kill".
In the 2016 novel "Goliath" by Shawn Corridan & Gary Waid, "Dauntless" along with "Alex Haley" are the two Coast Guard cutters that respond to the fire aboard and subsequent stranding of a Russian ULCC.


Air Force Knowledge Now

Air Force Knowledge Now (AFKN) is a web-based collaborative environment developed by Triune Group for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). From 1999 to 2012, AFKN grew to more than 19,000 Communities of Practice (CoPs) and 400,000 members. In 2004, Air Force CIO John M. Gilligan designated AFKN the Air Force Center of Excellence for Knowledge Management, making it the USAF’s only certified and accredited enterprise-wide knowledge management program. By focusing on social, behavioral and cultural aspects of knowledge sharing, AFKN evolved beyond traditional knowledge management systems, which focused on capturing information through technology.
Triune Group has been the prime contractor for the AFKN program since 2004. The USAF extended the AFKN contract through 2015
Focus areas.
The program has two focus areas:
Collaboration suite.
Adopting a Communities of Practice (CoPs) architecture, AFKN promotes commitment to working together by building a collective knowledge base around a common vital interest. By going beyond explicit knowledge, which is usually limited to some type of stored information, it reflects the social, behavioral and cultural aspects of knowledge sharing. By focusing on tacit knowledge ("know-how"), true organizational learning occurs, thus creating a more agile and adaptive Air Force.
This web-based collaborative environment allows members of a CoP to use shared information and communications tools to conduct business, manage projects, keep abreast of important group issues, and solve group problems. The capabilities of the AFKN system include:
Knowledge-management services.
Capabilities that support AFKN are:


Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard

The vice commandant of the Coast Guard serves as the second-in-command of the United States Coast Guard.
Since 1929, 31 officers have served as Vice Commandant, or, as the position was referred to before 1972, Assistant Commandant. The title of the position was changed effective October 2, 1972, pursuant to . This position has been historically held by a vice admiral until the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 elevated the statutory rank for the position to admiral.


South Sudan STEPS Towards Peace and Democracy

The South Sudan STEPS Towards Peace and Democracy is a political movement in the Republic of South Sudan.
Origins.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the governing party of South Sudan, fractured in December 2013, leading to the ongoing civil war that has killed thousands and forced a large number of people to seek refugees in neighbouring countries. The party was formed by senior officials who have split from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) faction allied to President Salva Kiir.
History.
A month after announcing her intention to run in the upcoming South Sudanese presidential election, Suzanne Jambo officially announced the formation of a new political party via Facebook on November 29, 2017.


Norman Tanzman

Norman Tanzman (July 4, 1918 – June 6, 2004) was an American real estate executive, philanthropist and politician. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1962 to 1968 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1968 to 1974.
Tanzman moved to New Brunswick and later to nearby Highland Park, graduating from New Brunswick High School as part of the class of 1935. He was a longtime resident of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey and retired to the West End section of Long Branch, New Jersey. Tanzman was a member of Congregation Adath Israel in Woodbridge.
Tanzman established the Marion and Norman Tanzman Charitable Trust Foundation in 1996. The trust focuses on health and medical services and Jewish organizations. The trust has made significant contributions to Rutgers, including a $1 million donation to Rutgers Hillel for a kosher dining room; and $1 million for the "Hall of Jewish Learning" in support of the Jewish studies program. He was chairman of the Raritan Bay Health Foundation and raised millions of dollars for the hospital. He was a founder and benefactor of the Central New Jersey Jewish Home for the Aged. Tanzman Park in downtown Woodbridge is named after him.


Combat Logistics Battalion 46

Combat Logistics Battalion 46 (CLB-46) is a reserve logistics battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They were formed in 2009 and fall under the command of the 4th Marine Logistics Group (4th MLG). The unit is headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey. The battalion was activated on 1 June 2009 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina as a separate and detached command of the 4th MLG to directly support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of the battalion were drawn from 54 sites, in 40 states across the nine battalions of the 4th MLG.
Mission.
Provide general and direct support and sustained combat service support above the organic capabilities of the support element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
History.
Their only deployment was in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to assist in the Marine Corps' drawdown of forces. They arrived in Iraq in late August and officially took over responsibilities from for logistics support in western Iraq from Combat Logistics Battalion 7. During their time in Iraq they fell under the command of Combat Logistics Regiment 25 of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. During this deployment, they provided Route Clarence Patrols, food, water, ammunition and fuel to forward operating bases throughout the Al Anbar Governorate, a vast desert province west of Baghdad. During this deployment, the battalion suffered no casualties. Members of the battalion began to return home in January 2010.


Battle of Bussaco order of battle

This is the order of battle for the Battle of Bussaco, 27 September 1810.
French Army of Portugal.
Commander-in-Chief: Marshal Masséna
Army total: 65,050 (49,809 infantry, 8,419 cavalry, 144 guns)
II Corps.
GD Jean Reynier
VI Corps.
Marshal Michel Ney
VIII Corps.
GD Jean-Andoche Junot
Anglo-Portuguese Army.
Commander-in-Chief: Lt Gen Viscount Wellington
Army total: 51,768 (49,328 infantry, 210 cavalry, 60 guns)


4th Supply Battalion

The 4th Supply Battalion is a battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that specializes in distributing and warehousing military goods and equipment. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, they fall under the command of the 4th Marine Logistics Group and Marine Forces Reserve.
Mission.
To field, train, and provide qualified supply augmentees and capabilities to the active component; to serve as a Combat Logistics Regiment (CLR) headquarters when tasked; to serve as the force intermediate supply activity for designated classes of supply.
History.
Activated 20 March 1952 at Norfolk, Virginia as 1st Depot Supply Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Redesignated 1 November 1959 as 3D Service Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Redesignated 1 February 1961 as 1st Combat Service Support Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Redesignated 1 July 1962 as Material Supply and Maintenance Battalion, 4th Force Service Regiment, Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Redesignated 1 July 1965 as Supply Battalion, 4th Force Service Regiment.
Relocated during October 1971 to Newport News, Virginia.
Redesignated 17 May 1976 as 4th Supply Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group.
Participated in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, December 1990 – February 1991.
Mobilized and Deployed to Camp Pendleton, California in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Iraq February – September 2003.


3rd Supply Battalion

The 3rd Supply Battalion is a battalion of the United States Marine Corps that specializes in distributing and warehousing military goods and equipment. They are headquartered at Camp Kinser, with their most remote company of Marines, Ammunition Company, located 37 miles north of Camp Kinser aboard Camp Schwab near the town of Henoko, Okinawa, Japan and fall under the command of the 3rd Marine Logistics Group.


USCGC Dogwood (WAGL-259)

USCGC "Dogwood" (WAGL-259/WLR-259) was a 114-foot river buoy tender of the United States Coast Guard. Constructed by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works Company in Dubuque, Iowa, she was commissioned in 1941 and served until 1989. She was stationed at Vicksburg, Mississippi and later Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She had an active career, from tending ATON to escorting the NASA rocket barge "Palaemon" on three occasions and assisting in the cleanup operation along the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Betsy.
The ship had three nicknames: "Dogfood", "Divorce Boat", ""The Dog".


Jagdgeschwader I (World War I)

Jagdgeschwader I (JG I) of World War I, was a fighter wing of the German "Luftstreitkräfte", comprising four "Jastas" (fighter squadrons). The first unit of its type formed under that classification, JG I was formed on 24 June 1917, with Manfred von Richthofen as commanding officer, by combining "Jastas" 4, 6, 10 and 11. JG I became known as "The Flying Circus" () or "Richthofen's Circus" because of the bright colours of its aircraft, and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of Allied air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus in trains, and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields.
Formation.
During early 1917, it became apparent to the German High Command that they would always be outnumbered in air operations over the Western Front. The average Jasta could only muster some six or eight aircraft in total for a patrol, and would often face one Allied formation after another. In order to maintain some impact and local command of the air the Jastas began (unofficially) to fly in larger, composite groups. By mid 1917 the first official grouping of Jastas saw JG I formed. Its role was simple; to achieve localized air superiority wherever it was sent and to deny Allied air operations over a specific location. The unit was thus highly mobile, and JG I and its supporting logistical infrastructure traveled to wherever local air superiority was needed, often at short notice.
Initially based at Marke (Jasta 11), Cuene (Jasta 4), Bissegem (Jasta 6) and Heule (Jasta 10), Richthofen had "carte blanche " to select his unit commanders and recruit individual pilots into JG I, and alternately to transfer out any pilots he did not feel were up to standard. Thus 9-victory ace Leutnant Eduard Ritter von Dostler and the rising Leutnant Hans von Adam were soon posted to Jasta 6, and Lieutenant Werner Voss into Jasta 10. This policy had the effect of making the "Jagdgeschwader" an elite unit, but robbing lesser Jastas of their best pilots also reduced the overall standard of the average unit. JG I itself suffered a dilution of talent when competent members were posted away to command their own Jastas in late 1917, when the number of Jastas were doubled from 40 to 80.
Operations 1917.
JG I was soon flying intensively over the Flanders battlefield above the Allied offensive started in June 1917.
Richthofen was severely wounded in the head on 6 July, leading elements of JG I in combat with F.E.2d's of the Royal Flying Corps's No. 20 Squadron. "Oberleutnant" Kurt-Bertram von Döring, Commanding Officer of Jasta 4, took over temporary command and Jastas 4 and 11 shot down nine Allied aircraft the next day. Richthofen reassumed command on 25 July, but left on a period of convalescence leave on 6 September.
JG I was the first unit to operationally provide a trial of the new Fokker Dr.I triplane (as the Fokker F.I), the first two examples of which were received on 21 August 1917. Jasta 10's Werner Voss would be the triplane's greatest exponent, scoring 10 victories with it in just 21 days before his death in combat.
Richthofen returned to JG I on 23 October, and around this time a number of fatal crashes involving the Fokker Dr.I saw JG I Technical Officer Lt. Konstantin Krefft ground the unit's triplanes until modifications were carried out in early December. The unit meantime soldiered on with the Albatros D.V..
JG I was rushed from Ypres to Cambrai by 23 November 1917, following the launch of the British offensive, and did much to stabilise the air war over the battlefield when the bad weather permitted.
By the end of 1917 the success of "Jagdgeschwader I" meant several other similar formations were then formed in February 1918, with "Jagdgeschwader II" operating against both the French and the British and "Jagdgeschwader III" on the Ypres front. At this time Richthofen recruited Hans Kirchstein and Fritz Friedrichs from two-seater units, and Ernst Udet from "Jasta" 37.
1918.
Poor weather in early 1918 saw little opportunity for JG I to score, although the unit were in the forefront of defensive fighter operations during the major German offensive launched on 21 March 1918. By April 1918 the formation was flying from Harbonnieres, the most south westerly airfield they were to ultimately occupy. The newly formed RAF however maintained a degree of air superiority, with heavily escorted artillery observation and reconnaissance two-seaters operating effectively over the rapidly moving ground battle below. Most of JG I's victims at this time were the low flying fighter bombers, particularly Sopwith Camels.
After von Richthofen's death in April 1918, "Hauptmann" Wilhelm Reinhard became JG I Commanding Officer. On 10 May JG I claimed its 300th victory while on 20 May the unit received the honorary title of "JG I 'Richthofen"'. Soon after JG I moved to the 7th Army front to support the forthcoming Aisne offensive, commencing on 27 May. JG I moved to Guise, and then Puiseux Ferme, operating primarily against the French and the newly arrived American Air Forces. Between 31 May and 8 June JG I claimed some 43 French aircraft and balloons, and another 24 between 24 June and 28 June. Jasta 6's Lt. Hans Kirschstein was the star performer of JG I at this time, claiming 27 victories between 18 March and 14 June.
By mid-June JG I was fully equipped with the Fokker D.VII, the first having been tested operationally in late May by Jasta 10. After Reinhard was killed in a flying accident on 3 July 1918, "Oberleutnant" Hermann Göring became JG I's third and last commander of the war on 14 July.
The Geschwader moved again on 19 July to Soissons, claiming its 500th victory on 25 July. Yet another move followed on 10 August, to the 2nd Army front west of Saint Quentin. JG I's then top scorer, 53-kill Leutnant Erich Loewenhardt, was killed in an air collision on this day.
Having been subjected to intensive operations over the Amiens battle in August 1918, by mid-September an exhausted JG I was withdrawn from the British part of the front, having lost all four Jasta commanders by the end of August; Lowenhardt of Jasta 10 was killed, Jasta 6's Co Lt. Paul Wenzel and Lothar von Richthofen of Jasta 11 both wounded and hospitalised, and Lt. Ernst Udet (Jasta 4) exhausted and sent on leave. JG I scored just 17 claims during September, despite the month seeing the highest losses for the Allied Air Forces of the war (The Jasta force claiming some 721 victories for the month). For the next three months the likes of Leutnant Friedrich Noltenius in Jasta 11, Jasta 6's Commanding Officer Ulrich Neckel, and Leutnant Arthur Laumann (Jasta 10) did the majority of the scoring.
Thereafter until the end of the war shortages of fuel and spares, increasing Allied numerical air superiority and continual retreats in the face of Allied ground advances meant JG I struggled to emulate earlier successes.
From June 1917 until November 1918, JG I claimed 644 Allied aircraft destroyed, while losing 52 pilots killed in action and 67 wounded.