Passing This On As Requested

FROM:	Utoh
DATE:	07/18/2013 06:46:49
SUBJECTS:	Gift

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Thank you,dearest Mr.BobGa,
Your friendship is so strong and beautiful!
So..I would like to give you a GIFT!
(And I hope you will send it on to another dear friend...:)
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The kind of gifts I am speaking of are a kind word, a soft voice, a hug during a storm. A brief glace, a smile, a wink... giving a sign that you see me, that you hear me, that I am important....
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What ever your reason for giving, because passing it on is very wise...
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Perhaps complete Accepting is in order as well.
Would you just hold it to your heart for a moment, before you pass it on?
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Receive the Blessings!
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They are given to you, my dearest  Mr. BobGa! You are worthy. You are Light. You are Love. Before you pass it on..... Receive....just for a moment,
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That way, You have an idea how the next person who receives it
may feel.
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And you have energized your soul to give even more....
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There truly is... only, ONE YOU.
 ~ 

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Thank you, my dearest!
 ~ 
Mary
 ~  
Please address all comments to my friend Mary!
 ~ 

Never Too Old To Learn

You think you have lived to be 80 and know who you are, then along comes someone and blows it all to hell!
 ~ 
An old Marine Pilot sat down at Starbucks, still wearing his old USMC flight suit and leather jacket and ordered a cup of coffee. As he sat sipping, a young woman sat down next to him.

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She turned to the pilot and asked, "Are you a real pilot?"
  ~  
He replied, 'Well, I've spent my whole life flying planes, first Stearmans, then the early Grummans. Flew a Wildcat and Corsair in WWII, and later in the Korean conflict, Banshees and Cougars. I've taught hundreds of people to fly and given rides to hundreds more, so I guess I am a pilot. And you, what are you?
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She said, 'I'm a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about naked women. When I get up in the morning I think about naked women. When I shower, I think about naked women. When I watch TV, I think about naked women. It seems everything makes me think of naked women.'
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The two sat sipping in silence.
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A little while later, a young man sat down on the other side of the old pilot and asked, "Are you a real pilot?"
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He replied, 'I always thought I was, but I just found out I'm a lesbian.'

 ~ 

  

Reminds me of the untruth of the statement, "You become that which you think about the most." If that were so, by the time I was 19 I would have been a girl.

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MODIFIED AN OLD JOKE

A Talking Frog!

   

    

I am 82 years old and love to fish, and went out on the lake to fish in my boat the other day.

  

Dropped anchor at a new spot on the lake where I've wanted to try my luck, when I heard a faint voice say, 

  

"Pick me up", so I looked around, but did not see anyone in site.
  

Thought I must be day dreaming, then I heard it say again, "Pick me up".
  

I looked in the water around the boat, then spotted a frog 

  

  

holding on to the side of my boat looking right at me. 

  

I said, "Are you talking to me?"

The frog said, 'Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up and kiss me.

  

  

 I will then turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.

  

All your friends will be envious because I will become your bride 

  

and do everything that only a woman could do to please a man!
  

I looked over the frog for a while, then reached over, picked it up 

  

very genteelly and carefully placed it down in my tackle box.
  

 
The frog said, 'What, are you crazy? Didn't you hear what I said? 

  

"Kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride and do anything you ask."'
  

I opened the tackle box cover, looked down at the grinning frog 

  

  

and said, "No way, at my age, I'd rather have a talking frog."
  
Old age comes with new wisdom!

  

Chuckle!

Doolittle Raiders Final Reunion

  

  

The Doolittle Raiders held their 71st final public reunion at Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, April 16-20.
   

  
Of the 80 men who took part in the daring mission to bomb Japan, only four are still living. Three were able to attend this final reunion: Lt. Col. Richard Cole, 97, co-pilot on plane #1 who flew with Col. Jimmy Doolittle; Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, 93, an engineer on plane #15; and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, 92, an engineer and gunner. The fourth, Lt. Col. Bob Hite, 95, co-pilot of plane #16, could not travel due to illness.

     

       

The surviving Raiders elected to have their final reunion at Ft. Walton Beach since this is where their mission began in 1942 at nearby Eglin Air Force Base. That’s where the men and their B-25 bombers came to practice short field takeoffs using less than 500 feet to get airborne. This was the maximum distance on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS HORNET the bombers could use to get airborne.
 

  
On April 18, 1942, 80 men flying 16 B-25s took off from that aircraft carrier and bombed several cities in Japan, then headed to Chinese airfields. However, the carrier task force was spotted by a Japanese trawler, and the planes had to takeoff 200 miles farther away than planned. This meant the planes used more fuel and could not reach the airfields in China. Some of the planes ditched along the Chinese coast, while others crash landed in the mountains.
  

  

The pilot of plane #8 decided to land in Vladivostok, Russia, in hopes of getting more fuel to continue into China. The Russians confiscated the airplane and imprisoned the crew for about a year before they escaped through Iran. After the war, the Russians did not return the airplane and it remained “lost”?
 ~ 
At this year’s reunion, Charles Runion, from Lebanon, Tennessee, came with a fascinating story that gave closure to this tale of the “missing” airplane. In the mid-1990s a friend of his, who spent time in Russia and had made friends with a Russian Air Force officer, was taken to an area where derelict and broken aircraft were scattered. He recognized only the nose section of a B-25 and went over to inspect it closely.
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The front of the airplane had been crushed and heavily damaged, but he was able to obtain the data plate. He later gave this historic and rare data plate to Runion, who brought it to the Reunion to show the Raiders. Runion displays the data plate in his own aviation museum in Lebanon called Wings Remembered.
 ~ 
Over the years, the Raider’s reunions have been in various cities and the public has always been allowed to attend. However, there are certain private events the Raiders do not open to the public.
  

  

One of these is the ceremony where they drink a toast to the memory of a Raider who died since their last reunion with special silver goblets given to the Raiders by the city of Tucson, Arizona, when they had a reunion there in 1959. There are 80 goblets with each man’s name engraved twice. One is right side up and the other is upside down. When that person dies, the goblet is turned upside down and placed in a special display box. The goblets are on display at the National Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
  

  

This year, the Raiders raised a toast and turned over a goblet to the memory of Tom Griffin, 96, who died Feb. 26 of this year. He was the navigator on plane #9.
  

  

The tradition that has yet to happen is the opening of a special bottle of 1896 Hennessy Cognac by the last surviving Raiders (Doolittle was born in 1896). Later this year, the four remaining survivors will open the bottle and have that final toast. Whenever it is, it will be very private.
   
When the announcement came that this would be the last reunion the public could attend, reaction was swift. Less than 48 hours after the reunion was announced, all available seats were sold. More than 600 people attended events throughout the weekend to see, hear, and meet these heroes.
  ~  
To support the 71st Reunion, four B-25 bombers flew into the Destin, Florida airport, which is adjacent to Ft. Walton Beach, for static display and to sell rides. Two World War II era North American T-6 trainers also arrived for static display.

  

  

The B-25 “Panchito,” owned by Larry Kelly from Barstow, Maryland, was flown by Cole for a 35-minute flight along the coastline. Cole had a qualified co-pilot with him, but did most of the flying. After he got out of the airplane, he was asked, “Did you land the airplane?” He smiled, pointed to his co-pilot and said “Yes, but with a little help.”

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The Raiders were honored by Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida, by having a permanent exhibit on campus dedicated to the Raiders and their mission. The mascot name for the school is the Raiders, which was named in honor of the Doolittle Raiders in 1964. The three Raiders, Cole, Saylor, and Thatcher, attended the dedication of the exhibit on campus.
  ~  
During the Friday luncheon, the emcee presented each Raider with a recognition and congratulatory note of their important mission signed by President Obama.
  ~  
As in previous reunions, the Raiders were very gracious to agree to a couple of two-hour autograph sessions. Anyone could get in line but have only two items signed. The lines were always long as some people waited two to three hours to get their signatures. The Raiders greeted each person with a smile, a handshake, and then signed their items.
  ~  
As the week ended with the Saturday night banquet, the 600 plus guests gave the Raiders one last standing round of applause. This tribute from the audience showed their appreciation for the Raiders’ part in one of America’s finest missions of World War II.
 ~ 
May God Bless All 80 Of Them!
  ~  

~ HERE THEY ARE AGAIN ~

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED 

SEEING THESE BEFORE

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I tried to catch some Fog.  I mist.

When chemists die, they barium.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid.  He says he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea?  Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went.  Then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity.  I can't put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns.  It was a play on words.

They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type-O.

Why were the Indians here first?  They had reservations.

Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory.  I hope there's no pop quiz.

Energizer bunny arrested.  Charged with battery.

I didn't like my beard at first.  Then it grew on me.

Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

What does a clock do when it's hungry?  It goes back four seconds.

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger.  Then it hit me!

Broken pencils are pointless.

What do you call a dinosaur with a extensive vocabulary?  A thesaurus.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool .

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York 's police stations have been stolen. 
Police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

Velcro - what a rip off!

Cartoonist found dead in home.  Details are sketchy.

Venison for dinner?  Oh deer!

Earthquake in Washington obviously government's fault.

I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.

Be kind to your dentist.  He has fillings, too.

 

Hey Baby..... Funny?

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1942 Doolittle Raid On Japan

On April 18, 1942, all 16 B-25 bombers took flight from the deck of the USS Hornet, an inconceivable accomplishment only a few months before

  

  

All 16 B-25s successfully bombed their targets. Most B-25s encountered anti-aircraft fire and some encountered enemy interception in the air. All of the B-25s except one either crash landed or the crews bailed out. The one plane that didn't crash land, landed in Russia and the crew was taken as internees. After being held captive, an escape attempt was executed to Iran. British Consul helped the men back to the U.S. on May 29, 1943, more than a year after the raid.
 ~ 
"The most amazing thing about the raid was the bravery and determination behind the plan," Mead said. "The raid itself actually had very little impact on Japan's military fighting capability. However, the psychological impact on the Japanese military and Japanese society as a whole can't be overstated. In one night, a very powerful empire transitioned from a feeling of invincibility to one of vulnerability."

 ~ 

"The Doolittle Raid was this nation's first return salvo against Japan after Pearl Harbor. Our nation was reeling - trying to get its wartime footing while simultaneously shaking off the national shock of a surprise attack," said Lt. Col. John Martin, 34th Bomb Squadron commander. "National morale was exceedingly low and President Roosevelt needed a victory."
 ~ 
The responsibility for planning the raid fell upon Gen. Henry Arnold, Army Air Corps chief, and U.S. Navy Adm. Ernest King, Navy chief of operations.
 ~ 
On January 1942, Capt. Francis Low, the operations officer on King's staff, approached him with an idea. His idea was to launch an attack from an aircraft carrier using bombers assigned to the Army Air Corps. Alongside Low, Capt. Donald Duncan, an expert in carrier aviation, was assigned to investigate the possibility of such an attack. In less than a week, they presented King with a 30-page analysis - the conclusion being - it could be done.
 ~ 
Lt. Col. Brian Mead, 37th Bomb Squadron commander, said at that point in time, the Japanese felt their geographic isolation made them untouchable.
 ~ 
For the planes, Duncan choose the B-25, a two-engine medium range bomber capable, with modifications, of carrying 2,000 pounds of bombs, while flying 2,000 miles with extra fuel. Normally a B-25 required 1,200 feet of runway to take off, but it was possible that the aircraft might clear a carrier deck a third of that distance with the aid of the forward speed of the ship itself and headwind. Duncan started working on balancing the two most important factors - bomb load and extra gas - both of which meant additional weight and takeoff distance.
 ~ 
Duncan's report recommended the newly commissioned USS Hornet as the vessel - the plan requiring the ship to be brought within 500 miles of the Japanese mainland before launching B-25s. It would be impossible for B-25s to return to the ship because the Hornet's deck was too short, so provisions would have to be made for B-25s to proceed to an air base on land after dropping their bombs on target.
 ~ 
After Arnold and King were both convinced with Duncan's plan, Arnold set out to find a pilot who was accustomed to doing the impossible with an airplane. In his search, he found Doolittle. A man, who Arnold believed was not only an experienced pilot, but a man who could inspire and lead by example.
 ~ 
From the moment Doolittle accepted the assignment, he immediately began selecting aircrews for training and working out logistical elements of the raid. There were 16 crews of 5 men each to fly the 16 bombers, a total of 80.

  

  Crew No. 1 (Plane #40-2344, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 2 (Plane #40-2292, target Tokyo): 37th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Travis Hoover, pilot; Lt. William N. Fitzhugh, copilot; Lt. Carl R. Wildner, navigator; Lt. Richard E. Miller, bombardier; Sgt. Douglas V. Radney, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 3 (Plane #40-2270, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Robert M. Gray, pilot; Lt. Jacob E. Manch, copilot; Lt. Charles J. Ozuk Jr., navigator; Sgt. Aden E. Jones, bombardier; Cpl. Leland D. Faktor, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 4 (Plane #40-2282, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Everett W. Holstrom, pilot; Lt. Lucian N. Youngblood, copilot; Lt. Harry C. McCool, navigator; Sgt. Robert J. Stephens, bombardier; Cpl. Bert M. Jordan, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 5 (Plane #40-2283, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Capt. David M. Jones, pilot; Lt. Ross R. Wilder, copilot; Lt. Eugene F. McGurl, navigator; Lt. Denver V. Truelove, bombardier; Sgt. Joseph W. Manske, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 6 (Plane #40-2298, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Dean E. Hallmark, pilot; Lt. Robert J. Meder, copilot; Lt. Chase J. Nielsen, navigator; Sgt. William J. Dieter, bombardier; Sgt. Donald E. Fitzmaurice, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 7 (Plane #40-2261, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Ted W. Lawson, pilot; Lt. Dean Davenport, copilot; Lt. Charles L. McClure, navigator; Lt. Robert S. Clever, bombardier; Sgt. David J. Thatcher, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 8 (Plane #40-2242, target Tokyo): 95th Bombardment Squadron, Capt. Edward J. York, pilot; Lt. Robert G. Emmens, copilot; Lt. Nolan A. Herndon, navigator/bombardier; SSgt. Theodore H. Laban, flight engineer; Sgt. David W. Pohl, gunner. 
  

Crew No. 9 (Plane #40-2203, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Harold F. Watson, pilot; Lt. James N. Parker Jr., copilot; Lt. Thomas C. Griffin, navigator; Sgt. Wayne M. Bissell, bombardier; TSgt. Eldred V. Scott, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 10 (Plane #40-2250, target Tokyo): 89th Reconnaissance Squadron, Lt. Richard O. Joyce, pilot; Lt. J. Royden Stork, copilot; Lt. Horace E. Crouch, navigator/bombardier; Sgt. George E. Larkin Jr., flight engineer; SSgt. Edwin W. Horton Jr., gunner.
  

Crew No. 11 (Plane #40-2249, target Yokohama): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Capt. C. Ross Greening (89th RS), pilot; Lt. Kenneth E. Reddy, copilot; Lt. Frank A. Kappeler, navigator; SSgt. William L. Birch, bombardier; Sgt. Melvin J. Gardner, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 12 (Plane #40-2278, target Yokohama): 37th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. William M. Bower, pilot; Lt. Thadd H. Blanton, copilot; Lt. William R. Pound Jr., navigator; TSgt. Waldo J. Bither, bombardier; SSgt. Omer A. Duquette, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 13 (Plane #40-2247, target Yokosuka): 37th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Edgar E. McElroy, pilot; Lt. Richard A. Knobloch, copilot; Lt. Clayton J. Campbell, navigator; MSgt. Robert C. Bourgeois, bombardier; Sgt. Adam R. Williams, flight engineer/gunner.
  

Crew No. 14 (Plane #40-2297, target Nagoya): 89th Reconnaissance Squadron, Maj. John A. Hilger, pilot; Lt. Jack A. Sims, copilot; Lt. James H. Macia Jr., navigator/bombardier; SSgt. Job Eierman, flight engineer; SSgt. Edwin V. Bain, gunner.
  

Crew No. 15 (Plane #40-2267, target Nagoya): 89th Reconnaissance Squadron, Lt. Donald G. Smith, pilot; Lt. Griffith P. Williams, copilot; Lt. Howard A. Sessler, navigator/bombardier; Lt. Thomas R. White, flight engineer; Sgt. Edward J. Saylor, gunner.
  

Crew No. 16 (Plane #40-2268, target Nagoya): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. George Barr, navigator; Lt. William G. Farrow, pilot; Sgt. Harold A. Spatz, engineer/gunner; Lt. Robert L. Hite, copilot; Cpl. Jacob DeShazer, bombardier.

  ~  

With careful coordination with Duncan, Doolittle determined the B-25s would carry enough extra gasoline to provide an effective range of 2,400 miles. The bomb load would consist of two 500-pound demolition bombs and 1,000 pounds of incendiaries.
 ~ 
Target objectives were the military and industrial sites in Japan, including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. After dropping their bombs, B-25s were to head westward across the China Sea and land at bases prepared on Chinese mainland southwest of Shanghai.
 ~ 
"The last time a foreign nation had attempted a direct attack on mainland Japan was over 700 years before, when Kublai Khan sent a naval armada from China," said Martin. "Kublai Khan ultimately failed in his attempt due to a typhoon, and a lasting consequence of this failed raid was that the Japanese people felt their homeland was protected not only by favoring winds, but from divine winds known as the Kamikaze. Over time Japan would perceive that their island nation was quite simply an impenetrable fortress. "
 ~ 
Martin said Jimmy Doolittle set out to find and train a group of men, now known as the Raiders, to prove otherwise.
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Aircrews for the 16 B-25s were selected from several Army Air Corps squadrons, including the 34th, 37th and 432nd Squadrons. The Doolittle Raid was a total secret to everyone who was involved. When the raiders volunteered, they were told they would be a part of a, "dangerous secret mission."
 ~ 
The 80 flyers that were chosen began their training at Eglin Field, Fla., March 3. Due to maintenance problems and delays in B-25 modification, most of the crews received only 20 to 30 hours of actual training flying time, but they all learned to pull their bombers off the ground at near stall speed in the shortest possible distance.
 ~ 
The B-25s were ferried from Eglin Field to Alameda Naval Base in San Francisco, where each was towed to a pier and hoisted aboard the Hornet. Fueling of the carrier commenced at 6 a.m., April 2. At 10 a.m. the Hornet moved slowly out of San Francisco harbor with 16 B-25s on its deck.
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Only after the Hornet was well under way, were the raiders were finally told what their target destination was. At that point, Doolittle offered each man the opportunity to withdraw from the mission. None of the 80 raiders did.

  ~