A Bonhomme Richard Election

I don't see how the candidate who lost to John McCain, who then got creamed by Barack Obama, can now be considered the best option to beat Barack Obama. -- Me, in one form or another, on Mitt Romney and the Republican Party, starting at least 18 months ago.

Tuesday sucked. To borrow from Churchill, it was a "colossal...disaster". Amazingly enough, I do find some encouragement - minor as it may be - but the road ahead is going to be long and hard. As a lot of people are doing, I'm pondering how to move forward with conservatism and libertarianism, and what role I can play in the equation. I know I can do more, but am uncertain as to where to start. When I figure it out, I'll be sharing. I know there will be a lot of introspection, and a lot of teaching - so expect me to wax philosophically here more often than I have been doing.

Since everybody else has given an election post-mortem, I figured I might as well throw in my two cents too.

TFH 11/8 Edition Two: Colonel William H. Wilbur, USA

William Hale Wilbur was born in Palmer, Massachusetts on September 24, 1888. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point in 1912 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Wilbur also attended the French military academy, where he was a classmate of Charles de Gaulle, and served in combat during World War I.

Seventy years ago today on November 8, 1942 - just as Colonel Demas Craw and Major Pierpont Hamilton had volunteered - now Colonel Wilbur carried a letter to Vichy French authorities in Morocco in an attempt to stave off hostilities and bloodshed as the British and Americans landed in North Africa during Operation Torch.

Colonel Wilbur completed his mission, and when he returned to the beachhead, assumed command of both infantry and armor and led them in an attack against a French battery firing on the landing Americans. As was the case with Craw and Hamilton, Wilbur was decorated with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 11/8 Edition One: Colonel Demas T. Crew & Major Pierpont M. Hamilton, USAAC

Seventy years ago today, American and British land forces began offensive operations against Nazi Germany and their Vichy French collaborators with the assault of North Africa codenamed Operation Torch.

At first light on November 8, 1942, American forces began to go ashore at Port Lyautey, Morocco. The Allies sought to have the Vichy French forces surrender without hostilities or a minimum of bloodshed, and two officers volunteered to take a message under a flag of truce to the French commanders and authorities. The two volunteers were US Army Air Corps/US Army Air Forces officers Colonel Demas T. Craw and Major Pierpont M. Hamilton.

Demas Thurlow "Nick" Craw was born on April 4, 1900 in Traverse City, Michigan. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1918, too late to see any service in World War I. He remained in the Army, received an officer's commission, and transitioned to the Air Corps in the late 1920s. Before the United States' entry into World War II, Craw was positioned as an observer with the Royal Air Force during which he flew on over 100 combat missions.

Pierpont Morgan Hamilton was born in Tuxedo Park, New York on August 3, 1898. He joined the United States Army on August 7, 1917 and became an aviation cadet in the Flying Service (as the Air Corps was then known). Illness prevented him from serving during World War I in France, and he left the Army on December 31, 1918. He applied for, and was appointed as a Major in the Air Corps, after the United States' entry in World War II on March 2, 1942.

Both of these men, one of whom was killed in action, received the Medal of Honor for their mission.

TFH 11/6: ENS Kenneth H. Muir, USNR

The SS Nathaniel Hawthorne was a Liberty-type cargo ship. On November 6, 1942 - 70 years ago today - she was sailing into the Caribbean Sea with a load of bauxite, a key raw material for the manufacture and smelting of aluminum, when she was torpedoed by the Nazi Type IX submarine U-508.

On-board the Hawthorne, the officer-in-charge of the United States Navy armed guard, Ensign Kenneth H. Muir, USNR of New York, placed the lives of his sailors and the civilian merchant mariners above his own as the ship went down. His courage and devotion to duty led to the posthumous award of the Navy Cross.

TFH 11/5: Lieutenant Colonel Earl G. Cobeil, USAF

Earl Glenn Cobeil hailed from Pontiac, Michigan and was born on August 29, 1934. He flew the Republic F-105 Thunderchief for the United States Air Force and was shot down over Vietnam forty-five years ago today on November 5, 1967.  Cobeil was injured when he bailed out and was captured by the North Vietnamese. For three years he survived under torture and interrogation by both the North Vietnamese and their communist Cuban allies who had sent intelligence officers to Vietnam to collaborate in the torment.

He survived for three years in captivity until losing his life on or about November 5, 1970. Contemporaneous accounts from his fellow POWs indicate that his conduct in captivity was incredible for its indomitable courage. The Air Force posthumously awarded him their second-highest decoration: the Air Force Cross.

TFH 11/1: Corporal Anthony Casamento, USMC

Anthony Casamento was born on November 16, 1920 in New York City. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 19 on August 19, 1920 prior to the United States' entry in World War II.

He landed on Guadalcanal with the 1st Marine Division in August of 1942. On November 1, 1942, the Americans ashore on the island launched an attack against the Japanese along the Matanikau River - exactly 70 years ago. Casamento, then a Corporal with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, kept one of his squad's machine guns in the fight, in spite of his own wounds and the entire gun squad being killed or wounded. He ultimately received the Medal of Honor for his courage.

TFH 10/27: Second Lieutenant George H. O'Brien, Jr., USMCR

George Herman O'Brien, Jr. was born in Fort Worth, Texas on September 10, 1926. He grew up in Big Spring, Texas, and after graduating from high school there in 1944, served our Nation during World War II as a seaman in the United States Merchant Marine. He returned to Texas after his wartime service in 1946.

O'Brien enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in July of 1949 while in college. On November 27, 1951 he was ordered to active duty and Officer Candidates' School. After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and completing training, he was ordered to join the war in Korea with the 1st Marine Division's 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in September, 1952.

Only about one month after arriving in the combat zone, Lieutenant O'Brien courageously led his rifle platoon in a desperate charge against an entrenched Communist enemy position, and when they had seized their objective, organized the defense and made sure that no man was left behind - all while refusing aid for his own wounds. This was sixty years ago today: October 27, 1952.

Bayonets? How About Some Bombers?

As my regular readers know, I'm big about chronicling the exploits of military heroes, particularly on "decade" anniversaries as I did earlier today for Mitchell Paige (Medal of Honor, 70 years, 10/26/1942) and Sherrod Skinner (Medal of Honor, 60 years, 10/26/1952). It turns out that there's a 50th anniversary to note today as well, but it's not one we should be proud of.

On October 26, 1962 - fifty years ago today - the United States Air Force took delivery of a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber from the manufacturer, serial number 61-0040. That was the last B-52 to be manufactured.

That's right. The newest B-52 in our Air Force's inventory - the "H" model is the only left flying, 85 in the active force, 9 in the Air Force Reserve - is fifty years old today. Forget the President of the United States ridiculing bayonets or pooh-poohing cutbacks to the United States Navy; we have defense procurement issues across the board that jeopardize our Nation's defense.

TFH 10/26 Extra: Second Lieutenant Sherrod E. Skinner, Jr., USMCR

Sherrod E. Skinner, Jr. was born on October 28, 1929 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a graduate of Harvard University and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on October 9, 1951. He was ordered to active duty the following day.

After completing training as an artillery officer, Lieutenant Skinner was sent to war in Korea and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines. While acting as an artillery forward observer sixty years ago today on October 26, 1952 - just two days before his 23rd birthday - he gave his life for our Nation while shielding his comrades from a grenade blast after having valiantly led the defense of his position against a massive Communist assault. He was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 10/26: Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Paige, USMC

Mitchell Paige, born Mihajlo Pejić on August 31, 1918 to Serbian immigrants in Charleroi, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1936 after graduating from McKeesport High School. 

During the Guadalcanal Campaign, then-Platoon Sergeant Paige was commanding a machine gun section on October 26, 1942 (much as Sergeant John Basilone had the two previous days) against overwhelming enemy opposition. The best chronicle of his heroism with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment is simply his citation for the Medal of Honor.

TFH 10/24-25: Sergeant John Basilone, USMC

I blogged last year at this time about John Basilone, before it occurred to me that as a commemoration of the Second World War, I'd be blogging about every World War II Medal of Honor recipient on the 70th anniversaries of their heroic acts.

Basilone had served in the United States Army in the 1930s and returned to civilian life in 1939. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1940 in hopes of getting back to the Philippines, where he had spent much of his Army service. It wasn't to be.

On October 24-25, 1942 - 70 years ago - as a Sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal during the Battle of Henderson Field, then-Sergeant Basilone commanded two machine gun sections that held off the attack of an entire Japanese regiment during the two-day battle. At the end, only John Basilone and two other Marines were left, and Basilone was reportedly fighting with just his M1911 pistol able to fire.

TFH 10/22: PFC Milton L. Olive, III, USA

Milton Lee Olive, III was born on November 7, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the United States Army from that city in 1964, and in 1965 was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment and the 173rd Airborne Brigade - one of the first units committed to fighting in Vietnam.

On October 22, 1965, about two weeks shy of his 19th birthday, Private First Class Olive sacrificed his own life while saving four of his comrades by smothering an enemy grenade. He became the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor for the Vietnam War.

TFH 10/18: The Day a Mogadishu Operation Went Right

Most Americans properly associate Mogadishu, Somalia with the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu (October 3-4) that resulted in the deaths of 18 US servicemen and 74 other casualties - and the Medal of Honor worthy heroism of Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart.

People forget that on October 18, 1977 - thirty-five years ago - Mogadishu was the site of a great victory over the forces of tyranny.

On Tuesday, October 13, 1977, Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737, departed Palma de Mallorca, Spain en route to Frankfurt, West Germany with a crew of five and 86 passengers...and four terrorists. The terrorists - two men, two women; two Palestinians, two Lebanese - who identified themselves as "Commando Martyr Halime", but really hailed from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization, had smuggled pistols on board and hijacked the plane.

In the wake of the Munich Massacre in September, 1972 - during which the PLFP offshoot Black September murdered 11 Israelis during the Olympic Games - the Germans founded Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9) within their Federal Police to prepare for the next attack. This would be their first test.

TFH 10/17: 2LT Harold Bascom Durham, Jr., USA

Harold Bascom Durham, Jr. was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on October 12, 1942. He was living in Atlanta, Georgia when he joined the United States Army in 1964, and was eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery branch.

Lieutenant Durham was assigned to the 6th Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, then one of the artillery components of the 1st Infantry Division engaged in combat in Vietnam. Five days after his 25th birthday on October 17, 1967, he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment as a forward observer for what became the Battle of Ong Thanh.

As the infantry ran up against and was ambushed by a heavily fortified enemy position and superior numbers in opposition, Durham placed himself in a leading position exposed to the enemy so as best to direct vital artillery fires onto the enemy positions. Even though he was wounded multiple times, his concern was solely for the soldiers surrounding him. He died with the radio still in his hand, calling in fires until his last breath, and was posthumously awarded our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 10/16: Private Thomas C. Neibaur, USA

The United States Army's 42nd Infantry Division is known as the "Rainbow" Division. The unit was formed by combining selected Army National Guard formations from across the United States for combat service in World War I. Legend has it that the division's chief of staff, then-Major Douglas MacArthur, said it would "stretch over the country like a rainbow."

On this day in 1918, a twenty year-old private in the Rainbow Division from Sharon, Idaho took his French-made Chauchat automatic rifle and single-handedly held off an enemy counterattack. When the attack was halted, he captured eleven enemy soldiers with just his pistol, and though wounded, brought all his prisoners back to our own lines. His name was Thomas Croft Neibaur, and for his courage, he received the Medal of Honor.

TFH 10/15: PFC Ralph E. Pomeroy, USA

Ralph Eugene Pomeroy was born in Quinwood, West Virginia on March 26, 1930. During the Korean War on the second day of the Battle of Triangle Hill, Pomeroy, a machine gunner with the 7th Infantry Division's 31st Infantry Regiment, stood nearly alone against a determined Chinese Communist assault. When his gun mount was destroyed, he carried the heavy weapon forward, firing it from his arms. When he ran out of ammunition, he engaged the enemy hand-to-hand until he was cut down.

Private First Class Pomeroy posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his amazing courage on October 15, 1952 - exactly sixty years ago today.

TFH 10/14: First Lieutenant Edward R. Schowalter, Jr., USA

Edward Rightor Schowalter, Jr. was born on Christmas Eve, 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He came to earn a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army via ROTC at the Virginia Military Institute, from which he graduated with the class of 1951.

He quickly received a promotion to First Lieutenant, and was sent to fight in the Korean War with the 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment and the 7th Infantry Division. Sixty years ago today on October 14, 1952, Schowalter led his rifle platoon forward through intense enemy opposition, and repeatedly ignored his own wounds and safety to inspire his men to victory. He later received our Nation's highest honor for his gallantry in action.

TFH 10/13: Captain Jeffrey S. Feinstein, USAF

Jeffrey S. Feinstein was born on January 29, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1963 to attend the Air Force Academy Preparatory School. He was admitted to the United States Air Force Academy the following year and graduated with the class of 1968, receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant.

Feinstein then went through both navigator and weapons system officer (WSO) training, reaching operational duty with McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II squadrons in February of 1970. In 1972, he was flying as part of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in combat over Vietnam. Between April and July of 1972, he was credited as an F-4 WSO with four aerial victories against enemy aircraft.

On October 13, 1972 - exactly forty years ago today - then Captain Feinstein aimed and fired an AIM-7 Sparrow missile, got his fifth "kill", and became the last (thus far) "Ace" of the USAF. He received the second-highest award he could have for his skill and courage in the skies: the Air Force Cross.

TFH 10/12: Corporal William T. Perkins, Jr., USMC

William Thomas Perkins, Jr. was born on August 10, 1947 in Rochester, New York. He moved with his family as a child to California, and graduated from James Monroe High School in Sepulveda in 1965. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on April 27, 1966 and was transitioned to the regular Marine Corps in July of the same year.

After completing boot camp and individual combat training, Perkins was trained as a combat photographer, both on movie and still cameras. He received a promotion to Corporal on August 1, 1967 and was attached to the 1st Marine Division's 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment to record their combat actions during Operation Medina in Vietnam, which began October 10, 1967.

On October 12, 1967, Corporal Perkins showed that regardless of military specialty, all Marines are warriors first. When a grenade landed in his immediate area, he placed his body between the enemy missile and his comrades. He gave his life to save others, and a grateful nation recognized his courage and sacrifice with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 10/11: Medals of Honor for Two Soldiers of the "Old Hickory" Division

The United States Army's 30th Infantry Division was formed for combat in World War I during October 1917 with members of the Army National Guard from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee forming its core. The division was nicknamed "Old Hickory" in honor of General and later President Andrew Jackson, who came from Tennessee.

Two soldiers from the division were both decorated with the Medal of Honor for their heroism on October 11, 1918. The first, Private Robert Lester Blackwell, hailed from Hurdle Mills, North Carolina and was born on October 4, 1895. The second, Sergeant Richmond Hobson Hilton, was born in Westville, South Carolina on October 8, 1898.