by Vision Strike | Nov 10, 2013 | In the News, Military News & Press, Veterans, Vision Strike Wear
History of Veterans Day
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
PHOTO: Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities. This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on November 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.
The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation“ which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”
President Eisenhower signing HR7786, changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. From left: Alvin J. King, Wayne Richards, Arthur J. Connell, John T. Nation, Edward Rees, Richard L. Trombla, Howard W. Watts
On that same day, President Eisenhower sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee.
In 1958, the White House advised VA’s General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee’s chairman.
The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.
The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Source: US Department of Veteran Affairs
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by Vision Strike | Oct 19, 2013 | Commentary, Everything Else, In the News, Military News & Press
Traditionally, military robots are only used for supplying missions, helping with IEDs and for in-mission surveillance. However, robotic soldiers are no longer the things of science fiction. The US Army’s plan is to develop robots for use on the battlefield by 2018. (or sooner)
iRobot, Northrop Grumman, QinetiQ, and HDT Robotics brought their military robots, armed with M240 machine guns, to show off their capabilities to Army representatives at a test range at Fort Benning in Georgia recently.
In this live demo at Fort Benning, GA, the CaMEL MADSS robot, built by Northrop Grumman is tested. In this video, it is firing live ammunition at firing range targets. Several companies participated in this demo for U.S. Army officials.
The robots were able to shoot targets from 500 feet away. The robots were all remote controlled in this test for safety reasons and to show proof of concept. However, a 2008 report noted some of the robots moved without being commanded. Even this worries some, the Army brass was impressed.
“The technology is getting to be where it needs to be.” -Lieutenant Colonel Willie Smith
The Army’s plan is not to entirely replace humans with robots, but to have robots accompany their units. Recent reports have shown though that when humans work with robots, they can become emotionally attached to them. Especially robots that have saved lives. The Army worries that this can affect their decision-making when it comes to putting the robots into more dangerous situations, which is what they are designed for.
Northrop Grumman demoed a robot called CaMEL (Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover). CaMEL is a pretty apt name for it, given how much it can carry and how long it’s run time is. CaMEL is capable of hauling and using automatic weapons, anti-tank missiles, and grenade launchers. DARPA’s Legged Squad Support System pack mule robot has also been tested in combat situations and can haul nearly as much but through more difficult territory.
The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is a rough-terrain robot developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the US Marine Corps. It is designed to carry 400 lbs of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling. LS3 has sensors that let it follow a human leader while avoiding obstacles in the terrain
“CaMEL is almost as efficient with fuel as real camels are with water—thanks to its hybrid engine, 3.5 gallons can power the robot for more than 20 hours while hauling around 1,000 pounds of equipment. CaMEL can also charge batteries or be used to run other systems, and it maneuvers quietly on the battlefield. So we’ve got a robot that’s armed to the teeth, and it’s stealthy. Yay? Northrop Grumman says their droid is designed to both support and protect troops, operating as an “armed wingman.” It’s designed to blow the living shit out of things as well.” (source: Giant Robot)
The Army is still planning on using the robots by remote control but groups are still worried that someday the robots will be autonomous. How will they determine how to acquire targets and what weapons or amount of force to use? These questions will have to explored but the fact remains that the robot battlefield is no longer science fiction.
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by Vision Strike | Oct 12, 2013 | Commentary, Everything Else, In the News, Military News & Press
T.A.L.O.S. or Tactical Light Assault Operator Suit Coming
The high-tech battle field of the future is not just for the Navy and Air Force. The T.A.L.O.S. or Tactical Light Assault is coming to the Army, DARPA and Department of Defense are working on the TALOS project. The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit whose acronym is the name of the Greek God “TALOS” is a powered exoskeleton giving the wearer many advantages. Extra strength and stamina, bulletproof plating and mesh, health monitoring, power monitoring and even wound sealing foam are the promises on this early deisgn stage technology.
This video is from the July 2013 TALOS Demonstration (Unclassified) SOCOM. It shows people demoing various components on the system. Forty six companies provided 63 demonstrations for a baseline of relevant technologies that could go into TALOS. These early prototypes may seem large and clunky now but once in production most electronic and consumer devices are shrunk down by a factor of 10 or more in some cases. (When was the last time you saw a Motorola “Brick” phone?)
They might not be flying around and shooting lasers like Ironman, but these kinds of advances could save lives on the battle field and help ensure victory in ground based conflicts.
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by Vision Strike | Oct 6, 2013 | Active Duty, In the News, Military News & Press, Veterans
A Downed Black Hawk In Somalia Taught America
This week marked the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, the deadliest firefight U.S. forces had faced since Vietnam. Think what a A Downed Black Hawk In Somalia Taught America and the repurcussions.
The incident ultimately pushed the U.S. out of Somalia, leaving a safe haven for extremist groups.
It continues to impact U.S. foreign policy today, from the rise of Islamists to the nation’s reaction when asked to send American troops into harm’s way.
‘Things Did Not Go Well’
There was never even supposed to be a Battle of Mogadishu. In one of his final acts after losing the 1992 election to Bill Clinton, President George H.W. Bush sent American forces into Somalia on a humanitarian mission to bring food to the victims of a raging civil war and man-made famine.
But by the fall of 1993, the mission had expanded to one of restoring a government in Somalia. On Oct. 3, a special ops team was sent into Mogadishu to arrest two top lieutenants of the warlord Mohammed Aidid, who controlled the city.
“They estimated it would take 30 minutes to 45 minutes to conduct the raid, but things did not go well,” says journalist Mark Bowden, who reported on the events of that day.
His account, first in The Philadelphia Inquirer, then in a book and finally in a blockbuster film, gave the Battle of Mogadishu the name by which it’s better known today: Black Hawk Down.
Bowden interviewed the men who survived the mission, including Shawn Nelson, an M60 gunner who roped down to the scene from a helicopter.
In December 1993, Somali children play around the wreckage of a U.S. helicopter in Mogadishu.
Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images
“We immediately started taking fire from the ground. I could see people below us with weapons maneuvering about,” he told Bowden.
Nelson said that rangers did arrest their two targets, along with about 20 other Somalis who were in a house with them. But taking on so much fire in the busy streets, there was no way to get out fast.
“The longer they stayed, the intensity of the fire that the troops encountered increased, including the fire directed at the helicopters overhead,” Bowden says.
About 40 minutes into the mission, one of the Black Hawk helicopters circling overheard was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, spun out of control and crashed. Not long after, a second Black Hawk was shot down. More men were sent in to secure the crash sites and get the soldiers out. But the rescue team itself got pinned down.
“I said a little prayer,” says Spc. Phil Lepre, who was on that rescue convoy, “took off my helmet, looked at my daughter’s picture, I said, ‘Babe, I hope you have a wonderful life.’ ”
The 15-hour battle that ensued left 18 Americans dead and 73 injured. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Somalis were killed. U.S. Army pilot Mike Durant was captured and held by Somali militants for 11 days.
Lasting Consequences
Meanwhile, back in America, the same news networks that broadcast the start of the peaceful humanitarian mission less than a year earlier now ran horrific footage of Aidid supporters desecrating the corpses of U.S. soldiers.
All of this intensified the pressure on then-President Clinton to get U.S. troops out of the country.
“We had gotten to a point … where we kind of thought that we could intervene militarily without getting hurt, without our soldiers getting killed. The incident that I call Black Hawk Down certainly disabused us of that,” Bowden tells Arun Rath, host of All Things Considered.
After the Battle of Mogadishu, Clinton said that it was a mistake for the United States to play the role of police officer in Somalia. He announced a six-month plan to remove U.S. troops from the country.
The battle likely caused “an excessive concern [to] avoid risking American forces on the ground” during the Clinton administration, Bowden says. And to an extent, that calculation continues to play a role in foreign policy decisions, he says, even through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The incident also had an impact on extremists, who could take advantage of the U.S. withdrawal. The lawlessness that followed the American exit created a recruiting ground for terrorist organizations.
“They are by definition extremists, so they lack a large degree of popular support. They can only succeed in areas where they can impose they’re rule,” Bowden says. Plus, four years after the battle, the only schools open in Mogadishu were those run by Islamists.
“So we, by withdrawing from Somalia, left a lawless region ripe for al-Qaida and gave at least a whole generation of Somalis over to these Islamist fundamentalists to be educated and groomed,” Bowden says.
When the U.S. announced its withdrawal, it also gave Osama bin Laden a narrative to latch onto.
“His message was, ‘Well, we can defeat this great power because they’re not used to hardship and tragedy, so if we can inflict that they’ll retreat,’ ” Bowden says. That message was aimed at those who might have previously been deterred by the United States’ power.
If It Happened Again
Since 1993, there have been significant advances to America’s special operations.
“Our ability to gather intelligence to find people, to observe them from a distance with the addition of a fleet of drones that we now have flying is vastly improved,” Bowden says. “And we also have special operators who — after Iraq and Afghanistan — who have had more experience conducting the kind of raid that took place back in 1993 than any force like it in the history of the world.”
If conducted today, the Mogadishu raid would have been done more efficiently, Bowden suspects. He says there also would be better intelligence about the risks ahead of time. But that’s not to say there wouldn’t be hiccups.
“The men who conducted that raid [in ’93] were extremely professional, and they didn’t do anything wrong,” he says. “The fact is that when you go into combat, it’s very not only possible but very likely that … unanticipated things will happen and you’ll end up in a much bigger fight than you would prefer.”
Source (NPR): http://www.npr.org/2013/10/05/229561805/what-a-downed-black-hawk-in-somalia-taught-america
