I
apologize for not getting this holiday message in the last High Life issue but
the read is a good one and still appropriate for pause and reflection.
From: dick@thedillers.net
Sent: 12/28/2020 4:08:30 PM Central Standard Time
Subject: {SpadNet} Fwd: FW: Anniversary: Christmas Lights over Hanoi
Lest we forget! Heroes all!
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From the desk of Former Prisoner of War, Mike Benge. Vietnam, 1968-1973.
Christmas Lights over Hanoi By Mike Benge
The lighting of the Christmas trees in Washington, DC and New York are beautiful sights. And the Christmas lights in Denver and other cities are outstanding. However, the most beautiful Christmas lights of all were those of the Christmas bombing of Hanoi in '72. The flash of the Sam missiles, the flares dropped from the plane, the arclights hitting the city, and yes, even when a Sam hit a plane, it was all spectacular, for this gave us all hope and we knew we were soon going home.
Bless that noon time reccie who flew up the train tracks blowing past our camp for the past year with a sonic boom while gaining altitude and turning across the Red River heading for home. It gave us hope, and we knew that when the bombs started falling, we wouldn't get hit, for Uncle Sam knew where we were.
When the bombs started falling, we all cheered, and for a minute the guards threatened to shoot us if we didn't shut up, but they soon were crouching in their hidey-holes and shitting in their mess kits as the bombs started falling and they were too scared to say anything more.
We had been forced to dig trenches down the middle of our rooms before the bombing, so I guess Johnny Walker had been instrumental in the NVA knowing the B52s were coming. The bombs were close enough that the trenches contorted like a Z and the double doors to our cells would move over their own width from the shock. The next day we found a dead bird outside our door presumably killed from the shock. As the NVA was moving us to the Hanoi Hilton we peeked out of the sides of the trucks and saw that the B52s had been right on target for everything had been flattened except our old camp -- the Plantation Gardens.
Yes Christmas lights are pretty, but none will ever be as beautiful as those over Hanoi on Christmas '72. And God Bless the pilots and crews of the planes who gave their all to set us free. Mike Benge. '68-73
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December 18, 2020, marks the 48th anniversary of the beginning of the air offensive over North Vietnam, Linebacker II. This was a multi-service campaign that lasted for 11(12) days, and which culminated in the resumption of the Paris peace talks, the ultimate signing of the Vietnam peace accords, and the release of our POWs. It is the consensus of a great many of us that without Linebacker II, we would still be rotting in the hell of Vietnam’s prison system.
* Overall Air Force losses included fifteen B-52s, two F-4s, two F-111s, and one HH-53 search and rescue helicopter.
* Navy losses included two A-7s, two A-6s, one RA-5, and one F-4.
* Seventeen of these losses were attributed to SA-2 missiles; three to daytime MIG attacks; three to antiaircraft artillery; and three to unknown causes.
* The bombardment lasted 12 days resulting in 43 POWs captured and a loss of 27 others KIA.
At this Holiday time of the year, let us pause for a moment in honor of all of those brave warriors who participated in Linebacker II, in memory of those who have made their Final Flight, and to especially remember the incredible courage of our POWs who were fortunate to have returned with honor and those who were not fortunate and did not return.
A toast to all our comrades -- POWs, missing in action, living or dead, whatever their duty, whatever their war, whatever their uniform. God Bless Them All!
We toast our hearty comrades, who have fallen from the sky, and were gently caught by God’s own hands to be with him on high. To dwell among the soaring clouds they have known so well before, from victory roll to tail chase at heavens’ very door. And as we fly among them there, we're sure to hear their plea: Take care, my friend, watch your six, and do one more roll for me. (Author unknown)
Mike Benge, a Foreign Service Officer, was captured on January 30, 1968 during the TET Offensive and was held in camps in South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and North Vietnam for over five years. He was released during Operation Homecoming in March 1973,
Published: Christmas Lights over Hanoi. Maggie’s Farm. 12.23.13
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Tony P apapandrea@cfl.rr.com
Very Interesting from my
friend John.
He is a very smart individual
- sign up for his blog and see for yourself.
Tony P Life is Good In God We Trust
------ Forwarded Message --------
From: John R. Patrick john@johnpatrick.com
Date: 12/26/2020 6:02:40 AM
Subject: Capturing The Great Conjunction by John Patrick
The following is from
John Patrick's blog. Most stories are about healthcare or technology.
Capturing The Great Conjunction
By John
Patrick on Dec 24, 2020 12:45 pm
We
normally think of the word conjunction as a word which connects clauses or sentences or
to coordinates words in the same clause. For example, the words and, but, if are conjunctions. When it comes to astronomy, a conjunction is an alignment of two planets or other
celestial objects making them appear to be in the same, or nearly the same,
place in the sky.
Last week, there was a conjunction of Jupiter
and Saturn not seen for hundreds of years. The event made a lot of news. Cloud
cover made it impossible for me to see it, but many people did. No doubt
some took photos, but nothing like what Jason De Freitas did.
Jason is a fine art photographer who has
created a lot of unique and experimental works. He lives on the South Coast of
New South Wales, Australia. He has been recognized for his analog astrophotography,
aerochrome infrared landscapes, and stereoscopic star trails. I never heard of
these, but when I visited his
website, I saw some really
unique things.
His most unique photography ever may have
been last week when he captured the International Space Station passing between
Jupiter and Saturn during the conjunction. The ISS is orbiting Earth at 4.76
miles per second, which is 17,136 miles per hour. The 39-second video
on YouTube will go down in
history.
Jason
described the project,
Probably the
most unique shot I’ve ever taken. I had the incredible luck of figuring out I
could see the path of the International Space Station traveling through the
Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. After much planning and scrambling I had to drive
an hour (quite a short distance in the scheme of things) to align the shot
perfectly and somehow everything on the night worked out. Beyond thrilled with
this one. Taken on the 17th of December, 2020 at precisely 21:53:05 for 10
seconds. Location: Jellore Lookout, Mittagong NSW, Australia.
For photography
buffs, the equipment he used included Pentax 67 Takumar 600mm f/4 Fujifilm
Provia 100f Equatorial Mount: Skywatcher NEQ6 Digital gear: Nikon D750.
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