News & Updates
The whole world is a real mess right now. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not resolving; Russia’s military is clearly a mess, but they’ve got lots of people and are a nuclear power. Iran is planning on going nuclear, and we plan to stop them. The Islamic terrorists in the world (plus the others who hate Jews) are focused on destroying Israel and killing all Jews. Then there’s China and its military ambitions, plus what they’re already doing in our nation and elsewhere. Oh, and our military, while on the mend, is quite small and we’ve given away or used much of our weapons stockpile. Yes, our nation’s government is working to build our military and deal with our other internal issues, but we’ve got a long, long way to go.
And our nation is in flux. Our border is more secure than it’s ever been, we’re moving towards being energy independent again, and lots of good Americans who work for our government are losing their jobs and others are not receiving the help they wanted from our government because of the needed shake up we’re going through. We need to keep all of these good folks in prayer.
And, speaking of prayer, Thursday, May 1st, is our National Day of Prayer. I hope each American is praying daily for our nation, but let’s join together on the National Day of Prayer. We are “one nation under God.”
Military History
On 3 May 1942, during WWII, the first day of the first modern naval engagement in history, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, a Japanese invasion force succeeded in occupying Tulagi of the Solomon Islands in an expansion of Japan’s defensive perimeter.
Having broken Japan’s secret war code and forewarned of the impending invasion, we sought to intercept the Japanese armada. Four days of battles between Japanese and our aircraft carriers resulted in 70 Japanese and 66 US warplanes destroyed. This Battle of the Coral Sea, marked the first air-naval battle in history, as none of the carriers fired at each other, allowing the planes taking off from their decks to do the battling.
Although Japan would occupy all of the Solomon Islands, its victory was Pyrrhic: The cost in experienced pilots and aircraft carriers was so great that Japan had to cancel plans to take other South Pacific targets.
On 4 May 1864, during the Civil War, the Army of the Potomac embarked on the biggest campaign of the Civil War and crossed the Rapidan River in Virginia; this eventually decided the war. That March, Ulysses Grant became commander of all Union forces and planned to destroy the two major remaining Confederate armies: Joseph Johnston’s Army of the Tennessee, guarding the approaches to Atlanta, and Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Grant sent William Sherman to take on Johnston. He then rode with the Army of the Potomac, then under the command of George Meade, to confront Lee.
The Army of the Potomac moved out of its winter encampments and crossed into the tangled woods of the Wilderness forest. The plan was to move the 100,000 Federal troops quickly around Lee’s left flank and advance beyond the Wilderness before engaging the Confederates. But logistics slowed the move, and the long wagon train supplying the Union troops had to stop in the Wilderness.
Although there was no combat on this day, the stage was set for the epic duel between Grant and Lee. In the dense environs of the Wilderness, the Union’s superior numbers were minimized. Lee attacked the following day—the first salvo in the biggest campaign of the war. The fighting lasted into June as the two armies waltzed to the east of Richmond, Virginia, ending in Petersburg, where they settled into trenches and faced off for nearly nine months.
On 7 May 1945, during WWII, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces. At first, General Jodl hoped to limit the German surrender to only those forces fighting the Western Allies. But General Eisenhower demanded complete surrender of all German forces, those fighting in the East and in the West. If this demand wasn’t met, Eisenhower would seal off the Western front, thus leaving the Germans in the hands of the Soviet forces. Jodl radioed Admiral Karl Donitz, Hitler’s successor. Donitz ordered him to sign. General Walter Bedell Smith, Ike’s chief of staff, signed for the Allies, and Germany was–at least on paper–defeated. Fighting would go on in the East for almost another day. But the war in the West was over.
On 8 May 1945, both Great Britain and the US celebrated Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine.
This day the German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms: In Prague, Germans surrendered to their Soviet antagonists. More surrender documents were signed in Berlin and in eastern Germany.
The main concern of many German soldiers was to elude the grasp of Soviet forces, to keep from being taken prisoner by them. About 1 million Germans attempted a mass exodus to the West when the fighting in Czechoslovakia ended but were stopped and captured by the Russians. The Russians took about 2 million prisoners just before and after the German surrender.
Pockets of German-Soviet confrontation would continue into the next day. Consequently, V-E Day was not celebrated until the ninth in Moscow.
On 10 May 1968, during the Vietnam War, our 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, along with South Vietnamese forces, commenced Operation Apache Snow in the A Shau Valley. They sought to cut off the North Vietnamese and prevent them from mounting an attack on the coastal provinces.
During the intense fighting, 597 North Vietnamese were reported killed and US casualties were 56 killed and 420 wounded. Due to the bitter fighting and the high loss of life, this battle received widespread unfavorable publicity in the US and American media dubbed it “Hamburger Hill,” a name derived from the fact that the battle turned into a “meat grinder. Since the operation was not intended to hold territory but rather to keep the North Vietnamese Army off-balance, the mountain was abandoned soon after the battle and occupied by the North Vietnamese a month later.
On 13 May 1846, Congress overwhelmingly voted to declare war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas. Under the threat of war, we had refrained from annexing Texas after the latter won independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844, President John Tyler restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas, culminating with a Treaty of Annexation. Texas was admitted to the union on December 29. While Mexico didn’t declare war, relations between the two nations remained tense over border disputes, and in July 1845, President Polk ordered troops into disputed lands between the Neuces & Rio Grande rivers. Our army under Gen. Zachary Taylor advanced to the mouth of the Rio Grande, the river that the state of Texas claimed as its southern boundary.
Mexico, claiming that the boundary was the Nueces River to the northeast of the Rio Grande, considered our army’s advance an act of aggression and in April 1846 sent troops across the Rio Grande. Polk, in turn, declared this advance an invasion of US soil, and on 11 May, asked Congress to declare war, which it did two days later.
After nearly two years of fighting, peace was established by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, on 2 February 1848. The Rio Grande was made the southern boundary of Texas, and California & New Mexico were ceded to us. In return, we paid Mexico $15 million and agreed to settle all claims of US citizens against Mexico.
On 15 May 1756, the Seven Years War, a global conflict known in America as the French and Indian War, officially began when England declared war on France. However, fighting and skirmishes between England and France had been going on in North America for years.
COMING UP ON FRONTLINES OF FREEDOM
On the weekend of May 3-4, Congressman and General Jack Bergman will share his perspective.
Gen John Teichert will discuss leadership, and Col Brad Taylor will present his new novel. And Theresa Robinson will introduce another female veteran.
And on the weekend of May 10-11, Craig Floyd, who leads Citizens Behind the Badge, will discuss Police Week. Then Col Steve Kenyon will discuss life in Israel, and Gil and Skip will present the Border and a Book.
~ Humor/Puns ~
I grilled a chicken for two hours, and it still wouldn’t tell me why it crossed the road.
My grandfather only had one leg but worked for 40 years in a brewery. He was in charge of hops.
After six months of my check-engine light being on it went off by itself; problem solved.
A police officer came to my house and asked me where I was between 5 and 6; I said kindergarten.
Me: I’m still tired from all the crossfit this morning. Coworker: It’s pronounced croissant and you just ate 4 of them.
The CEO of IKEA was elected Prime Minister of Sweden. He should have his cabinet assembled by the end of the month.
I went to a water park and tried the water slide. I’m afraid I’m getting addicted to it; it’s a slippery slope.
~ Interesting Quote ~
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
— Confucius
~ A quote from our Bible ~
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
