Good Deals – Delta Perks
– Still available to retirees
There is a whole section
of the DeltaNet that is dedicated to “Perks” which really amounts to employee
discounts with various companies. As a
retiree you still have most of these Perks available to you. To find the Delta Perks section of the
DeltaNet login then click on HR>Benefits>(then
L Column) Perks & Discounts
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This Vietnam Series an
opinion piece and wasn’t published in HL 286 to spur controversy or to be
political. Whether you agree with Terry
or not he definitely has a point about revisionist history. I did get a couple of responses from JP and
David. JP makes a couple of valid points
but also gets political so just take that part for what it is.
Subject: Propagandists masquerading as
historians
Terry Garlock lives in Peachtree City, GA. He
was a Cobra helicopter gunship pilot in the Vietnam War. Text of story published in HL 286.
From: jdlax@flightline.com
Date: 2/5/2018 7:07:38 PM
To: marksztanyo
Subject: BS Flag
Mark,
Before
printing this crap you might want to check facts...like who was President and
who didn’t fulfill the Nixon/Kissinger's “peace with honor” agreement at Paris.
Here
is my reply to a friend who forwarded this crap:
Who
died and appointed this guy a qualified Historian?
High
School to Flight School Gunship Driver? Nope...another BS statement
circulated by the Anti-Everything Committee.
Was
the Burns Novick perfect? Nope
But
it had a lot of facts never before revealed that made it worthwhile.
Will
anyone ever get the VN War right? Nope
It
was 5 or 6 continuous wars fought simultaneously over 10 years as an extention
of French occupancy for a hundred years or more.
Talk
about inaccurate....”you left out vital pieces of the
story. In 1974, in the aftermath of Watergate, Democrats were elected in a
landslide and the new Congress violated America’s promise by cutting off
funding for South Vietnam’s self-defense. Then when the Communists attacked
South Vietnam in massive force, Congress refused to honor America’s pledge to
come to their aid. “
FACT: Gerald Rudolph Ford
Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United
States from August 1974 to January 1977.
President
Ford and the Republican Congress REFUSED to commit B-52 strikes in 1974 and 75
that led to the eventual overthrow of South Vietnam. (The Democrats didn’t take
over until the electons of November 1975 and Carter in the 1977 elections.)
In other words..this is
just another BS email meant to rewrite history as if a real vet who was there
is telling you young folks in the Anti- whatever (Nazi) movement that the
Democrats...who started the Vietnam War....are a bunch of nitwits.
Wish you would read this
crap before forwarding the lies and deceit it represents to the world!
Maybe
our world would be far more peaceful if truth and fact was more important than
“MAGA” BS!
JP
Doyle
Capt.,
Delta Air Lines Retired
Former
USAF FAC attached to 5th Special Forces, Co. D, B-41 69-70.
DFC,
AM w/10 OLC, VN Cross of Gallantry (2) w/Bronze Star, PUC, AFOUC w/V, VN
Campaign Medal w/3 Stars, and One Rufused Purple Heart. (Never accept a Purple
Heart that doesn’t send you home immediately...definitely BAD LUCK!)
Picture
Enclosed: I’m far left...Pilot in Flight Suit was Maj. Ken Hamrick...my boss
that was killed a week after this picture was taken.
++++
From: dwskjerven@aol.com
Date: 02/06/18 16:39:31
Subject: Vietnam Series
For those of you that missed the Delta Pilot's PCN-HC286 here is a very
interesting article about the Vietnam Series that was recently on PBS.
I watched it all and something about it bothered me. Maybe
this was it. Anyway, I thank Mark and the PCN people for putting this out
there.
David W.
Skjerven :
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This B17 story
has been shared before but never with as much background info. Wow!
From: lbrunasso@aol.com
Date: 2/8/2018 9:40:46 PM
To: marksztanyo
Subject: Fwd: A TRUE MIRACLE
FYI, A TRUE MIRACLE
This is really some story.
Without the pictures, no one would believe it.
|
A real miracle - from WWII
B-17 "All American" (414th Squadron,
97BG) Crew
Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr.
Co-pilot- G. Boyd Jr.
Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle
Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge
Engineer- Joe C. James
Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway
Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda
Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk
Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus
Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland
In 1943 a mid-air collision on February 1,
1943,
Between a B-17 and a German fighter over the
Tunis dock area,
Became the subject of one of the most famous
photographs of WW II.
An enemy fighter attacking a 97th Bomb Group
formation went out of control,
Probably with a wounded pilot, then continued
its crashing descent
Into the rear of the fuselage of a Flying
Fortress named"All American",
Piloted by Lt. Kendrick R. Bragg, of the 414th
Bomb Squadron.
When it struck, the fighter broke apart, but
left some pieces in the B-17.
The left horizontal stabilizer of the Fortress
and left elevator were completely torn away.
The two right engines were out and one on the
left had a serious oil pump leak.
The vertical fin and the rudder had been
damaged,
The fuselage had been cut almost completely
through
Connected only at two small parts of the frame,
And the radios, electrical and oxygen systems
were damaged.
There was also a hole in the top that was over
16-feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest;
The split in the fuselage went all the way to
the top gunner's turret.
Although the tail actually bounced and swayed
in the wind
And twisted when the plane turned and all the
control cables were severed,
Except one single elevator cable still worked,
and the aircraft miraculously still flew!
The tail gunner was trapped because there was
no floor connecting the tail to the rest of the plane.
The waist and tail gunners used parts of the
German fighter and their own parachute harnesses
In an attempt to keep the tail from ripping off
and the two sides of the fuselage from splitting apart.
While the crew was trying to keep the bomber
from coming apart,
The pilot continued on his bomb run and
released his bombs over the target.
When the bomb bay doors were opened,
The wind turbulence was so great that it blew
one of the waist gunners into the broken tail section
It took several minutes and four crew members
to pass him ropes from parachutes
And haul him back into the forward part of the
plane.
When they tried to do the same for the tail
gunner,
The tail began flapping so hard that it began
to break off.
The weight of the gunner was adding some
stability to the tail section, so he went back to his position.
The turn back toward England had to be very
slow to keep the tail from twisting off.
They actually covered almost 70 miles to make
the turn home.
The bomber was so badly damaged that it was
losing altitude and speed and was soon alone in the sky.
For a brief time, two more Me-109 German
fighters attacked the All American.
Despite the extensive damage, all of the
machine gunners
Were able to respond to these attacks and soon
drove off the fighters.
The two waist gunners stood up with their heads
sticking out through the hole in the top of the fuselage
To aim and fire their machine guns.
The tail gunner had to shoot in short bursts
because the recoil was actually causing the plane to turn.
Allied P-51 fighters intercepted the All
American as it crossed over the Channel
And took one of the pictures shown.
They also radioed to the base describing that
the appendage was waving like a fish tail
And that the plane would not make it and to
send out boats to rescue the crew when they bailed out.
The fighters stayed with the Fortress, taking
hand signals from Lt. Bragg and relaying them to the base.
Lt. Bragg signaled that 5 parachutes and the
spare had been "used"
So five of the crew could not bail out.
He made the decision that if they could not
bail out safely, then he would stay with the plane to land it.
Two and a half hours after being hit, the
aircraft made its final turn
To line up with the runway while it was still
over 40 miles away.
It descended into an emergency landing and a
normal roll-out on its landing gear
When the ambulance pulled alongside, it was
waved off because not a single member of the crew had
Been injured.
No one could believe that the aircraft could
still fly in such a condition.
The Fortress sat placidly until the crew all
exited through the door in the fuselage
and the tail gunner had climbed down a ladder,
at which time the entire rear section of the
aircraft collapsed.
This old bird had done its job and brought the
entire crew home uninjured.
Please pass this on to
someone who will also appreciate this amazing story.
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