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Showing posts from February, 2015

Courage Conquers: M1 Abrams

The M1 Abrams is an American third-generation main battle tank named after General Creighton Abrams who commanded the 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division in World War 2. The battalion motto is "Courage Conquers."

Remembering Evelio

Evelio Javier was a Filipino lawyer, civil servant, politician, and an opposition leader during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos.  Javier ran for governor of Antique and won in 1971 by one of the largest margins in history, making him, at the age of 28, the Philippines' youngest governor. Javier was assassinated in the closing days of Ferdinand Marcos's presidency. A staunch supporter of then-presidential candidate Corazon Aquino, he was shot on February 11, 1986 four days after the Snap Elections of 1986 were held but while the counting was continuing. The assassination of Evelio Javier helped lead to Marcos's fall from power during the People Power Revolution.   On the day of the funeral and burial to his final resting place at his hometown of San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, thousands of mourning people in Antique followed his funeral procession to the cemetery wearing yellow shirts and tying yellow bands to their wrists. They played his fav

Baa Baa Black Sheep: F4U Corsair

"In World War II, Marine Corps Major Greg 'Pappy' Boyington commanded a squadron of fighter pilots. They were a collection of misfits and screwballs who became the terrors of the South Pacific. They were known as the Black Sheep." The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Corsairs were flown by the "Black Sheep" Squadron (VMF-214, led by Marine Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington) in an area of the Solomon Islands called "The Slot". Boyington was credited with 22 kills in F4Us (of 28 total, including six in an AVG P-40, although his score with the AVG has been disputed). Other noted Corsair pilots of the period included VMF-124's Kenneth Walsh, James E. Swett, and Archie Donohue, VMF-215's Robert M. Hanson and Don Aldrich, and VF-17's Tommy Blackburn, Roger Hedrick, and Ira Kepford. Nightfighter versions equipped Navy and Marine