D-Day; on June 6, 1944.

During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control.

Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning.

Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.History Channel

● Last of Surviving D-Day Veterans Battle Time to Bear WitnessWall Street Journal

● D-Day and its relation to Today • Dog Company John Batchelor

Image: (Google Image Search) - Wikipedia Normandy landings - Battle of Normandy - D-Day (Operation Neptune / Operation Overlord) - (WWII September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945)

Bobby Kennedy is assassinated; on June 5, 1968.

Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later.

The summer of 1968 was a tempestuous time in American history. Both the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement were peaking. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated in the spring, igniting riots across the country. In the face of this unrest, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek a second term in the upcoming presidential election. Robert Kennedy, John's younger brother and former U.S. Attorney General, stepped into this breach and experienced a groundswell of support.

Kennedy was perceived by many to be the only person in American politics capable of uniting the people. He was beloved by the minority community for his integrity and devotion to the civil rights cause. After winning California's primary, Kennedy was in the position to receive the Democratic nomination and face off against Richard Nixon in the general election.

As star athletes Rafer Johnson and Roosevelt Grier accompanied Kennedy out a rear exit of the Ambassador Hotel, Sirhan Sirhan stepped forward with a rolled up campaign poster, hiding his .22 revolver. He was only a foot away when he fired several shots at Kennedy. Grier and Johnson wrestled Sirhan to the ground, but not before five bystanders were wounded. Grier was distraught afterward and blamed himself for allowing Kennedy to be shot.

Sirhan, who was born in Palestine, confessed to the crime at his trial and received a death sentence on March 3, 1969. However, since the California State Supreme Court invalidated all death penalty sentences in 1972, Sirhan has spent the rest of his life in prison. According to the New York Times, he has since said that he believed Kennedy was "instrumental" in the oppression of Palestinians. Hubert Humphrey ended up running for the Democrats in 1968, but lost by a small margin to Nixon.History Channel

Wikipedia  Image: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968)

Understanding Military Terminology - Deterrence

(DOD) The prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.

The Old Salt’s Corner - Why We Call a Ship a She

By Rear Admiral Francis D. Foley, U.S. Navy (Retired) Naval History, December 1998

A salty retired U.S. Navy flag officer shuns the current trend toward polical correctness.Ships are referred to as “she” because men love them, but this encompasses far more than just that. Man-o'-war or merchantman, there can be a great deal of bustle about her as well as a gang of men on deck, particularly if she is slim-waisted, well-stacked, and has an inviting superstructure. It is not so much her initial cost as it is her upkeep that makes you wonder where you founder.

She is greatly admired when freshly painted and all decked out to emphasize her cardinal points. If an aircraft carrier, she will look in a mirror when about to be arrested, and will wave you off if she feels you are sinking too low or a little too high, day or night. She will not hangar around with duds, but will light you off and launch you into the wild blue yonder when you muster a full head of steam.

Even a submarine reveals her topsides returning to port, heads straight for the buoys, knows her pier, and gets her breast-lines out promptly if she is single-screwed. On departure, no ship leaves port asleep, she always leaves awake. She may not mind her helm or answer to the old man when the going gets rough, and can be expected to kick up her heels on a family squall.A ship costs a lot to dress, sometimes blows a bit of smoke, and requires periodic overhauls to extend her useful life.

Some have a cute fantail, others are heavy in the stern, but all have double-bottoms which demand attention. When meeting head-on, sound a recognition signal; whistle! If she does not answer up, come about and start laying alongside, but watch to see if her ship is slowing . . . perhaps her slip is showing? Then proceed with caution until danger of collision is over and you can fathom how much latitude she will allow.

If she does not remain on an even keel, let things ride, feel your way, and do not cross the line until you determine weather the “do” point is right for a prolonged blast. Get the feel of the helm, stay on the right tact, keep her so, and she will pay off handsomely. If she is in the roaring forties, however, you may be in the dangerous semi-circle, so do not expect much “luff”, especially under bare poles. She may think you are not under command or control and shove off.

If she edges aweigh, keep her steady as she goes, but do not sink into the doldrums. Just remember that “to furnish a ship requireth much trouble, but to furnish a woman the cost is double!” To the women who now help us “man” our ships, my apologies for the foregoing. Only the opening phrase presents my true feelings. After all, a ship's bell(e) will always remain her most prized possession, and every good ship has a heart, just like yours.

A trick at the wheel, like you, would have been welcome aboard when I was on “she” duty for 40 years. May God bless you all, sweetheart! SalisburySound.org

“I’m Just Sayin’”

To me “drink responsibly” means don’t spill it.

“Thought for the Day”

“Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.”

~ Thomas Jefferson, Ten Rules for the Good Life, 1790 (April 2, 1743 – July 4, 1826)

“What I Have Learned”

Love is a temporary insanity curable by marriage.

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Pastor Steven L. Anderson Wants Women Silent In Church - Not Even An “Amen”

In his March 23rd sermon (according to Huffington Post), Phoenix, Arizona, pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful World Baptist Church explained in detail why women in the congregation must refrain from speaking during services.

Timothy 2:11 and 1 Corinthians 14, Anderson said the woman should learn only “in silence”.

“Now obviously, before the service begins”, he conceded, “there’s chatting and talking going on that’s perfectly legitimate. [And when] we all sing praises to God, of course the ladies should also lift up their voices. But when it’s learning time, it’s silence time [for females].”

(Also, he said, since the comment “Amen” means “That’s true”, it would be inappropriate for females to utter it.)Huffington Post

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us:

I know there are several astronaut couples that have married but have any married astronauts ever flown in space together?

Yes. The only married couple to fly together in space were Jan Davis and Mark Lee, who flew aboard the Endeavor space shuttle on STS-47 from Sept 12-20, 1992. List of married couples among space travelers (Wikipedia)

NASA  Image: Endeavor Space Shuttle

Where Did That Saying Come From?

“BY HOOK OR BY CROOK:” This old saying probably comes from a Medieval law which stated that peasants could use branches of trees for fire wood if they could reach them with their shepherds crook or their billhook.Wikipedia

“Hook” is a word with many meanings and as a consequence it appears in numerous English phases - “get one's hooks into”, “hook, line and sinker”, “on/off the hook”, “sling your hook” and, most notably, “by hook or by crook”. Although giving someone the cold shoulder today is considered rude, it was actually regarded as a polite gesture in medieval England. After a feast, the host would let his guests know it was time to leave by giving them a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of beef, mutton, or pork.Phrases.org.UK

Phrases.org.UK  Image: By hook or by crook

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Bells: Naval way of announcing the time of day aboard ship, usually over the 1MC. One bell corresponds to 30 minutes past the hour. Bells will only be rung as a single strike, or a closely spaced double strike, with a maximum of eight bells (4 sets of 2). Bells repeat themselves every 4 hours. For example 2 sets of 2 bells, followed by a single bell could be 0230, 0630, 1030, 1430, 1830, or 2230.

Department: Highest organizational level in most naval commands. Common departments are admin, deck, engineering, operations, and maintenance. Broken up into divisions.

Nuke It Out: To reason out a problem by eliminating obvious wrong answers. Used to encourage someone to put forth more effort before giving up on a problem.

Pus Rocket: A form of food resembling civilian sausage. A tube of ground fatty animal flesh, wrapped in a tough, leak proof skin that holds in a pressurized pool of hot grease that sprays several feet in distance when punctured with a table knife.

Just for MARINES

Bunker: A covered and reinforced fighting hole.

Bush: (Vietnam) Outside the perimeter wire. The boonies.

Bust Caps: A firefight. The actual firing of a weapon.

Navy Acronyms

PHST - Packaging, Handling, Storage, and Transportation

PID - Procurement Initiation Document

PM - Program Manager

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

HSL-51 - Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 51: “Warlords” NAF Atsugi, Japan

The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

On October 31, 1938, John Deering took a last drag on his cigarette, sat down in a chair, and allowed a prison guard to place a black hood over his head and pin a target to his chest. Next the guard attached electronic sensors to Deering's wrists.

Deering had volunteered to participate in an experiment, the first of its kind, to have his heartbeat recorded as he was shot through the chest by a firing squad. The prison physician, Dr. Stephen Besley, figured that since Deering was being executed anyway, science might as well benefit from the event. Perhaps some valuable information about the effect of fear on the heart could be learned.

The electrocardiogram immediately disclosed that, despite Deering's calm exterior, his heart was beating like a jackhammer at 120 beats per minute. The sheriff gave the order to fire, and Deering's heartbeat raced up to 180 beats per minute. Then four bullets ripped into his chest, knocking him back in his chair. One bullet bore directly into the right side of his heart. For four seconds his heart spasmed. A moment later it spasmed again. Then the rhythm gradually declined until, 15.4 seconds after the first shot, Deering's heart stopped.

The next day Dr. Besley offered the press a eulogy of sorts for Deering: “He put on a good front. The electrocardiograph film shows his bold demeanor hid the actual emotions pounding within him. He was scared to death.” The Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time (Museum of Hoaxes)

Photo: Heartbeat of prisoner facing firing squad recorded, 1938 (Mad Science Museum)