Tajik Air Force

The Tajik Air and Air Defense Forces () is the aerial military service branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan, which currently consists of 20 aircraft. The force engages in search and rescue missions, as well as military raids.
History.
The Air Force was established the same year as the National Army. The Air Defense Forces were established in 1994. As a result of military reforms and the common goals and objectives, in 2005 the two forces were merged.
In 2007, it consisted of sixteen combat and support helicopters, prior to which the country had relied on the Russian Air Force for protection. Tajikistan is part of the Commonwealth of Independent States Joint Air Defense System, and its airspace is monitored by Russia. Currently, no air defense capabilities exist, with the exception of a few surface-to-air missiles that were transferred to the Tajik Army. Russia opposes Tajik's ambition of a more capable air force, and Moscow has consistently declined to supply fighter aircraft or assist modernizing its military air traffic control system. Russia's assessment is that its own air force contingent at Gissar and in Kazakhstan is sufficient to ensure adequate security for Tajikistan. Tajikistan's modest number of combat-capable helicopters are primarily tasked with search and rescue and airlift duties; they have been occasionally deployed to attack opposition forces. Dushanbe receives minimal foreign military aid and has no funding available for procurement of fixed-wing combat aircraft. Moscow bolstered Tajikistan's rotary wing capability in 2006 by providing six Mi-8 and Mi-24 attack helicopters. It also provided four L-39 training aircraft. India's defense ministry signed a basing agreement with Tajikistan that gives it access to Tajik's Ayni Air Base that is also shared with the Russians. Under this trilateral agreement, the runway was extended, perimeter fencing erected and aircraft hangars built. Since 1985, this decaying airbase was used by the former Soviet Union during its Afghan war, and after renovation, it was officially opened in September 2010. India contributed 70 million dollars toward the renovation and sent specialists to help with the work. The airfield, located some 20 kilometers west of Dushanbe, now has state-of-the-art navigational and defense technology. Its runway was also extended to 3,200 meters so that all types of aircraft can land there.


United States Marine Corps Forces, South

United States Marine Forces, South (also known as USMARFORSOUTH), headquartered in Miami, Florida, is the U.S. Marine Corps component of the U.S. Southern Command.


Portsmouth Naval Prison

Portsmouth Naval Prison is a former U.S. Navy and Marine Corps prison on the grounds of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) in Kittery, Maine. The building has the appearance of a castle. The reinforced concrete naval prison was occupied from 1908 until 1974.
Fort Sullivan and Camp Long.
The island site was first used in 1775 during the Revolution when the New Hampshire militia, commanded by General John Sullivan, constructed an earthwork defense called Fort Sullivan atop the bluff. In conjunction with Fort Washington across the Piscataqua River on Pierce Island, it guarded the channel to Portsmouth. The militia withdrew about three years later. The fort was reactivated for the War of 1812 in 1814. In 1861, it was rebuilt with eleven 8-inch Rodman guns to protect Portsmouth against attacks by the Confederate navy. After 1866, Fort Sullivan was dismantled. Camp Long, named for Secretary of the Navy John Long, was erected nearby during the Spanish–American War. From 11 July to mid-September in 1898, the stockade housed 1,612 Spanish prisoners, including Admiral Pascual Cervera, until returned to Spain.
"Alcatraz of the East".
When Camp Long was dismantled in 1901, the site became available for a naval prison. Constructed between 1905 and 1908, the brig was modeled after Alcatraz, set on an island with tidal currents to deter escape. Colonel Allan C. Kelton of the Marine Corps was in command when the first Navy prisoners arrived in 1908. It would eventually house Marine inmates as well. The central crenellated tower, roofed in copper, was erected in 1912. Lieutenant Commander Thomas Osbourne assumed command in 1917. Called "the Father of Naval Corrections," Osbourne and 2 others went undercover in the prison to see what changes needed to be made, including living conditions. During World War I, the prison housed wartime convicts, reaching a maximum of 2,295 in 1918. Two wings were added—in 1942 the northeast wing, and in 1943 the unornamented southwest wing, dubbed "the Fortress," which rises sheer beside the rocky shore. Maximum occupancy reached 3,088 in 1945.
In the decade before the United States' entry into World War II, around 40% of all new prisoners arriving at Portsmouth were there on charges related to sodomy or other similar crimes of a sexual nature not relating to women. The overabundance of prisoners convicted of homosexual activity at Portsmouth contributed to changes in policy towards homosexual sailors during World War II.
Office of Naval Intelligence.
After the German surrender ended World War II fighting in Europe on 5 May 1945, U-boats surrendering to United States naval forces were escorted to Portsmouth so engineers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard might study their design features. , , and were towed to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard between 15 and 19 May. The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) had interrogators available to question the submarine crewmen at the prison. The interrogations were classified at the time because of potential military value of information collected about German submarine, jet aircraft, ballistic missile, guided bomb, and nuclear weapons technology. "U-234" had been bound for Japan carrying of uranium oxide, a disassembled Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, tons of prototypes and technical documents relating to new weapons, and several senior weapons technicians. The commanding officer of "U-873" had conducted submarine-launched ballistic missile experiments with his brother Ernst Steinhoff, who was Director for Flight Mechanics, Ballistics, Guidance Control, and Instrumentation at the Peenemünde Army Research Center. Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Steinhoff was slapped by a large, husky Marine guard until his face was swollen and bleeding, and died in a Charles Street Jail cell after two days of interrogation. Despite subsequent declassification of documents, it is unclear if ONI realized Steinhoff's ballistic missile connections. Similar uncertainty remains about disposal of the uranium oxide aboard "U-234".
There was inadequate preparation to deal with the arriving U-boats. United States Navy prize crews scattered possessions of the U-boat crewmen as they searched for potential sabotage and intelligence information while the U-boats were en route to Portsmouth. Scattered documents and clothing were perceived as fire and access hazards while the U-boats awaited inspection by shipyard engineers. Material scattered aboard the U-boats was stockpiled in the prison entrance lobby where it was looted by prison guards. Decorations and personal possessions taken from U-boat crewmen were retained as souvenirs rather than returned to prisoners of war as required by the Geneva Conventions.
Cold War.
The brig was used throughout the Korean War and almost to the end of the Vietnam War. During warmer months, it was not uncommon for boats navigating the river to hear shouts and whistles coming from within barred windows of "the Fortress." In 1974 the Department of Defense developed a three-tiered, regional correctional facility plan. Inmates would be placed depending on the service, sentence length, geographical location, and treatment programs. First-tier offenders are those with sentences less than a year, second-tier up to 7 years. Male convicts from all the services sentenced to punitive discharge and incarceration longer than 7 years are confined at the third-tier – the maximum-security U. S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Portsmouth Naval Prison, built to be a modern correctional facility for a navy which had once disciplined by flogging and capital punishment, was rendered obsolete. After containing about 86,000 military inmates over its 66-year operation, the brig closed in 1974, its maintenance thereafter contributing to shipyard overhead. The Navy briefly used the prison in the early 1980s to train military corrections officers. Volunteer Inmates from the Rockingham County Jail were sometimes used.
In popular culture.
In the 1973 movie "The Last Detail", Seaman Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) is escorted by petty officers Billy "Badass" Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) and Mule Mulhall (Otis Young) to the Portsmouth Naval Prison. Meadows has been sentenced to 8 years confinement for trying to steal $40 from a charity box. But because of his harsh sentence, the guards feel sorry for Meadows. They decide to show the naive sailor the time of his life before arriving on Seavey's Island (where another location substitutes for the actual brig).
In W. E. B. Griffin's novel "Semper Fi", Corporal Kenneth "Killer" McCoy is assigned to transport prisoners from San Diego to the Portsmouth Naval Prison.
In the 2nd season of the WWII flying drama TV Series "Baa Baa Black Sheep" entitled "The 200 Pound Gorilla", the character of Master Gunnery Sergeant Andrew "Andy" Micklin played by Red West is promoted to Warrant Officer. In order to show his opposition to the promotion, he fights with all of the officers and is thrown in the brig, a Marine Corps jail. He thinks he will just be demoted. But, in fact, they start talking about the fact that he will be "sent to Portsmouth."
The prison is referred to in Stephen King's 1982 novella "The Body", later filmed as "Stand by Me".
The prison and shipyard locations were used to depict a Russian shipyard in the 1978 television film "The Defection of Simas Kudirka" starring Alan Arkin.
Protagonist character Joker refers to the shipyard in the 1979 novel "The Short-Timers", which was later adapted as the film "Full Metal Jacket", but without the reference.
Disuse.
The building was previously one of 14 structures the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard had considered for outleasing and renovation. Local developer Joseph Sawtelle estimated the cost to renovate the immense edifice into civilian office space, including removing lead paint and asbestos, would cost more than $10 million. But plans to adapt the prison were halted a month after Sawtelle's death in 2000, and abandoned altogether after military base security was tightened following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 2008, it was considered as a home for the Air Force Cyber Command.


Clancy of the Mounted

Clancy of the Mounted (1933) is an American pre-Code Universal movie serial based on the poem "" by Robert W. Service, directed by Ray Taylor. Tom Tyler played Sgt. Clancy, and William L. Thorne played the villainous claim jumper, Black McDougal.
This was Universal's 85th serial and the 17th with sound. Though long considered lost, the first six chapters were released on DVD by Hermitage Hill Media in 2012; According to MDB the British Film Institute (BFI) holds a 35mm print of all 12 chapters in completion
Plot.
Sergeant Tom Clancy, of the North-West Mounted Police, is assigned to arrest his own brother Steve, who has been framed for murdering a neighbor by "Black" McDougal and Pierre LaRue.
Chapter titles.
Source:


Regiment Special Force

The Regiment Special Force (RSF) is a Sri Lanka Air Forces elite special force unit, which is part of the SLAF Regiment. It was raised in 2006 and fought in the Sri Lankan Civil War. The RSF Wing is an independent formation of the SLAF and commanded by a Commanding Officer who is responsible to the Commander of the Air Force through Director Ground Operations for the efficient and effective function.
History.
The squadron was formed due to the Bandaranaike Airport attack by the LTTE.. Initially formed as Air Base Defence and Rescue Squadron on 7 July 2003 it was later renamed as Regiment Special Forces Wing in 2006.
Capabilities.
Most Air Bases are heavily built up due to availability of aircraft hangars and other related infrastructure. RSF skills on house clearance and close quarter fighting provides an added advantage for operating effectively with minimum collateral damage in Air Bases.
SR by the RSF can be highly effective when conventional or tactical collection assets are unable to collect information of operational significance.
Training.
The unit's personnel are trained in air base rescue operations, field craft, bomb disposal, fire fighting, water survival and rescue operations. Advanced training is carried out at the Sri Lanka Army Special Force training school at Maduruoya.


Badges of the United States Marine Corps

Insignia and badges of the United States Marine Corps are military "badges" issued by the United States Department of the Navy to Marines who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Marine Corps.
As described in Chapters 4 and 5 of Marine Corps Uniform Regulations, "badges" are categorized as "breast insignia" (worn immediately above ribbons/medals), "identification badges" (usually worn at breast pocket level), and "marksmanship badges" (worn immediately below ribbons).
For the purpose of this article, the term "badge" shall be used exclusively to describe "identification badges" and "marksmanship badges", and the term "insignia" shall be used for other worn accoutrements, according to the language in Marine Corps Uniform Regulations.
The modern-day United States Marine Corps currently maintains the following breast insignia and identification badges:
Breast Insignia.
As per Marine Corps Assignment, Classification and Travel Systems Manual (ACTS MANUAL) MCO P1000.6, Marines wear the appropriate breast insignia for qualification or designation in aviation, parachutist, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving.
Authorized breast insignia are worn on the left breast of all service and dress coats. They may optionally be worn on khaki shirts when the shirt is the outermost garment, utility coats or maternity work uniform coats. Miniature versions exist for evening dress jackets.
When worn alone, it is worn in the same position a single ribbon would be worn. When worn with ribbons, medals, or marksmanship badges, it is positioned above such awards. On combat utility uniform coats with slanted pockets, it is worn above a horizontal line tangent to the highest point of the pocket or "U.S. MARINES" service tape.
No more than two USMC-approved breast insignia shall be worn at any one time. When two insignia are worn they are ordered from top to bottom in the following order with separation in between: diver, EOD, parachutist, aviation. A Marine with more than one insignia within the parachutist, EOD and diver groups may only wear the senior insignia of the group. Marines may wear two insignia from the aviation group.
Aviation Insignia.
"Aviation Insignia" are breast insignia that are issued to Marines who are qualified or designated to perform duties related to operation and support of Marine aircraft.
Officer insignia include the Naval Aviator insignia and Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Officer insignia for pilots and the Naval Flight Officer (NFO) insignia for non-piloting officers. There is also an astronaut version of the aviator and NFO Insignia, known as the Naval Astronaut and Naval Astronaut (NFO), respectively.
The Marine Aerial Navigator insignia is issued to enlisted personnel qualified to act as navigators aboard Marine aircraft; the Naval Aviation Observer insignia is issued to flight support personnel; and the Aircrew insignia and UAS Operator insignia are issued to enlisted personnel designated to operate equipment aboard aircraft.
Parachutist Insignia.
The "Parachutist Insignia", also known as "lead sleds" or "lead wings", is awarded to personnel upon successful completion of the Basic Airborne Course at the Army Airborne School. The silver Basic Parachutist Insignia is issued for completion of basic parachutist training, five qualifying jumps. The gold Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia (first authorized for Marines in 1963 and Navy Parachute Riggers in 1941) are issued after five additional qualifying jumps. Graduation of US Navy Parachute Rigger school is no longer mandatory to earn the device.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Insignia.
The "Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Breast Insignia", also known as the "Crab", is awarded to personnel who have successfully completed training at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Personnel are trained to deal with the render-safe and disposal of conventional and unconventional munitions ranging from unserviceable small arms ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), to chemical/biological and nuclear munitions.
Diver Insignia.
"Diver Insignia" are issued to personnel who are qualified divers and is given in several degrees. The first degree of diver insignia is SCUBA Diver. The remaining insignia are awarded for deep sea dive qualifications and are issued in the degrees of Second Class, First Class, Master Diver, and Diving Medical Technician for medical personnel who have qualified as both divers and medical response personnel to medical emergencies underwater.
Combatant diver insignia is issued to graduates of the Combatant Diver Course, who are typically in the recon community. This badge features a Dräger LAR-V rebreather and low-profile diving mask.
Marine Special Operator Insignia.
In August 2016, the Marine Corps approved a new "Marine Special Operator Insignia" for wear by graduates of the five-phase Individual Training Course (ITC).
The pin device will first be issued to the next ITC graduating class of critical skills operators. Critical skills operators and special operations officers already in the field will receive their pins later.
Marksmanship Badges.
Marine Corps "marksmanship qualification badges" are suspended beneath a bar reading the type of weapon and qualification received. The badge is also different in appearance, depending on which weapon qualification has been obtained. For a marksmanship qualification badge to be obtained, a service member must obtain a passing score and will receive a qualification level depending on the score obtained. Once a qualification has been obtained, and the marksmanship badge issued, the badge may be worn for the remainder of a military career, or until a different level of qualification (higher or lower) is achieved.
In addition to the standard marksmanship badges, the Marine Corps has numerous "marksmanship competition badges" that are authorized for wear on the Marine Corps uniform as permanent awards. These badges are awarded alongside trophies that are present to the top-performing Marines at Marine Corps sponsored marksmanship competitions. The following marksmanship competition badges are authorized for wear on Marine Corps service uniforms and are listed in order of precedence:


William F. House

William Fouts House (December 1, 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri – December 7, 2012 in Aurora, Oregon) was an American otologist, physician and medical researcher who developed and invented the cochlear implant. The cochlear implant is considered to be the first invention to restore not just the sense of hearing, but any of the absent five senses in humans. Dr. House also pioneered approaches to the lateral skull base for removal of tumors, and is considered "the Father of Neurotology."
Biography.
House was born on December 1, 1923, in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved to Whittier, California, when he was three years old. House completed pre-dental degrees at Whittier College and the University of Southern California. He then enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a doctorate in dentistry. House next earned a medical degree from the University of Southern California after two years in the U.S. Navy. His older half brother, Howard P. House, was also a physician and was focused on otology, founding the House Ear Institute (later renamed the House Research Institute) in 1946. William House eventually adopted the same focus.
House was heavily criticized by physicians and surgeons during much of his career. Many believed his idea of a device to electrically stimulate the ear would never work. Today, however, he is generally regarded as a hero, in that his innovative research and development led to the creation of the modern cochlear implant.
House's first design for a cochlear implant was surgically implanted in 1961, but the implant was rejected by the patient's body. A longer-lasting model was developed and successfully implanted in 1969, and it was introduced commercially in 1972.
One of his patients was astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr., first American and the second person in space in 1961, and, thanks to Dr. House, 5th man to walk on the Moon in 1971 following a procedure he performed on him for Meniere's disease.
In 1987, House was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree from Whittier College.
House died on December 7, 2012, at his home in Aurora, Oregon, at the age of 89.


Coast Guard Station Burlington

Coast Guard Station Burlington, Vermont is a United States Coast Guard station established in 1948 as a four-man light attendant station on Juniper Island. Currently the Station is located on the waterfront of Burlington, Vermont, in a facility built in 1993. Some of the missions they conduct are Maritime Law enforcement, Search and Rescue, and Ice Rescue. They currently operate one 29’ RBSII and one 45’ RBM.
Their primary area of responsibility is Lake Champlain and are based out of Burlington.


Chris Welles

Christopher Jewett Welles (December 11, 1937 – June 19, 2010) was an American business journalist who wrote for "Life", "BusinessWeek", "The Saturday Evening Post" and the "Los Angeles Times", in addition to a number of books on business topics. Welles headed the Walter Bagehot Fellowship Program in Business and Economics Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Welles was born on December 11, 1937, in Boston and adopted by textile salesman Clement Welles and his wife Grace Blauvelt Welles, a pediatrician. He graduated with an A.B. in politics from Princeton University in 1959 after completing a senior thesis titled "The Navy and Public Relations." After graduating from Princeton, Welles enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served until 1962.
After completing his military service, he was hired as a researcher by "Life" magazine. An article he had written about the neglect of American oil shale reserves by the petroleum industry that "Life" turned down was expanded into book form and published in 1970 as "The Elusive Bonanza: The Story of Oil Shale, America's Richest and Most Neglected Natural Resource". "Life" fired him after he sold the piece to "Harper's Magazine". His 1975 book "The Last Days of the Club" documented the decline and fall of old Wall Street institutions and the ascendancy of new companies that would come to replace them.
Welles joined the faculty of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1977, where he headed the Walter Bagehot Fellowship Program in Business and Economics Journalism at Columbia, which would later be renamed the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship Program. The fellowship program was established to provide business journalists with the opportunity to hone their craft. Mobil Corporation, a longtime sponsor of the fellowship, backed out of its financial support in retaliation for Welles' earlier writings about the oil industry, stating that the company "didn't have confidence in the leadership" of the program. Welles remained as head of the fellowship until 1985.
Stephen B. Shepard, a former editor of "BusinessWeek" and later dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism called Welles "probably the premier business writer" of his generation, citing his ability to identify the "shenanigans, abuses and downfalls" in the business world.
He received the Gerald Loeb Award for Magazines for the story "Is More Less? Is Faster Slower? Is Bigger Smaller?". He was also recognized at the National Magazine Awards.
A resident of Brooklyn, Welles died at age 72 on June 19, 2010, due to complications of Alzheimer's disease, while at a nursing home in Salisbury, Connecticut. He was survived by his second wife, the former Nancy Leiserson, as well as by three children from his first marriage and seven grandchildren.


National Distress System

The U.S. National Distress System (NDRS) was established in the early 1970s as a VHF-FM-based radio communication system that has a range of up to 20 nautical miles (40 km) along most of the U.S. shoreline for the United States Coast Guard. While this system has served the Coast Guard well over the years, it consists of out-of-date and non-standard equipment with many limitations. This system is being replaced by Rescue 21.
Overview.
The Coast Guard currently operates a National Distress System, a network of about 300 VHF transceivers and antenna high-sites which are remotely controlled by regional communications centers to provide coverage extending out to at least 20 nautical miles from shore, and often much further. Coverage is reasonably continuous through most of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coasts, the Great Lakes, and many rivers. Many urban areas of the U.S. are also covered.
Objective.
This system serves as:
Status.
Of the 25 largest U.S. cities ranked by population in the 1990 census by the Department of Commerce Census Bureau, 19 cities, i.e. 76%, are close to navigable waters and are within at least partial coverage of the U.S. Coast Guard’s VHF National Distress System.
Each National Distress System VHF site consists of a receiver guarding VHF Channel 16, the maritime distress, safety and calling channel, and a transceiver capable of operating on one of six fixed maritime channels. Two of these channels are always Channel 16 and 22A.
The system is not Global Maritime Distress & Safety System-compatible, coverage gaps exist in several locations, it cannot operate on public safety channels, it has no direction finding capability, distress calls cannot be received at a high site when the site is transmitting on any channel, and the system is near the end of its useful life. For these reasons, the Coast Guard began to modernize this system in 2003.
The National Distress System is operated by 45 Coast Guard Group and Section Command Centers, each acting as a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center having a specific area of responsibility.
VHF Distress Coverage Charts.
Charts showing predicted areas of VHF National Distress System coverage can be downloaded in .jpg format. Coverage plots assume a mobile transmitter power of 1 watt at sea level over water, and of 25 watts over land. Alaskan coverage was based upon reception of a 1 Watt transmission from a handheld radio 2 meters above sea level.
Predictions (except Alaska) were made by the DOD Joint Spectrum Center in Annapolis MD in March 1994. Note charts are predictions of radio coverage; actual radio coverage may vary. Some site locations have also changed since these predictions were made. The average chart file size is about 100 kb.
Note: Most plots were produced on vellum overlays at scales of 1:1,000,000 and reduced to standard page size. Due to this reduction and to file size limitations, some chart features may be difficult to read.
Limitations.
Limitations include:


Guide Right

Guide Right is an American musical variety show which aired on the DuMont Television Network from February 25, 1952, to February 5, 1954. Sponsored by the United States Air Force, and featuring The Airmen of Note directed by Fred Kepner, each 30-minute episode was hosted by Donn Russell.
Episode status.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive has 18 episodes in its collection, and the Paley Center for Media has two episodes.


USCGC Escanaba (WMEC-907)

USCGC "Escanaba" (WMEC-907) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her keel was laid on April 1, 1983 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated, Middletown, Rhode Island. She was launched February 6, 1985 and is named for her predecessor, which sank during World War Two, and was named for the Escanaba River and Escanaba, Michigan. "Escanaba" (WMEC-907) was formally commissioned August 29, 1987 in Grand Haven, Michigan, the home port of her predecessor.
Service.
A boarding party from "Escanaba" was engaged by the crew of a suspected drug smuggling go-fast boat on 14 September 2010. The go-fast escaped when it entered Nicaraguan waters, but no Coast Guard personnel were injured.
The "Escanaba" participated in the 2017 Joint Interagency Task Force South with various other naval forces. During the exercise the "Escanaba" interdicted 2 smuggling vessels, the cutter also participated in numerous exercises at sea focusing on various warfare areas including maritime interdiction operations, naval gun-fire support, tactical maneuvering and formation steaming, and search and rescue.
Between the 20th and 21 May 2019, "Escanaba" interdicted three small vessels in the Mona Pass carrying 68 migrants attempting to reach Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic. The first two vessels were detected by the crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection DHC-8 maritime patrol aircraft on the night of 20 May 2019. The first boat was located 43 nautical miles north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, while the second was detected approximately 15 nautical miles northwest of Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico. Both vessels were transiting the Mona Pass without navigational lights. Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan diverted the "Escanaba" to interdict the suspect vessels. Shortly thereafter, the "Escanaba" interdicted a 20-foot makeshift boat with 19 adult migrants on board. The "Escanaba" crew embarked 14 men and five women, who claimed Dominican nationality. Following the first interdiction, the "Escanaba" proceeded to intercept the second migrant vessel. Once on scene, an "Escanaba" small boat crew and a CBP Caribbean Air and Marine interceptor surface unit stopped a 25-foot makeshift boat with 21 adult migrants on board. The "Escanaba" crew embarked 18 men and three women of Dominican nationality. The third vessel to be interdicted was detected by the crew of a CBP DHC-8 maritime patrol aircraft on the night of 21 May 2019, approximately 20 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla. The "Escanaba" crew interdicted the 30-foot makeshift boat and safely embarked 28 adult migrants, 21 men and seven women of Dominican nationality, as well as a Haitian man. 66 of the migrants were transferred to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel for repatriation. Two migrants facing felony criminal charges for attempted illegal reentry into a U.S. territory, one Dominican Republic man and one Haitian man, were transferred to USCGC Richard Dixon (WPB-1113) for further transfer to Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.


LORAN-C transmitter Jupiter

LORAN-C transmitter Jupiter was the Yankee secondary station of the Southeast U.S. LORAN-C Chain (GRI 7980).
The station used a transmission power of 165 kW. Jupiter LORAN-C transmitter, situated at Jupiter, Florida at 27°1'59" N, 80°6'53" W. Jupiter LORAN-C transmitter used as antenna a tall mast radiator, which was built in 1962.
The mast was demolished in 2014.


4th Marine Logistics Group

The 4th Marine Logistics Group (4th MLG) is a reserve logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps. The group is headquartered at New Orleans, Louisiana while its subordinate units are spread across the United States.
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 (MAGTF). These supported units may be in garrison, combat, and/or in separate locations. The MLG will Support the MAGTF in amphibious assaults and subsequent operations ashore
Current units.
The 4th Marine Logistics Group comprises a Headquarters and Service Battalion along with Two Combat Logistics Regiments Each containing two Combat Logistics Battalions, an Engineer Support Battalion, a Medical Battalion and a Dental Battalion:
History.
On 6 February 1966, the Headquarters of the 4th Force Service Support Regiment was activated at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Midland, Texas. During January 1968, the headquarters relocated to the Marine Reserve Training Center, Orlando, Florida. The headquarters again relocated to the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Training Center, Atlanta, Georgia during 1971. In May 1976, the unit was redesignated the 4th Force Service Support Group, Fleet Marine Force. In January, 1987, the headquarters relocated to Marietta, Georgia. The flag of the 4th FSSG was moved to its present site in New Orleans in February 1992.


USCGC Hydrangea (WAGL-236)


List of aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

The National Museum of the United States Air Force has one of the world's largest collections with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display.


Hocine Zehouane

Hocine Zehouane, born in 1935 in Draâ Ben Khedda, is an Algerian politician and a human rights activist .
Early life.
Hocine Zehouane was born in Draâ Ben Kheda in Kabylia in Algeria. He joined the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties MTLD, in 1954, while still in high school. He was then arrested and Imprisoned from 1955 to 1957. On his release from prison, he joined the maquis in Kabylia. Wilaya III officer (Kabylia). He joined the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic in March 1960.
The League for Human Rights.
In 1985 he participated in the founding of the first Algerian League for Human Rights (LADH), and in 2005 he became president of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights.
After the liberation.
As a member of the Political Bureau of the National Liberation Front in 1964, in charge of the guidance sector, Hocine Zehouane participated in the first regional Congress of the General Union of Algerian Workers. On this occasion, he declared that "Algerian workers must gain access to political power".
He opposed the coup d'etat of June 19, 1965 by Houari Boumedienne, which led him to prison before being placed under house arrest in the south from 1965 to 1971. He went into exile in France after 1973 and returned to his country after the death of Algerian President Houari Boumédiène.


Radomir Pavitchevitch

Radomir Pavitchevitch (17 December 1908 – 24 July 2005) was a French legionnaire, veteran of World War II.
He enlisted for five years on 9 December 1931, and was assigned to the 2nd Foreign Legion Regiment at Oujda, Algeria. Even though released from the service, he rejoined the Legion at Beyrouth, in the 6th Foreign Legion Regiment during its creation, on 1 October 1939. In March 1941 he earned the sous-officier rank in the Levant Foreign Legion Regiment.
He then enlisted again to fight for the Free French Forces, and was attached to the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (DBLE). He fought in the "Phalange Magnifique" (the wonderful phalanx, nickname of the DBLE) during the North African campaign, and earned the grade of sergent-chef.
He served as a section commander under capitaine Pierre Messmer, who was at the time, a company commander in the "13". At the end of the siege of Bir Hakeim, all the French units received the order to force the blocus, at night, to break through German lines. Pavitchevitch and his 5 légionnaires, who stayed in the fort to cover their companions, were missing. Five days later, they reappeared, leading a column of twenty Afrika Korps prisoners.
Next, he landed in Italy, thereafter in France in 1944 as a section commander. He was exceptionally promoted as adjudant-chef on 11 November 1945 and retired from active duty on 18 December 1947.
He died on 24 July 2005.
Awards.
Knight of the Légion d'honneur and médaillé militaire, the adjudant-chef Pavitchevitch received the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with a palm and 4 stars (two of vermeil, one of silver, and one of bronze).


Sahrawi Trade Union

Sahrawi Trade Union, also known as UGTSARIO, (Spanish abbreviation for Union General de Trabajadores de Saguia el Hamra y Río de Oro) is the labor organization of the Polisario Front.
Organization.
While started to work in 1973 (before the Spanish withdrawal from Western Sahara), its official foundation was in 1975. Initially an important part of POLISARIO, as much of the Sahrawis who joined the movement in the first years were Fos Bucraa workers, its importance has diminished as a result of the mass exodus of Sahrawis, mostly in the 1975-76 period, at the beginning of the Western Sahara War.
There is little need for a labor union in the refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria, where unemployment is near total, and what work exists is organized by the camp administration. The movement therefore appears largely dormant in its labor union role until an independent Western Sahara would provide it with a normally functioning labor market again.
It remains a part of the POLISARIO structure, though, and has internal representation at several levels. The general secretary (elected in the UGTSARIO congresses) is also member of the Polisario Front National Committee. The organization is directed by the Executive Bureau, which is composed of 9 members (6 from the Sahrawi refugee camps and 3 from the "Occupied Territories", which identity is kept in secret for security reasons) elected in the congresses. It campaigns internationally to attract attention to the Sahrawi cause, and enjoys good relations with many European and African trade unions. It also has members in the Moroccan controlled parts of Western Sahara, although it is banned by the Moroccan authorities. The organization is divided in four branches, as for example the UPES, Union de Periodistas y Escritores Saharauis ("Sahrawi Journalists and Writers Union") or the UJS, Union de Juristas Saharauis ("Sahrawi Jurists Union").
UGTSARIO is member of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) and the Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU). It also has observer status in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Its present general secretary is Mohamed Cheikh Lehbib.
Congresses.
Since the 3rd Congress and in parallel to the UGTSARIO congress, there is an "International Trade Union Conference in Solidarity with the Western Saharan Workers". The last one issued a Declaration in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been disappeared, tortured or detained by the Moroccan government, against the exploitation of the natural resources by multinational companies, rejecting the preferential status given to Morocco by the EU and supporting the Sahrawi refugees. The declaration was signed by several trade unions as CCOO, UGT, USO, CIG, ELA (Spain), UGTA (Algeria), CGIL (Italy), CGTP (Portugal), COSATU (South Africa), NLC (Nigeria), COC (Mexico), FSM (Greece), AWU, ACTU (Australia).


Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity

Marine Corps Operational Test and Evaluation Activity (MCOTEA) is the independent Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) authority for the U.S. Marine Corps. MCOTEA plans, executes, and evaluates testing of material solutions against warfighter capabilities, under prescribed realistic conditions and doctrine, to determine Operational Effectiveness, Operational Suitability, and Operational Survivability (OE/OS/OSur) of all new equipment for the Corps in support of its acquisition process. MCOTEA is based at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Unlike most Marine Corps organizations, MCOTEA has a Director instead of a Commander. The current Director, MCOTEA is Col Eggstaff.
See also.
MCOTEA publishes a magazine known as the MCOTEA Journal.


Regiment University of Witwatersrand

Regiment University of Witwatersrand was an artillery regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it had a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It was part of the South African Army Artillery Corps.
History.
In the late 1950s in South Africa, military units were attached to each large university. The University of Witwatersrand acquired an artillery capability.
The concept was for long term students to complete their obligatory military training in these units. Training would also be organised so as not to unduly interfere with university work.
Operations.
The Regiment was affiliated with the University only from 1960 to 1968. The regiment was a part-time unit and was mobilised in limited amounts for the Border War from 1976 to 1979. In 1981 elements of the regiment provided artillery support for Operation Protea. In 1985 the Regiment was deployed in its secondary role as infantry.
The development of the Citizen Force.
Further changes in national service policy resulted in most university students being posted to urban commandos, making it clear the Regiment could no longer remain as constituted.
Association with the Transvaal Horse Artillery.
It was thus decided to revive the name Transvaal Horse Artillery, which today is equipped and trained on the G6 self-propelled 155mm Gun comprising four batteries of a Regimental HQ Battery, No 7 Battery, No 8 Battery and No 9 Battery.


VMU-3

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron in the United States Marine Corps that operates the RQ-21 Blackjack that consists of approximately 200 Marines. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and its primary mission is to provide aerial surveillance for the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit also (in conjunction with VMU-1, based at Twentynine Palms) provides Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) to units participating in Mojave Viper, an exercise held several times a year in 29 Palms, CA. The squadron, nicknamed the "Phantoms", was activated on September 12, 2008 and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 24 and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing .
VMU-3 is the third UAV unit in the Marine Corps established to provide reconnaissance and assist with deployments and training of ground units. A third of the UAV Operators from VMU-1 and VMU-2 were reassigned to VMU-3 to provide the foundation for the new squadron. In late September 2008, VMU-3 successfully flew the Shadow 200 UAV for the first time, and continues to fly missions in support of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group (TTECG) on a regular basis.
VMU-3 was awarded the 2011 Commandant's Aviation Trophy for outstanding performance of a Marine aviation squadron.
History.
VMU-3 was originally based out of 29 Palms, CA in a makeshift compound (2008) before moving to Hawaii (2014). VMU-3 completed its first overseas deployment to Iraq and the Helmand Province in Afghanistan in support of operations IRAQI FREEDOM/ENDURING FREEDOM in 2009–10. It was a part of the NATO ISAF Marine Corps forces in theater, and fell directly under Marine Aircraft Group 40, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. In 2011 VMU-3 completed its second OEF deployment.


Rocket Forces and Artillery (Ukraine)

The Rocket Forces and Artillery () of the Ukrainian Ground Forces consist of units armed with tactical missiles, howitzers, cannons, mortars, jet-propelled and anti-tank artillery. They are tasked to destroy human resources, tanks, artillery, anti-tank weapons, aircraft, air defense and other important installations operations.
"On the eve of the professional holiday, the 19th rocket brigade, which is stationed in Khmelnytskyi city, conducted the main examination of the year - the final test for 2010-2011. All servicemen passed a final exams for professional, military and physical training. The history of the brigade began in 1943 at Stalingrad by establishing the 7th Artillery brigade of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War 27 soldiers, sergeants and officers of the division were nominated for the award "Hero of the Soviet Union". After the declaration of Ukrainian independence and choice of the non-nuclear status, servicemen swore allegiance to people of Ukraine. In November 1997, the division gained the status of a brigade and until 2004 it was subordinated to the 1st Rocket Division of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. For the last 8 years, the brigade is directly subordinated to the command of the land forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armed with the "Tochka" missile. [It] is the only rocket military unit in the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
Previously the 1st Rocket Division was active at Khmelnytskyi, formed on the basis of the disbanding headquarters of the Soviet 43rd Rocket Army. It was seemingly formed in 1998. At least two brigades were part of the division, the 19th at Khmelnytskyi and the 107th at Kremenchug (107th Rocket Artillery Regiment, 6th Army Corps (Ukraine)). The division was disbanded in 2004. (Vad777)
The 11th Artillery Brigade was disbanded in December 2013. The 44th Artillery Brigade was created from scratch at Ternopil in September 2014. The 43rd Artillery Brigade was formed in February 2015 in Divychky, a village in Kyiv Oblast. The 27th Reactive Artillery Regiment was upgraded to a brigade on 13 March 2015. The 40th Artillery Brigade was formed at Pervomaisk in August 2015.


Combat Logistics Regiment 2

Combat Logistics Regiment 2 (CLR 2) is a logistics regiment of the United States Marine Corps. The unit is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (2nd MLG) and the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF).
Mission.
CLR-2 provides direct support to the II Marine Expeditionary Force. They train, rapidly task organize, deploy, employ, fight and redeploy in order to provide direct support logistics combat support to all maneuver elements of II MEF beyond their organic capabilities, in peacetime as well as wartime, in any environment and across the spectrum of conflict in order to allow the II MEF maneuver elements to continue operations independent of any logistically driver operational pauses.


Military provinces of Thailand

Military provinces of Thailand (, incorrectly referred to as the "military circles") are subdivisions of the Royal Thai Army. Each military province governs and supports all military units and personnel in its area. Several military provinces are grouped into a military region. A military province can cover one or more civil provinces.
Currently there are 35 military provinces, grouped into 4 military regions in Thailand.
Map of military provinces of Thailand.
Military provinces in Thailand, according to the 2015 ministerial regulation, can be mapped as follows. Some military provinces cover more than one civil provinces, while many cover only one civil provinces (particularly northern provinces). Each military province is numbered. The first digit denotes the military region in which the military province is located. The second digit is a sequential number 1 to 9 (or 10). As a result, there are no military province 10, 20, 30 and 40.
History.
1948-1965.
From 1897 to 1933, Siam (now Thailand) was divided into 21 civil provinces ("monthons"). Each province covers several civil counties ("changwats"), headed by counts (or governors). Each county contains districts ("amphurs"), which in turns, covers subdistricts ("tambons"). The Government Organisation of Siam Act, 1933 eliminated the existence of monthons. As a result, "changwats" have been referred to as provinces since then.
However, the Royal Thai Army are differently organised. Thailand was divided into military provinces, each of which encompassed many military counties () and units, just like military regions () today. Each military province had several roles, including the recruitment of new soldiers, military justice, national protection and peacekeeping. Military province encompassed many counties (or civil provinces). In 1948, there were five military provinces. Each province contains following counties:
1965-1990.
It was realised in 1966 that the organisation of the army was too centralised, bulky and impractical. The government proposed that the country should be divided into three military regions. Each region covered several military provinces, which, in turns, encompassed many military counties.<ref name="A/008/99">ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, กฎกระทรวง (พ.ศ.๒๕๐๙) ออกตามความในพระราชบัญญัติจัดระเบียบราชการกระทรวงกลาโหม พ.ศ.๒๕๐๓, ตอนที่ ๘, เล่ม ๘๓, ๒๕ มกราคม ๒๕๐๙ (Ministerial Regulations on the Organisation of the Royal Thai Army, 1966)</ref>
1990-2014.
The Royal Thai Army underwent several reorganisations. In 1981, Chon Buri (region 1) and Chiang Mai (region 3) Military Counties was established. Chon Buri Military County covered Chon Buri, Trat and Rayong, while Chiang Mai Military County covered Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Lamphun. Frustrated by the complexities, the government completely rearranged its army into four Military Regions, each region has military provinces as follows
2015-present.
In 2015, a military government led by Prayut Chan-o-cha dissolved all military counties. This resulted in the establishment of many military provinces, covering one or few civil provinces (or counties) to shorten the chain of command. Each military province is allocated its two- or three-digit code, beginning with military region code, followed by the number 1 to 10. It can be observed that the Military Region 2 was completely reorganised into several military provinces. Military Region 3 formerly had 3 military provinces but now have 10 military provinces, most of which cover only one civil province.
Roles.
In accordance with the ministerial regulations on the roles and coverage of military provinces, military provinces
Naval region.
The Royal Thai Navy has a similar subdivision system. There are three naval regions in Thailand. Each region covers different sections of coastline.


Bodie Island Lifesaving and Coast Guard Station

The Bodie Island Lifesaving Station, also known as the Bodie Island Coast Guard Station, is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina at the southern end of Bodie Island, within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The district includes a residence, the lifesaving station, the Coast Guard station, and an observation tower, as well as a number of utility buildings. The facility was turned over to the National Park Service in 1953, with the establishment of the national seashore. The primary structure, the lifesaving station, was built in 1878, and was converted to a residence when the Coast Guard station was built in 1925. It was moved to its present location in 1955, as it was threatened by shoreline erosion. The Coast Guard station was altered the same year to provide housing and office space for the National Park Service.


Soviet air show

In the life of Soviet Union, air shows were a highly regarded type of parade, almost always of military nature. They happened on various occasions and anniversaries, in many locations across the country. A notable air show was the Tushino Air Show held annually in August.
Dates.
Soviet Air Fleet Day.
The most frequent date of air shows was the Soviet Air Fleet Day (). It was also known as the Soviet Air Forces Day (), or Soviet Aviation Day. It was established in 1933 and was most usually held on the third Sunday of August, weather permitting. The initial exhibition on 18 August 1933, was a result of Yakov Alksnis initiative, and was held in Khodynka Aerodrome (the Central Moscow Aerodrome), but since the next year the show became located on Tushino airfield near Moscow, where it remained for entire decades. In 1937, the parade was attended by nearly a million people, observing the masses of aircraft spelling in the sky "LENIN", "STALIN" and "SSSR". The celebrations repeated until the fall of Soviet Union, and continue in Russia (location is now Zhukovskiy airport, see MAKS airshow).
May Day.
The 1st of May was dedicated to multitude of parades throughout the Soviet Union. They often included large-scale flypasts.
Other.
The Soviet Air Fleet Day became primarily associated with Soviet Air Forces (VVS), so a separate day has been established for Soviet Air Defense Forces (PVO) a second arm of Soviet military that employed numerous fighter squadrons. It was called Soviet Air Defence Forces Day (), occurred on the second Sunday of April, and was celebrated with air parades of lesser scale.
The October revolution anniversary usually included air parade, but as it was held on 7 November, the aircraft were often cancelled because of weather conditions. The same problem pertained to 19 November, the Soviet Rocket Forces and Artillery Day.
Notably, the 50th anniversary of October revolution air show was held in the summer, on 9 July 1967 at Domodedovo airport. In an unprecedented display of air power, it featured twelve new types or variants of military aircraft, and prompted concern in the West.
Notable first appearances.
The Soviet air shows conveyed more than entertainment. In the atmosphere of harshly enforced clandestinity, these air shows were frequently the main source of information about the recent aviation achievements of Soviet design bureaus (OKBs). Both Eastern and Western public opinion benefited from it, as well as foreign military intelligence.


List of ships of the line of the United States Navy

This is a list of ships of the line of the United States Navy. Because of the operating expense, a number of these were never launched.
These ships were maintained on the stocks, sometimes for decades, in case of an urgent need.


Coast Guard Air Station Miami

Coast Guard Air Station Miami is an Air Station of the United States Coast Guard located at Opa-locka Executive Airport in Opa-locka, Florida. The station operates the HC-144 Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft and the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
History.
The history of Coast Guard Air Station Miami began in the late 1920s when the city leased land to the United States Navy. Glenn H. Curtiss had been lobbying for the establishment of the Naval Reserve Base in Miami since 1928. This property became a Naval Reserve Aviation Training Base (NRATB).
In 1932 the U.S. Navy leased from the city of Miami what is today the west half of Opa-locka airport. On this land the Navy erected a dirigible mooring mast. The dirigible USS "Akron" stopped at this mast on both legs of its 1933 trip to the Panama Canal Zone, and departed the station less than two weeks before its fatal crash in April 1933. The base was one of the stops on the triangular Germany-Brazil-United States-Germany route of the "Graf Zeppelin".
Amelia Earhart made her second attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. The unpublicized flight began in Oakland, California and from there, Earhart flew to Miami, Florida, landing there on 23 May 1937. But a miscalculation by navigator Fred Noonan had Earhart land her Lockheed Electra at the wrong airport. She first landed at Eastern Air Lines 36th Street Airport, which was closed with no one in the control tower. Earhart took off once again and six minutes later landed at the Miami Municipal Airport. She stayed in Miami for a week or so studying her flight path. Miami was the last place of the continental U.S. that she visited before heading on to the rest of her ill-fated journey. The pair departed Miami on 1 July headed to Puerto Rico, the next immediate stop after Miami.
The All-American Airport was acquired by the City of Miami around 1938 and on this land the city of Miami built the first "Miami International (Master) Airport".
Major expansion of the base began in 1939, and it was commissioned as Naval Air Station Miami (NAS Miami) in 1940.
 The Naval Reserve Air Base, the Municipal Blimp Hangar, the U.S. Navy's Dirigible Mooring Mast, the city of Miami's Municipal Airport and the All-American Airport existed as separate facilities until their land became incorporated into NAS Miami.
Miami Municipal Airport and Miami International (Master) Airport were purchased from the city by the federal government in 1942 and added to Naval Air Station Miami (NAS Miami) as "Miami Municipal Field" and "Master Field" (later referred to colloquially as "Masters Field"), respectively. Miami Municipal Field was connected to Masters Field by a taxiway that crossed the railroad tracks which separated the two fields. Miami Municipal Field was renamed Amelia Earhart Field in 1947. The All-American Air Races were held at Miami Municipal/Amelia Earhart Field or All-American Airport/Miami International (Master) Airport from 1929 until 1935, and the All-American Air Maneuvers from 1935 until 1941 and from 1946 to 1950.
During World War II, NAS Miami was headquarters for operations of the U.S. Naval Air Training Command, with six training bases. NAS Miami consisted of the original training base, known as Mainside or Opa-locka, Miami Municipal Field and Master Field. At its peak, the base employed 7,200 officers and men and 3,100 civilians. Activity continued on a reduced basis after the war.
Following the departure of U.S. Navy, but retention of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve flying and aviation support units, Master Field became Marine Corps Air Station Miami (MCAS Miami) circa 1955. With the transfer of Marine Air Reserve squadrons and support units to NAS Jacksonville, Florida in 1958 and 1959, MCAS Miami was marked for closure and the air station closed as a Department of the Navy installation in 1959. Former military property was transferred to Dade County and the Dade County Junior College opened on the site in 1961.
In 1962 the remainder of the former NAS Miami property, except for a portion reserved for the United States Coast Guard, was transferred to Dade County, and became Opa-locka Airport. In 1965 Coast Guard Air Station Miami transferred its aircraft and operations from its Dinner Key installation to the Opa-locka Airport, re-establishing CGAS Miami on site utilizing one of the former Navy hangars, associated flight line and several support buildings. CGAS Miami continues to operate on site with HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft and MH-65 Dolphin helicopters.


Swab Summer

The United States Coast Guard Academy's Swab Summer is a seven-week initiation through which all cadets are required to pass. It is the Academy's boot camp. Swab Summer is a unique nickname for the program at the Coast Guard comparable to Cadet Basic Training (Beast Barracks) at the United States Military Academy and Plebe Summer at the United States Naval Academy.
The program is intended to emphasize the principles of fellowship, teamwork, seamanship, and military life and introduce cadets to the Coast Guard core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. During the summer, Swabs are both physically and mentally tested. They will run obstacle courses, complete team ropes course challenges, learn basic sailing at the Jacobs Rock Seamanship and Sailing center, and do daily calisthenics, while also learning Coast Guard History, their chain of command, and various other bits of information (collectively known as "indoc"). Over the course of the summer, the Swabs are tested repeatedly on indoc through written and oral tests to prepare them for the Boards Indoctrination Exam the following spring, the final test of all the indoc learned over the whole year.
Swab Summer is run by the 'cadre', rising 2nd Class (2/c) cadets (Cadets entering their Junior year) who themselves had just experienced Swab Summer two years prior. These cadre are personally trained by Coast Guard Cape May Company Commanders during the Mid-Grade Cadet Transition Program ("100th Week") before training the incoming Swabs. A select group of rising 1st Class (1/c) cadets, known as Battalion Staff, are the cadre's supervisors and the organizers of the logistics necessary for the summer training period.
The Summer Battalion of cadets is divided into 4 companies, (Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, Zulu), each of which is divided into two platoons. Each platoon is commanded by a 1/c Platoon Commander with a 2/c Platoon Executive Officer as well as around 10 cadre and 30 Swabs. Halfway through the summer, the 2/c cadre switch out to continue their summer training in other programs, and other 2/c take their place. The Swabs remain with their fellow platoon members throughout the summer and the following school year.
A day during Swab Summer starts at 0530 with Reveille and morning calisthenics. The Swabs then clean up their "wing area" (the section of the barracks where the platoon sleeps) and go to breakfast. The rest of the day is filled with trainings, including math review sessions, drill practice, ethics/honor seminars, presentations from officers and senior enlisted members, and various athletic activities such as Inter-Company sports and platoon workouts. Everything the Swabs do is scheduled out in blocks, including 'cadre time', during which the 2/c cadre have the swabs clean, work out, practice drill, or study indoc. The day ends with 'hygiene hour', when the Swabs are given time to clean up and prepare for the next day, which ends at 2200 with Taps and lights out.
During their seven-week program, each platoon of incoming Swabs spends a week sailing aboard the Academy's training ship "USCGC Eagle", the only tall ship in America's active forces.
Swab Summer ends with Sea Trials, the 12-13 hour long final test of the Swabs' abilities, teamwork, and perseverance. Intended to simulate the process of surviving a shipwreck, Sea Trials begins around 0330 in the morning when the Swabs are awoken to red emergency lighting, alarms, and shouting. The Swabs pack their sea bags full of various possessions per the cadre's instructions, then run to the football field for an hour-long session of intense calisthenics. The Swabs then spend the rest of the day completing different tasks on and off the Academy campus such as a run, a road march, paddling rafts down the Thames River, carrying a log around the campus, and a platoon drill competition. After the conclusion of Sea Trials, the Swabs receive their cadet shoulder boards from their cadre and join the Corps of Cadets for the school year.


USCGC Vigilant

USCGC "Vigilant" may refer to:


USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC-903)

USCGC "Harriet Lane" (WMEC-903) is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. Named after Harriet Lane, niece and official hostess of President James Buchanan. "Harriet Lane" was constructed by Tacoma Boatbuilding, Tacoma, Washington and delivered 20 April 1984.
History.
"Harriet Lane" was commissioned on 14 June 1984 and has served the Coast Guard and the nation with distinction, for example, by conducting Coast Guard and national defense missions from Maine to South America and even into the Pacific Northwest. In 1994, as the Commander of Operation Able Manner forces, she directed the rescue of thousands of Haitian and Cuban migrants flowing across the Windward Passage and Florida Straits toward U.S. shores. During this mass migration, "Harriet Lane's" crew saved over 2,400 migrants, directed 15 cutters, an aerostat and multiple aircraft. She has twice been a key U.S. participant in the annual UNITAS multi-national exercise with South American navies in 1994 and 1997. In 1995, "Harriet Lane" conducted a trial Alaska patrol to determine the feasibility of placing a WMEC in the Seventeenth District. In 1996, "Harriet Lane" was the on scene commander for much of the initial search and recovery of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island. She escorted an international fleet of tall ships during the OPSAIL 2000 Parade of Sail. Most recently, exhibiting the Coast Guard's multi-mission nature and typical of "Harriet Lane's" twenty years of service, she stood as a maritime security sentry in Charleston, South Carolina Harbor for the Operation Iraqi Freedom load-out, then moved south to the Caribbean and seized two tons of cocaine headed for the U.S., and finally, rescued several hundred migrants attempting to reach the U.S. in unseaworthy boats. Most recently in May 2010, "Harriet Lane" was directly involved in response efforts of the "Deepwater Horizon" offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico after the major explosion that sank the rig. This was considered the worst environmental disaster in US history.


Francis Dickens

Francis Jeffrey Dickens (15 January 1844 – 11 June 1886) was the third son and fifth child of Victorian English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Dickens née Hogarth.
Early life and career.
Francis Dickens was nicknamed "Chickenstalker" by his father after the character Mrs. Chickenstalker in the Christmas book "The Chimes" that he was writing at the time of Francis's birth; however he came to be called Frank by those who knew him. He was born in England and went to school in Germany to train to become a doctor. Giving up this ambition, he obtained a commission in the Bengal Mounted Police and served in India for seven years.
Following his father's death in 1870 he inherited some money, but he soon went through this, and his aunt, Georgina Hogarth (Catherine Dickens' sister) used her influence with family friend Lord Dufferin, then Governor General of Canada, to get Francis Dickens a commission in the North-West Mounted Police.
Dickens joined the North-West Mounted Police as a Sub Inspector in Canada in 1874 shortly after the March West which brought the original police force of 300 members to the modern provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. He would remain in the force 12 years, serving at Fort Walsh, Fort Macleod and Fort Pitt, getting promoted to Inspector in 1880.
The Battle of Fort Pitt, 1885.
During the North West Rebellion of 1885, Francis Dickens was in charge of the defence of Fort Pitt on the North Saskatchewan River. Francis Dickens' diary written during his charge at Fort Pitt, though very brief, is an important document of the events of the siege that led to the evacuation of the mounted police from the fort. On his website, David J. Carter describes the events at Fort Pitt.
This site [Frog Lake, following Cree attacks on priests and Hudson's Bay Company employees and family members] was 35 miles northwest of Fort Pitt. Dickens sent out three scouts to reconnoitre. When they returned they were attacked by Cree warriors; one escaped unharmed, one was wounded – played dead then crawled to the 'fort', the other Constable Cowan was killed within sight of Fort Pitt. Then the warrior cut out young Cowan's heart and ate a piece of it before the horrified defenders of the fort.
The NWMP detachment were outnumbered and outgunned 200 to 20. Negotiations led to the civilians agreeing to become prisoners of the Cree and Big Bear. The Chief gave Dickens and his men a short time to abandon the fort. This they did, and travelled amongst the ice pans in a leaky scow. Scouts from Fort Battleford reported that everyone at Fort Pitt had been massacred; however, after six days on the river Dickens and his men arrived at Battleford and received a hero's welcome.
Discharge and death.
Following his discharge from the Mounted Police in 1886 (for reasons of ill health — he was becoming increasingly hard of hearing among other infirmities) Frank was going to embark on a series of lecture talks in the US (as his father had successfully done), but died of a heart attack at a friend's house in Moline, Illinois the night of his first speech. He was 42 years old.
Character reputation.
Contemporary portrayals of Francis Dickens (such as the character Inspector Dicken in the romantic novel "Annette the Metis Spy"), conformed to a conventional heroic type, reflecting the dominant view of the Rebellion held by (English-speaking) Eastern Canada. However, some of his superiors in the Mounted Police held unfavorable opinions about his overall competence, echoing his father Charles Dickens, who wrote in a letter to his friend on being asked by his son for three hundred pounds, a horse and a gun to set himself up as a gentleman farmer in the colonies, that the consequence of the first is that he would be robbed of it, the second, that it would throw him, and the third, that he would shoot his own head off.
In histories of the Mounted Police, Francis Dickens is described as a tragic character, struggling to live in the shadow of his great father. Charges against him include drunkenness, laziness and recklessness. David Carter in the third chapter of his book questions the evidence that these claims are based on. An article in a special RCMP issue of the Canadian history magazine The Beaver called "Francis J. Dickens, An Ordinary Officer" gives a balanced picture, pointing out his twelve years of service during which time many men in the fledgling police force on the plains deserted or were discharged for misconduct, while others have gone so far as to say that he was partly responsible for the deterioration in relations between the NWMP and the Blackfoot in the 1880s!
Francis Dickens in Fiction.
The events surrounding Frog Lake and the battle of Fort Pitt are treated in "The Temptations of Big Bear" (1973) by Rudy Wiebe. In recent decades, Francis Dickens has been depicted as a comic figure. In "W.G. Grace's Last Case" (1984), by William Rushton, in a fantastic plot that includes fictional characters like Jekyll and Hyde and Dr. Watson, Francis Dickens encounters Apache Indians and (anachronistically) meets the famed cricketer of the title during the latter's team's 1872 North American tour.
Francis Dickens later was the subject of a comic novel by humorist Eric Nicol, "Dickens of the Mounted" (1989). The book is a series of fictional letters, a mock document purporting to be a record of Dickens's correspondence spanning his twelve years in Canada, only "edited" by Nicol. It is still frequently mistaken for non-fiction.
Frank Dickens also appears in the science fiction novel that deals with the NWMP in an alternative history, "The Apparition Trail" (2004) by Lisa Smedman.
In the novels "The Winnipeg Wolf" and "The Search for Spade" belonging to the "Inspector Bucket NWMP" series by Jeremy Allen the leading character, Francis Bucket, is based on Francis Dickens.
He is played by Joe Prospero in the TV mini-series "". In 2007 a Fringe festival play called "Dickens of the Mounted" based on Nicol's novel toured several Canadian cities.
Francis Dickens is a character in Matthew Pearl's 2009 novel, "The Last Dickens". Dickens also appears in Bill Gallaher's "The Frog Lake Massacre" (2008).
Sources.
"The Diary of Francis Dickens", edited by Vernon LaChance, Kingston Jackson Press, 1930
"Francis Jeffrey Dickens", The Canadian Encyclopedia, (entry by John Evans)
Eric Nicol, "Dickens of the Mounted: The Astounding Long-lost Letters of Inspector F. Dickens NWMP 1874–1886." (1989) McClelland & Stewart
"Francis J. Dickens, An Ordinary Officer", "Beaver" Vol.78, No.3 June/July 1998
David J. Carter "Inspector F.J. Dickens: "The Christmas Carol baby"" (1998)


Ostap Steckiw

Ostap Steckiw () (1924 – August 2003) was a Canadian soccer player who earned 1 cap for the Canadian national side against the US in 1957, scoring one goal. During World War II he was a member of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
He played club football for ST Ukraina Lviv, Phönix Karlsruhe, Charleroi, Nice, Valenciennes, Lyon, Toronto Ukrainians, and Rochester Ukrainians.
In 1942 Steckiw became the champion of Halychyna playing for ST Ukraina Lwów. In 1957 he was the Canadian Challenger's Cup holder playing for Montreal Ukrainians.
He played a single game for Canada in Saint Louis against the USA along with two other Ukrainian Canadians: Mike Bereza and Walt Zakaluznyj.
After retiring Steckiw in 1961 served as a player-coach with Toronto's Inter-Roma originally in the National Soccer League then later in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League. On June 27, 1963 he resigned as head coach and was replaced by Renato Seghini.
He created a soccer museum in Toronto. In 1946 in city of Ulm, West Germany Steckiw created a football team "Ukraina".
Later he also was awarded the UPA Golden Cross.


Ligny order of battle

The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Ligny 16 June 1815.
French Army.
L'Armée du Nord (68,000 men) under the command of Emperor Napoleon I.
"Major Général" (Chief of staff): Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult.
"* I Corps, commander: GD Drouet d'Erlon (Corps not engaged)"
Prussian Army.
Prussian Army (84,000 men), under the command of Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Lieutenant-General (Chief of staff): August von Gneisenau


United States Coast Guard Cutter

United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC.
History of the USCG cutters.
The Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, as it was known variously throughout the late 18th and the 19th centuries, referred to its ships as cutters. The term is English in origin and refers to a specific type of vessel, namely, "a small, decked ship with one mast and bowsprit, with a gaff mainsail on a boom, a square yard and topsail, and two jibs or a jib and a staysail." With general usage, that term came to define any vessel of the United Kingdom's HM Customs and Excise and the term was adopted by the U.S. Treasury Department at the creation of what would become the Revenue Marine. Since that time, no matter what the vessel type, the service has referred to its vessels with permanently assigned crews as cutters.
First ten cutters.
In 1790, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to create a maritime service to enforce customs laws (1 Stat. L. 145, 175; 4 August 1790). Alternatively known as the system of cutters, Revenue Service, and Revenue-Marine this service was officially named the Revenue Cutter Service (12 Stat. L., 639) in 1863. This service was placed under the control of the Treasury Department. The first ten cutters were:


United States Air Force Pipe Band

The United States Air Force Pipe Band (USAF Pipe Band) was a highland unit of the United States Air Force. Organized in 1960 from a predecessor unit that had been activated in 1950, it was deactivated ten years later.
History.
The USAF Pipe Band was activated in 1950 as a subordinate unit of the United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps at the instigation of the chief of headquarters command at Bolling Air Force Base. Posted to Bolling Air Force Base throughout its existence, its first pipe major was "Scottie" Grubbs, formerly a piper in the Black Watch of the British Army.
Due to USAF uniform regulations, the band was not initially authorized to wear highland dress, however, an intervention by Curtis LeMay subsequently allowed its adoption.
Reestablished as an independent unit in 1960, it was deactivated in 1970 despite objections printed in several leading newspapers, including one penned by Russell Kirk. Rumors that Gen. John Dale Ryan had ordered the unit's deactivation as part of an attempt to Americanize United States military bands were rejected by officials who stated the deactivation was for cost-cutting reasons. The band's final pipe major, Norval 'Sandy' Jones, subsequently was appointed pipe major of The Citadel.
Related units.
The Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band, a highland unit of the United States Air Force Reserve, was activated in 1970 and operated as a subordinate unit of the Band of the Air Force Reserve. In September 2013 the Band of the Air Force Reserve, and with it the Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band, was deactivated. Following deactivation, a single piper was transferred to the United States Air Force Band as the service's sole remaining musician of this type.
The Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band wore a tartan from an unclaimed design by Strathmore Woollen Company of Forfar originally known as the Lady Jane of St Cirus tartan and subsequently registered with the Scottish Tartans Society as the "US Air Force Reserve Pipe Band tartan".


USRC Gallatin

USRC "Gallatin" was the name of more than one ship of the United States Revenue Cutter Service:


Xavier de La Chevalerie

Marie-Emile Xavier Daufresne de La Chevalerie (28 January 1920 – 21 August 2004) was a French diplomat. From 1967 to 1969 he served as Chief of Staff to the President of France, Charles de Gaulle.
Biography.
Xavier de La Chevalerie was born in Paris on 28 January 1920 to Alyette (née de Beaulaincourt-Marles) and Christian Daufresne de La Chevalerie. He studied at the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague in Paris and then at the University of Paris in the faculties of literature and law. After further studies at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques, he began his career shortly before the outbreak of World War II. In 1940 he joined the Free French Forces and served under General Philippe Leclerc in Africa. He subsequently served as a diplomatic aide at the French embassy in the United States when it re-opened in 1944 following the liberation of France.
After the war, he served in a variety of diplomatic posts, primarily in North Africa, Asia, and the Levant. He and his cousin, Xavier de Beaulaincourt-Marles, who had served as Charles de Gaulle's private secretary since 1948, were part of de Gaulle's close entourage during the period of the so-called (1960-1968). Many of them, including de La Chevalerie, later served on the administrative council of the .
From 1961 to 1962, de La Chevalerie served as Chief of Staff to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, and then held a similar post at the (Ministry of International Cooperation).
In 1967, he was named Chief of Staff to President de Gaulle and served in that post until 1969 when de Gaulle resigned from office.
Shortly after de Gaulle's resignation in 1969, de La Chevalerie was appointed ambassador to Mexico and resumed his diplomatic career. He subsequently served as France's ambassador to Gambia (1973-1977), Guinea-Bissau (1975-1977), Senegal (1975-1977), Canada (1977-1979), Japan (1979-1982), and the Vatican (1983-1985).
De La Chevalerie was married to Marie-France (née Hislaire), the daughter of the Belgian journalist and writer, René Hislaire. The couple had seven children. Xavier de La Chevalerie died on 21 August 2004 in Saint Nazaire. His wife pre-deceased him in 1985.


Federal Maritime Security Coordinator


Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon Inlet

Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon Inlet is a United States Coast Guard boat station located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and is part of the Coast Guard 7th District, Sector Jacksonville.
The crew at Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon Inlet is made of 31 active duty and 15 United States Coast Guard Reserve personnel. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) performs Search & Rescue, Law Enforcement and fisheries patrols. In addition also do maintenance work at the Cape Canaveral lighthouse.


Guardians of the Peace

The Guardians of the Peace () were a pro-government paramilitary militia active in Burundi during the Burundian Civil War (1993–2006). It is believed to have existed between 1997 and 2005. According to the government, the militia was primarily intended to secure the rural areas against rebel groups as part of a policy of "civilian self-defence". Its members were armed but not uniformed. It was founded by Colonel Ascension Twagiramungu and is believed to have recruited primarily among adolescents, children and former anti-government rebels in rural Burundi. Although recognised as a semi-official organisation, the Guardians of the Peace were never a single entity and instead consisted of autonomous regional groups.
Founded in 1997, Guardians of the Peace from across Burundi were deployed to Bujumbura when it was besieged by National Forces of Liberation (FLN) rebels in 2000. They are believed to have sustained heavy casualties during the operation, though they expanded rapidly in size during the escalation of the Civil War in 2001. Both FLN and Forces for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) rebels specifically targeted individual members of the organisation in order to intimidate other Guardians of the Peace. It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Burundians received training as Guardians of the Peace during the period. In Bururi Province, it was estimated that there were 5,000 active Guardians of the Peace with smaller numbers in other regional groups.
The government begun the demobilisation of the Guardians of the Peace in 2003 and the process was finally completed on 30 September 2005.


Harry C. Claiborne

Harry C. Claiborne (January 1859 - 1918) was an American lighthouse keeper.
Biography.
He was born in January 1859 in New Orleans. He began his career as assistant keeper of the Southwest Pass Light in Louisiana in 1887. In 1889 he was made head keeper of the Pass a l'Outre Light. In 1895 he was transferred to the Bolivar Point Light near Galveston, Texas. He was on duty when the Galveston Hurricane hit the station on September 8, 1900. 125 people eventually took refuge inside the light tower, including Claiborne's family and that of the assistant keeper; Claiborne oversaw their care until further help was forthcoming. In 1915, he again cared for 50 hurricane refugees who took shelter in the tower.
Claiborne died on duty at the Bolivar Point station in 1918.
Legacy.
A USCG coastal buoy tender WLM-561 based in Galveston, Texas, is named after him.


Territorial Defense Command

The Territorial Defense Command (), known as the Army Reserve Command () from 2001–2011 and the Territorial Defence Department () before that, is a department of the Royal Thai Army. It is responsible for the management of the country's reserve affairs, including the training of Territorial Defence Students.
Its headquarters is located on the corner of Sanam Chai and Charoen Krung roads. Its main building, a two-storey neoclassical structure, was built in 1922, and is listed as a registered ancient monument.


List of RLM paint designations

Following is a list of RLM (Reichsluftfahrt Ministerium) paint designations used by the German Ministry of Aviation from 1933 through 1945.


J. Greg Peters

John Gregory Peters is a retired Superintendent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the current Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada. He was appointed to the position by order of the Governor-in-Council effective 1 October 2013. He was re-appointed on October 1, 2018 for another 5-year term.
Personal life.
A native of Souris West, Prince Edward Island, John Gregory Peters was heavily involved in volunteering for St. John Ambulance as a youth, teaching first aid and CPR in the local community. He was later certified in advanced first aid. Peters went on to study political science and history at the University of Prince Edward Island, later completing his undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Ottawa. He has also completed a graduate certificate in public sector leadership and governance at the University of Ottawa.
Career.
Peters joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1981 and trained at the RCMP Academy in Regina. Early years saw him go from municipal policing in Flin Flon, Manitoba to small town and Indigenous policing in southern Manitoba. In 1984, he was assigned to protective duties for the royal tour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Manitoba.
In 1987, Peters was accepted to the RCMP equestrian drill team, the Musical Ride. His first tour was Europe for a period of three months in 1988, staying as a guest at Windsor Castle and stabling in the Royal Mews. This was his first personal encounter with Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family.
In 1993, Peters served with the United Nations Civilian Police contingent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was one of the first 25 RCMP members deployed, and served as spokesperson for the contingent. From 1997 to 1998, Peters was assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre in Glynco, Georgia, where he facilitated senior police leadership sessions for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.
In 2002, Peters led the design and development of the RCMP Musical Ride Centre at the RCMP Stables at Rockcliffe, Ottawa. He organized the official opening of the Centre by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 14 October 2002 to celebrate The Queen's Golden Jubilee.
In 2007, as the RCMP contingent commander, Peters led the ceremonial and protocol functions for the official arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the ceremony commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
As the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Heritage for the RCMP, Peters was a key player in the repatriation of the Sir Sam Steele collection from the United Kingdom to Canada in 2008. The collection, which was at risk of being broken up and auctioned off, now rests with the University of Alberta and the Glenbow Museum.
Peters led the RCMP guard of honour at the Canada Reception Centre for official visits to Canada by foreign heads of state and heads of government. He also led the ceremonial salute at the Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2009 and 2013.
Peters organized the official presentation of RCMP horses to The Queen in 2009 and 2012, and played a significant role in royal tours to Canada by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in 2010, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in 2009 and 2012, as well as Their Royal Highnesses The Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.
Peters served as the RCMP Diamond Jubilee contingent commander at the Royal Windsor Horse Show tribute to The Queen in 2012, and the historic mounting of the Queen's Life Guard by the RCMP in London on 23 May 2012. This marked the first time that a non-British semi-military unit formed the Queen's Life Guard since the 17th century.
Peters was the only Canadian named to the Royal Victorian Order in the 2013 New Year Honours.
Peters retired from the RCMP on 30 September 2013 at the rank of superintendent, after 32 years of service. His appointment as Usher of the Black Rod took effect on 1 October 2013.
Honours and awards.
Peters has received the following decorations:
Peters also received the Public Service Award of Excellence in 2008.


Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy

The Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy () (NKRAFA) is a military academy for officer cadets of the Royal Thai Air Force.
History.
In 1950, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) started recruiting officers who completed their training from other institutions to work in the air force. Over time, as the number of military operations increased, the air force saw a need to build an air force academy to specifically train new cadets. In the same year, the Directorate of Education and Training of the RTAF proposed to the commander for the creation of such an academy and this was approved by the cabinet on 14 November 1952. The academy was officially opened on 7 May 1953 as the Royal Thai Air Force Academy, with the first intake of 30 cadets. The academy was then moved to its current location on 24 June 1963 near Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base. In 2013, King Bhumibol Adulyadej renamed the academy as the Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy, in commemoration of the academy's 60th year.
In 2017, Royal Thai Air Force proceeds to build a new Royal Air Force Academy at Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province with a budget of 5 billion baht due to the old location that is cramped. The new air force academy has its own airport to support the CT-4 training plane, able to connect with Wing 1 Nakhon Ratchasima, Wing 2 Lopburi and Wing 6 Don Mueang, as well as installing modern aviation equipment and technology to supports digital networking bypassing the environmental impact survey and comparative studies with leading international air academy overseas in order to produce quality military officers. The academy completed a construction in 2020 and open for teaching and learning in 2021.
References.
This article incorporates material from the corresponding article in the Thai Wikipedia.


Marine Investigation (USCG)

USCG Marine Investigators carry out all the statutorily mandated investigations of commercial vessel casualties and reports of violation that require a determination for apparent cause and culpability (fault). The findings of Coast Guard Marine Casualty Investigations are used to create safety recommendations to prevent future marine casualties. It is imperative that commercial vessel operators understand and follow the Marine Casualty reporting requirements as outlined in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4 (46 CFR 4). Without timely and truthful reporting, the Coast Guard is hampered in its ability to conduct an accurate investigation. Therefore, responsible parties that fail to report Marine Casualties as required by regulations are subject to civil penalties.
U.S. law, specifically Title 46, U.S. Code, Chapter 61 (Reporting Marine Casualties), Chapter 63 (Investigating Marine Casualties), and Chapter 77 (Suspension and Revocation) provide the core concepts governing the Coast Guard's responsibilities for Marine Casualties and Personnel Actions. The statutes, as written, are broad in nature and are supplemented by more extensive regulatory requirements set forth in Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4 (Marine Casualties and Investigations) and Title 46, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 5 (Marine Investigation Regulations - Personnel Actions).
The primary purpose of an investigation is to ascertain the cause or causes of an accident, casualty, or personnel behaviors to determine if remedial measures should be taken and to determine whether any violation of Federal Law or Regulation has occurred. The U.S. Coast Guard does not conduct investigations to determine Civil Liability in disputes between private litigants. Rather, our investigations are a means to promote safety of life and property at sea and to protect the Marine Environment. The Investigations Division conducts investigations for Vessel Casualties or Accidents, Violations of Statutes the U.S. Coast Guard is authorized to enforce, incidents involving vessel personnel that may lead to Suspension and Revocation (S&R) proceedings or assessment of Civil and/or Criminal Penalties, boating accidents, Waterfront Facility Casualties and Incidents, deepwater port casualties and incidents, Marine Pollution Incidents, Accidents involving Aids to Navigation and Accidents involving structures on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The results of such investigations play a major role in changing current and developing new laws and regulations, as well as implementing new technologies in areas of U.S. Coast Guard concern.
Marine Casualty or Incident reporting forms.
Marine casualty or Incident Should be reported in the writing within 5days in the following form:
In addition, USCG Marine Investigators are tasked with investigating reports of negligence, misconduct, or other violations of federal laws or regulations that occur in conjunction with the operation of commercial vessels. If a merchant mariner is found to be in violation the USCG Marine Investigator pursues enforcement action to prevent future deficiencies and non-compliance by issuing Letters of Warning and Notices of Violations, initiating Administrative Civil Penalty hearings, initiating suspension and revocation proceedings against Coast Guard issued credentials, and representing the Coast Guard at suspension and revocation hearings.
Marine Casualty and Pollution Data for Researchers.
The Marine Casualty and Pollution Data files provide details about marine casualty and pollution incidents investigated by Coast Guard Offices throughout the United States. The database can be used to analyze marine accidents and pollution incidents by a variety of factors including vessel or facility type, injuries, fatalities, pollutant details, location, and date. The data collection period began in 1982 for marine casualties and 1973 for polluting incidents, and is ongoing. Documentation includes entity and attribute descriptions along with suggested solutions to general marine pollution, vessel casualty, and personnel injury and death questions.
Final Marine Casualty Investigations of Public Interest
Safety Alerts and Lessons Learned
Office of Investigations & Casualty Analysis (CG-INV)
HOMEPORT (CG-INV)
Organization.
The Office of Investigations & Casualty Analysis (CG-INV) reports to the Director of Inspections & Compliance (CG-5PC) and is located at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters building in Washington D.C. The office is divided into three divisions: Investigations Division (CG-INV-1), Compliance Analysis Division (CG-INV-2) and Data Administration & FOIA Division (CG-INV-3).
Mission.
We lead Coast Guard's investigation program to promote safety, protect the environment, and to prevent future accidents.
Day-to-Day Activities and Key Processes.
33 CFR PART 4—MARINE CASUALTIES AND INVESTIGATIONS
33 CFR PART 5—MARINE INVESTIGATION REGULATIONS—PERSONNEL ACTION
USCG Marine Safety Manual Volume V (INVESTIGATIONS AND ENFORCEMENT)


Leftwich Trophy

The Leftwich Trophy, also known as the Leftwich Award, is a trophy given for outstanding leadership and is an award presented annually in memory of Lieutenant Colonel William Groom Leftwich, United States Marine Corps, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in November 1970.
Eligible nominees are Marine Captains in the ground combat element serving on active duty as a company or battery commander with the ground forces of the Fleet Marine Force at the time of nomination. Posthumous awards can be made of this award providing nomination complies with all the criteria for receiving the award. Selection is done by a board of senior officers chaired by the Deputy Commandant of Plans, Policy and Operations (DC, PP&O), who then after reviewing the applicants, makes recommendation to the Commandant of the Marine Corps for his final approval.
The trophy is provided to the Marine Corps through an endowment by the H. Ross Perot Foundation; Leftwich and Perot were classmates at the United States Naval Academy. The trophy itself was designed by Felix de Weldon, designer of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C.. The Leftwich Trophy, a replica of the statue commemorating the service and leadership of LtCol Leftwich, was first presented in June 1979 at the commissioning ceremony for the .
The Marine Corps bestowed the first posthumous Leftwich Trophy to Captain John W. Maloney, who was killed on 16 June 2005 when the unit he was leading was ambushed in a small town south of Ramadi, Iraq.


United States Naval Ship

United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non-commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy (USN).
Definition.
United States Naval Ships are unarmed auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy and operated in non-commissioned service by Military Sealift Command with a civilian crew. Some ships include a small military complement to carry out communication and special mission functions, or for force protection.
In comparison, U.S. Navy ships commissioned into service have the designation "USS" and are armed, crewed by U.S. Navy personnel, and held in property by the United States Government. Additionally, the United States Naval Ships hull classification symbol begins with "T-" to denote its civilian crew. The USNS prefix can be assigned only while the ship is owned by the U.S. Navy. If, after being taken out of service, the ship is transferred to the Maritime Administration the prefix reverts to a civilian ship prefix such as the case of SS "Comet".
References.