Welcome

Welcome to my blog http://www.skegley.blogspot.com/ . CAVEAT LECTOR- Let the reader beware. This is a Christian Conservative blog. It is not meant to offend anyone. Please feel free to ignore this blog, but also feel free to browse and comment on my posts! You may also scroll down to respond to any post.

For Christian American readers of this blog:


I wish to incite all Christians to rise up and take back the United States of America with all of God's manifold blessings. We want the free allowance of the Bible and prayers allowed again in schools, halls of justice, and all governing bodies. We don't seek a theocracy until Jesus returns to earth because all men are weak and power corrupts the very best of them.
We want to be a kinder and gentler people without slavery or condescension to any.

The world seems to be in a time of discontent among the populace. Christians should not fear. God is Love, shown best through Jesus Christ. God is still in control. All Glory to our Creator and to our God!


A favorite quote from my good friend, Jack Plymale, which I appreciate:

"Wars are planned by old men,in council rooms apart. They plan for greater armament, they map the battle chart, but: where sightless eyes stare out, beyond life's vanished joys, I've noticed,somehow, all the dead and mamed are hardly more than boys(Grantland Rice per our mutual friend, Sarah Rapp)."

Thanks Jack!

I must admit that I do not check authenticity of my posts. If anyone can tell me of a non-biased arbitrator, I will attempt to do so more regularly. I know of no such arbitrator for the internet.











Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse ... ANON

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....



The day started off very cloudy, chilly, and rainy.Then it got worse...a LOT worse...




Excuse me. I think I will be getting sick now...

 

Oh Crap! ... Thanks John M!

Oh Crap !!!!!!!!
Kim Jung Un
mime-attachment.jpg
Kim Jung Un had NO military experience whatsoever before Daddy made him a four-star general.
This snot-nosed twerp had never accomplished anything in his life that would even come close to military leadership.
He hadn't even so much as led a Cub Scout troop, coached a sports team, or commanded a military platoon.
So he is made the "Beloved Leader" Of North Korea.
Terrific!-
-
-
-
Oh crap!
Capture.JPG
I'm sorry.
I just remembered that we did the same thing.
We took an arrogant  community organizer, who had never worn a uniform, and made him Commander-in-Chief.
A guy, who had never had a real job, worked on a budget, or led anything more than an ACORN demonstration, and we made him "Beloved Leader" of the United States
TWICE !!!
I'm sorry I brought this up.
Never mind.

Black Smoke ... Isn't this charming? ... Thanks Judi C!

Subject: black smoke


2013-03-15-digest-1.jpg

This is long but intesting and quite heroic! Thanks Ramey H!



    This is something  else...
 
    
            
  
IT WAS A  FORTRESS COMING HOME. They Could Hear It Before They Could See  it. 

 


 



 


 



 

By Allen Ostrom

They  could hear it before they could see it!

Not all that unusual in  those days as the personnel at Station 131 gathered around the tower  and scattered hardstands to await the return of the B-17s sent out  earlier that morning..

First comes the far off rumble  and drone of the Cyclones. Then a spec on the East Anglia horizon.  Soon a small cluster indicating the lead squadron.
Finally, the  group.

Then the counting. 1-2-3-4-5... ...

But that  would have been normal. Today was different! It was too early for the  group to return.

"They're 20 minutes early. Can't be the  398th."

They could hear it before they could see it! Something  was coming home. But what?

All eyes turned toward the  northeast, aligning with the main runway, each ground guy and  stood-down airman straining to make out this "wail of a Banshee," as  one called it.

Not like a single B-17 with its characteristic  deep roar of the engines blended with four thrashing propellers. This  was a howl! Like a powerful wind blowing into a huge  whistle.

Then it came into view. It WAS a B-17!

Low and  pointing her nose at the 6,000 foot runway, it appeared for all the  world to be crawling toward the earth, screaming in protest.

No  need for the red flares. All who saw this Fort knew there was death  aboard.

"Look at that nose!" they said as all eyes stared in  amazement as this single, shattered remnant of a once beautiful  airplane glided in for an unrealistic "hot" landing. She took all the  runway as the "Banshee" noise finally abated, and came to an  inglorious stop in the mud just beyond the concrete runway.

Men  and machines raced to the now silent and lonely aircraft. The  ambulance and medical staff were there first. The fire truck....ground  and air personnel... .jeeps, truck, bikes.....

Out came one of  the crew members from the waist door, then another. Strangely qui et.  The scene was almost weird. Men stood by as if in shock, not knowing  whether to sing or cry.

Either would have been  acceptable.

The medics quietly made their way to the nose by  way of the waist door as the remainder of the crew began exiting.. And  to answer the obvious question, "what happened?"

"What  happened?" was easy to see. The nose was a scene of utter destruction.  It was as though some giant aerial can opener had peeled the nose like  an orange, relocating shreds of metal, Plexiglas, wires and tubes on  the cockpit windshield and even up to the top turret. The left cheek  gun hung limp, like a broken arm.

One man pointed to the crease  in chin turret. No mistaking that mark! A German 88 anti-aircraft  shell had exploded in the lap of the togglier.

This would be  George Abbott of Mt. Lebanon, PA. He had been a waist gunner before  training to take over the bombardier's role.

Still in the  cockpit, physically and emotionally exhaust ed, were pilot Larry  deLancey and co-pilot Phil Stahlman.

Navigator Ray LeDoux  finally tapped deLancey on the shoulder and suggested they get out.  Engineer turret gunner Ben Ruckel already had made his way to the  waist was exiting along with radio operator Wendell Reed, ball turret  gunner Al Albro, waist gunner Russell Lachman and tail gunner Herbert  Guild.

Stahlman was flying his last scheduled mission as a  replacement for regular co-pilot, Grady Cumbie. The latter had been  hospitalized the day before with an ear problem.. Lachman was also a  "sub," filling in for Abbott in the waist.

DeLancey made it as  far as the end of the runway, where he sat down with knees drawn up,  arms crossed and head down. The ordeal was over, and now the drama was  beginning a mental re-play.

Then a strange scene took  place.

Group CO Col. Frank P. Hunter had arrived after viewing  the landing from the tower and was about to approach deLancey. He was  physically restrained by flight surgeon Dr. Robert  Sweet.

"Colonel, that young man doesn't want to talk now. When  he is ready you can talk to him, but for now leave him  alone."

Sweet handed pills out to each crew member and told  them to go to their huts and sleep.

No dramatics, no cameras,  no interviews. The crew would depart the next day for "flak leave" to  shake off the stress. And then be expected back early in November.  (Just in time to resume "normal" activities on a mission to  Merseburg!)

Mission No. 98 from North Hampstead had begun at  0400 that morning of October 15, 1944. It would be Cologne (again),  led by CA pilots Robert Templeman of the 602nd, Frank Schofield of the  601st and Charles Khourie of the 603rd.

Tragedy and death  appeared quickly and early that day. Templeman and pilot Bill Scott  got the 602nd off at the scheduled 0630 hour, but at approximately  0645 Khouri and pilot Bill Meyran and their entire crew crashed on  takeoff in the town of Anstey . All were killed. Schofield and Harold  Stallcup followed successfully with the 601st, with deLancey flying on  their left wing in the lead element.

The ride to the target was  routine, until the flak started becoming "unroutinely"  accurate.

"We were going through heavy flak on the bomb run,"  remembered deLancey.

"I felt the plane begin to lift as the  bombs were dropped, then all of a sudden we were rocked by a violent  explosion. My first thought - 'a bomb exploded in the bomb bay' - was  immediately discarded as the top of the nose section peeled back over  the cockpit blocking the forward view."

"It seemed like the  whole world exploded in front of us," added Stahlman. "The instrument  panel all but disintegrated and layers of quilted batting exploded in  a million pieces. It was like a momentary snowstorm in the  cockpit."

It had been a direct hit in the nose. Killed  instantly was the togglier, Abbott. Navigator LeDoux, only three feet  behind Abbott, was knocked unconscious for a moment, but was  miraculously was alive.

Although stunned and bleeding, LeDoux  made his way to the cockpit to find the two pilots struggling to  maintain control of an airplane that by all rights should have been in  its death plunge. LeDoux said there was nothing anyone could do for  Abbott, while Ruckel opened the door to the bomb bay and signaled to  the four crewman in the radio room that all was OK - for the time  being.

The blast had torn away the top and much of the sides of  the nose. Depositing enough of the metal on the windshield to make it  difficult for either of the pilots to see.

"The instrument  panel was torn loose and all the flight instruments were inoperative  with the exception of the magnetic compass mounted in the panel above  the windshield And its accuracy was questionable. The radio and  intercom were gone, the oxygen lines broken, and there was a ruptured  hydraulic line under my rudder pedals," said deLancey.

All this  complicated by the sub-zero temperature at 27,000 feet blasting into  the cockpit.

"It was apparent that the damage was severe enough  that we could not continue to fly in formation or at high altitude. My  first concern was to avoid the other aircraft in the formation, and to  get clear of the other planes in case we had to bail out. We eased out  of formation, and at the same time removed our oxygen masks as they  were collapsing on our faces as the tanks were empty."

At this  point the formation continued on its prescribed course for home - a  long, slow turn southeast of Cologne and finally  westward.

DeLancey and Stahlman turned left, descending rapidly  and hoping, they were heading west.. (And also, not into the gun  sights of German fighters.) Without maps and navigation aids, they had  difficulty getting a fix. By this time they were down to 2,000  feet.

"We finally agreed that we were over Belgium and were  flying in a southwesterly direction," said the pilot.
"About  this time a pair of P-51s showed up and flew a loose formation on us  across Belgium . I often wondered what they thought as they looked at  the mess up front."

"We hit the coast right along the  Belgium-Holland border, a bit farther north than we had estimated Ray  said we were just south of Walcheren Island ."

Still in an area  of ground fighting, the plane received some small arms fire. This  gesture was returned in kind by Albro, shooting from one of the waist  guns.

"We might have tried for one of the airfields in France ,  but having no maps this also was questionable. Besides, the controls  and engines seemed to be OK, so I made the decision to try for  home."

"Once over England , LeDoux soon picked up landmarks and  gave me course corrections taking us directly to North Hampstead. It  was just a great bit of navigation. Ray just stood there on the flight  deck and gave us the headings from memory."

Nearing the field,  Stahlman let the landing gear down. That was an assurance. But a check  of the hydraulic pump sent another spray of oil to the cockpit floor.  Probably no brakes!

Nevertheless, a flare from Ruckel's pistol  had to announce the "ready or not" landing. No "downwind leg" and  "final approach" this time. Straight in!

"The landing was  strictly by guess and feel," said DeLancey. "Without instruments, I  suspect I came in a little hot. Also, I had to lean to the left to see  straight ahead. The landing was satisfactory, and I had sufficient  braking to slow the plane down some. However, as I neared the taxiway,  I could feel the brakes getting 'soft'. I felt that losing control and  blocking the taxiway would cause more problems than leaving the plane  at the end of the runway."

That consideration was for the rest  of the group. Soon three squadrons of B-17s would be returning, and  they didn't need a derelict airplane blocking the way to their  respective hardstands.

Stahlman, supremely thankful that his  career with the 398th had come to an end, soon returned home and in  due course became a captain with Eastern Airlines. Retired in 1984,  Stahlman said his final Eastern flight "was a bit more routine" than  the one 40 years before.

DeLancey and LeDoux received  decorations on December 11, 1944 for their parts in the October 15  drama. DeLancey was awarded the Silver Star for his "miraculous feat  of flying skill and ability" on behalf of General Doolittle , CO of  the Eighth Air Force. LeDoux for his "extraordinary navigation skill",  received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The following  DeLancey 1944 article was transcribed from the 398th BG Historical  Microfilm. Note: due to wartime security, Northampstead is not  mentioned, and the route DeLancey flew home is referred to in general  terms.

TO: STARS AND STRIPES
FOR GENERAL RELEASE

AN  EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMBER STATION, ENGLAND - After literally losing the  nose of his B-17 Flying Fortress as the result of a direct hit by flak  over Cologne, Germany, on October 15, 1944, 1st Lt. Lawrence M.  DeLancey, 25, of Corvallis, Oregon, returned to England and landed the  crew safely at his home base.  Each man walked away from the  plane except the togglier, Staff Sergeant George E. Abbott, Mt.  Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who was killed instantly when the flak  struck.

It was only the combined skill and teamwork of Lt.  DeLancey and 2nd Lt. Raymond J. LeDoux, of Mt. Angel, Oregon,  navigator, that enabled the plane and crew to return  safely.

"Just after we dropped our bombs and started to turn  away from the target," Lt. DeLancey explained, "a flak burst hit  directly in the nose and blew practically the entire nose section to  threads. Part of the nose peeled back and obstructed my vision and  that of my co-pilot, 1st Lt. Phillip H. Stahlman of Shippenville,  Pennsylvania.  What little there was left in front of me looked  like a scrap heap. The wind was rushing through. Our feet were exposed  to the open air at nearly 30,000 feet above the ground the temperature  was unbearable.

"There we were in a heavily defended flak area  with no nose, and practically no instruments. The instrument panel was  bent toward me as the result of the impact. My altimeter and magnetic  compass were about the only instruments still operating and I couldn't  depend on their accuracy too well. Naturally I headed for home  immediately. The hit which had killed S/Sgt. Abbott also knocked Lt.  LeDoux back in the catwalk (just below where I was sitting). Our  oxygen system also was out so I descended to a safe  altitude.

"Lt. LeDoux who had lost all his instruments and maps  in the nose did a superb piece of navigating to even find England  ..."

During the route home flak again was en countered but due  to evasive action Lt. DeLancey was able to return to friendly  territory. Lt.. LeDoux navigated the ship directly to his home  field.

Although the plane was off balance without any nose  section, without any brakes (there was no hydraulic pressure left),  and with obstructed vision, Lt. deLancey made a beautiful landing to  the complete amazement of all personnel at this field who still are  wondering how the feat was accomplished.

The other members of  the crew include:

1. Technical Sergeant Benjamin H. Ruckel,  Roscoe, California, engineer top turret gunner;
2. Technical  Sergeant Wendell A. Reed, Shelby, Michigan, radio operator gunner; 
3. Technical Sergeant Russell A. Lachman, Rockport, Mass., waist  gunner;
4. Staff Sergeant Albert Albro, Antioc h, California, ball  turret gunner
5. Staff Sergeant Herbert D. Guild, Bronx, New York,  tail gunner.

 


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Paper is not dead! ... Thanks Ron W!

Paper is not dead!


This is in French, but you'll get it.   It's for all OF YOU, “TECHIES” OR NOT!

School Answering Machine ... thanks Ron W!

SCHOOL ANSWERING MACHINE:


 
> >
>
> Subj: SCHOOL ANSWERING MACHINE:
>
>
>
> This is priceless
>
> http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwghabw4N80?rel=0



--
GOD BLESS AMERICA
 

Two mischievous little boys ... Thanks Anon Y!

If this does not make your day, nothing will.   Too good not to share..


Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, are excessively mischievous.

They are always getting into trouble and their parents know if any mischief occurs in their town, the two boys are probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys.

The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually.

The mother sent the 8 year old in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.

The preacher, a huge man with a deep booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly,

"Do you know where God is, son?"

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.

So the preacher repeated the question .in an even sterner tone,

"Where is God?!

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.

The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD?!"

The boy screamed & bolted from the room, ran directly home & dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked,

"What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied,

"We are in BIG trouble this time!"

"GOD is missing, and they think WE did it!"

PLEASE DON'T LAUGH ALONE.

PASS IT ON!

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