The Seawolves HA(L)-3

 I shamelessly clipped this from a Vietnam Website, I have in the past asked my Dad about the Vietnam stuff I have posted, because I have used him as an "Advisor" because I wanted to be accurate as possible.  he had ridden on many helicopters belonging to the Army(Mostly), Marines, Navy and Airforce all over Vietnam as part of his duties and responsibilities.  I would have asked him if he had heard of this unit, and Yes I miss my Dad greatly, this is my first Vietnam War post I have done since his passing.  Here is to you Dad.

Steeped in the political turmoil of an unpopular war and faced with unfamiliar terrain, embedded enemy supply practices, and tactics keying on stealth, by 1965, the US faced new and novel threats from Viet Cong forces with no ready recourse. Striving for any means to achieve supremacy, the Army turned to tried-and-true tactics while seeking a breakthrough military strategy. The answer, formation of the all-volunteer Navy Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron 3, quickly renowned by their call sign "Seawolf." Utilizing hand-me-down equipment acquired from the Army and newly trained personnel, the unit would go on to become the most highly decorated squadron in naval aviation history.

During the squadron's five-year tenure, the Seawolves flew more than 120,000 missions with two-hundred wounded and forty-four KIA, earning the following commendations and landmark recognition.

But just how was such unprecedented success possible in the face of antiquated equipment and the absence of both deeply experienced personnel and significant weapons technology. Still further, why did the unit remain a lesser-known chapter in naval aviation history for over 40 years?

Predating the Vietnam War, the Army had a principal interest in the use of helicopters for Search and Rescue, Medical Evacuation, and pioneering efforts in ground support operations. Though the Army had gained valuable experience in combat support tactics, it was constrained to daytime and clear weather conditions that severely limited practical applications. Meanwhile, with a bias for fixed-wing aircraft, the Navy constrained helicopters to replenishment, minesweeping, and anti-submarine duties. So, entering Vietnam, the military was not fully equipped or trained for operations that would be needed to prevail.

In 1965 there was recognition that Communist forces were infiltrating coastal and interior waterways of the Mekong Delta to supply one-third of all men and arms while conducting terror campaigns among villages. In response, the Navy implemented Operation Market Time and Operation Game Warden, whose mission was to disrupt enemy activities utilizing larger Swift Boats along the coast and smaller, more rapid River Patrol Boats inland. Close air support was critical to success, provided initially by elements of the Army already deployed in the area, but experience early in 1966 demonstrated failing operations. More specifically, "boats were being blown out of the water," and according to Admiral E. Zumwalt (Chief of Naval Operations), Navy fatalities were outpacing the ability to train replacement sailors; meanwhile, the effectiveness of Seal Team and other Special Ops suffered.

A closer review revealed several principal factors shaping this outcome; competing Army priorities for air support and restrictions that thwarted nighttime and foul weather conditions when enemy operations were at their height (Seal Team and Special Ops as well). Ultimately, it was determined that dedicated Navy resources were necessary to turn the tide, leading officially to the formation of HA(L)-3 on April 1, 1967, and led by CDR Robert Spencer beginning in May. Lacking equipment, human resources, and training, it was further agreed the Navy would take over the existing four Army detachments and what has been described as war-weary UH-1B (Huey) helicopters. Comprised of two helicopters and four-person crews each, the detachments flew from strategically placed LSTs, barges, and limited ground locations across the Mekong Delta. In doing so, the detachments could achieve mobility and proximity to the fight. To bridge the skills gap, Army personnel provided on-the-job training during actual combat missions through September.

From the outset, HA(L)-3 was a different kind of unit, comprised initially of eighty volunteers chosen from across the fleet. Interestingly, the unit's patch was fashioned after the lion logo featured on Lowenbrau beer cans with the addition of a trident and shield. The squadron routinely conducted search and destroy patrols, reconnaissance, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), SEAL Team insertion and extraction, but new rules of engagement and close air support tactics were needed to become a truly effective fighting force. A hallmark of the Seawolves were twenty-four-hour operations conducted irrespective of weather conditions, and rapid reaction practices that together with detachment mobility meant the Seawolves were typically engaging the enemy fifteen minutes following a call. According to LTCDR Bud Barnes, "…the horn would go off, and the 1MC would sound ‘Scramble the Seawolves', that whole evolution from sound asleep to in the air was less than three minutes". Similarly, the squadron adopted a tree-top philosophy (typically eighty to one-hundred feet) that both introduced new dangers (for example, ricochets) and personalized the fight, "you can see them, and they can see you." When on patrol, "if you took fire the gunner would immediately drop a flare (at night) or smoke grenade (in daylight) to mark the target, and the lead helicopter would typically be the first in." A further innovation enabling crews to continue the fight was a ‘hot turn,' wherein a helicopter could return to base to rearm, refuel and then reengage without ever shutting down the rotor. According to Larry Rogers (Door Gunner '69-'70), "We just made-up things as we went along." Perhaps more to the point, "I felt like we were renegades of the Navy; no one knew how to handle us, and no one knew any more than us, so they just said go do it- and we did."

However impressive these tactical developments were, squadron performance was equally dependent on helicopter transformation by maintenance and support staff. Reconfigured to enable night missions, the gunship's offensive capabilities were enhanced to add multiple weapon systems (twin M60, twin.30 Cal MG, automatic grenade launchers, and 6 barreled Miniguns), rapidly change out gun barrels and alternative machine guns while under fire. These innovations were adopted as standard equipment across the fleet once proven under combat conditions in many cases. One Maintainer observed, "They gave us equipment below their standards but not below ours cause we had Maintenance people that were whiz kids." This creativity was an ongoing necessity as "conditions there were sparse as were materials, necessitating creative ways to accumulate equipment outside the normal supply chain." "We were the McHale's Navy of Vietnam; a cross between McHales's Navy and the Black Sheep (a highly decorated WWII Marine Fighter Squadron). "

The Seawolves' story is certainly one of courage, teamwork, dedication, and innovation under extreme conditions, but more, a selfless willingness to place themselves in harm's way on behalf of others. Though combat operations alone will forge a bond among seamen, such esprit décor requires unilateral acceptance of the mission and common, underlying values. Captain Dick Catone observed, "… members took pride in the mission entrusted to them", while others recalled, "we trusted each other with our lives," "you're never going to leave someone behind; if you put them there by God, you're going to get them out, even if it cost your life." This commitment to SEAL Team and Special Op extractions, in particular, has cemented relationships that are as strong today as they were over forty years ago. In support of this culture, one Seawolf explained, "There was no Officer-Enlisted separation; the crew and pilots were all one group." This notion was further borne-out by Captain Robert Spencer (Commanding Officer), "We didn't function as a group; we functioned as one person, we thought as one person, we fought as one person."

HA(L)-3 fought with distinction from its inception through decommissioning on March 16, 1972. Once again, the Seawolves secured another first in naval history as the only squadron formed and disestablished overseas. Together with the effects of an unpopular war and personnel who never sought fame, the Seawolves have been uncelebrated for over forty years.  Nonetheless, there is no denying that for one moment in time, volunteers came together as Brothers and not only accomplished their mission with courage and devotion but achieved a level of greatness that will live on long beyond them in the annals of naval aviation history.

"Join or Die"

 I got my old laptop up and running, I don't know what happened to my other laptop.  The old laptop is very clunky and s....l...o...w.  There is a lot of crap on it. I should count my blessings that I got my old laptop to work.  I am looking at a new one on Amazon, and will probably order one next week.  

      I Shamelessly cribbed this from SSG again, The next Generation Think Tank.

 

There is no common ground between the Left and Right now in America. The best we can hope for is an armed political truce that comes about from this realization. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the refusal of Republicans to join in the “Bipartisan Jan 6^th Commission” and the inability to work together.

The true purpose of the commission is to turn the 3 hour riot at the Capitol into an ongoing political tool the Democrats can use to criminalize conservatism. By signing on to participate as minority members with no rights to set the agenda, Republicans would simply legitimize it and participate in their own destruction. The correct answer to this and every other call for bipartisanship right now is, Hell No!

I wrote the book Winning the Second Civil War: Without Firing a Shot precisely because this situation is dangerously close to erupting in open conflict. It’s fair to call the year long Black Lives Matter/Antifa riots of last year the opening shots in that. It’s also fair to call that an insurrection and domestic terrorism. As I wrote in the book.

BLM does not openly call for violence but accepts and capitalizes on

it to achieve its political goals. The ongoing and consistent appearance

of this violence provides value to the group by creating fear among the

populace. That creates concern over repercussions by the governments

where they operate and often causes them to agree to BLM demands.

These are hallmarks of Domestic Terrorism. BLM should be thoroughly

investigated to determine potential legal action.

 

Antifa openly calls for and conducts violence to create fear and achieved

a local overthrow of government in Seattle. They are almost certainly a

domestic terrorist organization and charged with insurrection and sedition.

BLM especially has learned their tactics are effective and they have gotten many policies changed and raised massive amounts of money. You could fairly liken it to the Danegeld paid to Vikings by weaker countries in order to stop their raids.

But the violence and lawlessness also destroys business and the safety and security of many citizens who are not willing to put up with it. The same goes for Antifa’s violent attacks. Either we stop these, or there could be a response from groups on the Right. And the worst-case scenario is these groups begin to engage in head to head conflict.

Avoiding that should be the one piece of common ground we can agree on. But getting there is not something the Left is going to like. Because it means we on the political Right must treat them as enemies.

They have sworn to destroy our way of life, burn this country down and rebuild it as a socialist paradise. Well, we know there can never be a socialist paradise and we won’t allow this.

Fortunately, we have many Constitutional and political tools left and for now at least a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court. But we must get in the fight. They’ve been at this fundamental transformation of America for generations and they’re winning. But that’s because we were busy working, raising families and assuming our institutions would keep us safe from Socialists.

That is no longer true and they are coming for all of us. It’s no longer safe on the sidelines. If we are to prevail against the Woke Mob, we need all of you in the shield wall locking arms to hold them back. Then we must burst forth in a counterattack using every non-violent weapon in our arsenal.

The book is a recounting of how we got to this point and a plan to fight our way to an acceptable cease fire. It is similar to when we and the Soviet Union were vying for control. We both had massive nuclear arsenals, but we were restrained by the concept of Mutually-Assured Destruction (MAD). Both sides knew if we went nuclear, everyone lost.

We are at a comparable point with the Left. We can both start violence, but everyone loses if that happens. So, we need a Détente like we had with the Soviets, an armed truce that negotiates out of respect for the capabilities of the other to do damage. But right now they don’t fear the Right and think they can actually push us out of the public square.

They can’t, but we need to convince them of that. Which means like the old Uncle Sam recruiting posters, I Want You! To get in the fight. Go to school board meetings and say no to racist curriculum, go to city council meetings and refuse to bow down to their woke policies. Run for seats on those and other offices. Recruit more people to come with you.

Trump made the Left so mad they ripped the masks off and said “Hell yeah we hate this racist, White Supremacist, Homophobic, Sexist country and we hate you too.” Normal people have seen their true colors and they are rightly repulsed. The time is ripe for us to swell our ranks with people who still believe in liberty, security and prosperity.

We’re not about to lose to a bunch of arugula-chomping, soy latte-sipping, Leftists. Let’s Join and Win!

About the Author

Jim Hanson

Jim served in US Army Special Forces and conducted Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Insurgency as well as Diplomatic, Intelligence and Humanitarian operations in more than a dozen countries. He is the author of Cut Down the Black Flag – A Plan to Defeat the Islamic State, and has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, BBC, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, C-Span, and numerous national radio shows

 

 

Technical Difficulties

 Yeah.....you guessed it, ,puter is down, I have been too busy to really deal with it.  This post is done on my kinda smart phone.  My son graduated High School this week so I can retire the tazer, lol

 I had purchased a rifle, a old Mauser and the wood was really dried out , after conferring with ancient gun guru and purveyor of other knowledge  ,  he told me to use " linseed oil" and work it into the wood.  Which I did, I wound up working 2 coats because it still looked "patchy" after the first coat.  Well after the 2nd coat, the rifle looked much better.   But the linseed oil raised the grain of the wood, I was "suggested " to wait a few weeks then hit it with some "scotchbrite" pads  to smooth it out, then oil it again.   I had shown the rifle to our favorite "Merchant of Death"   He liked the rifle and was impressed.  

 This is the first time I tried to really do a blogpost on my kinda smart phone.  I hope I got the URL correct  on the links. I will test it later, lol

Monday Music "Hold Your Head Up" By Argent.

   I am continuing my string of "bugaloo" songs.  This discussion was started in the "Monster Hunter Nation, Hunters Unite", back in November of 2019? it is a Facebook group with enthusiast of the ILOH "International Lord of Hate" A.K.A Larry Correia.  We were talking about what song would we use if we looked out of our window or glanced at our security camera and saw this.....

One of the alphabet bois lining up to take down your house...What would be your "Valhalla" song and you would set it up to play as you load up magazines set up the Tannerite Rover, turn on the water irrigation system and fill it with gasoline instead of water and prepare yourself.

 I figured it would scar the alphabet boys if they come busting in and hearing a song about people standing for their beliefs and willing to fight for them no matter the cost, Good Music  unlike that crap they listen to now.  What can I say, My humor is warped....just a bit. Next week will be "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer,  Now that should really cause some psych evals., hehehe, some poor ATF guy trying to explain the attraction to his mother because he is imaging himself as The savior of the American way rather than working for an agency that have the initials of a convenience store.  Now because we ain't gonna answer that door.  They can kick it in and start "the Dance" 

 I decided to go with "Argent" Hold your head up high.....I like the instrumentals in this song and it is a good driving song to listen to.
    

  
All Together Now, released in 1972, was the third album recorded by British rock band Argent. It was Argent's first hit album and features their most successful single "Hold Your Head Up," which reached number five in both the U.K. and U.S. singles charts. Other featured songs include "Tragedy," "I Am the Dance of Ages" and "He's a Dynamo."
The 1997 compact disc re-release of All Together Now by KOCH Records features an additional seven tracks not included on the original seven-track vinyl record. The bonus tracks include "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", one of Argent's best-known songs due to the popular cover/remake by Kiss. In 2009, for their reunion, Mr. Big recorded a cover of "Hold Your Head Up" and played it throughout the tour. Uriah Heep also covered the song on their 1989 album Raging Silence.
In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came thirty-third in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".
Steppenwolf covered "Hold Your Head Up" on their 1982 album Wolftracks.

   This video was done in the early/mid 70's in front of a studio audience.  The bad thing about using music from the early 70's and earlier is sometimes that there is a dearth of information about the video or more background because before MTV a lot of bands viewed music videos as a hassle and or superlative and didn't gather information on what they were doing. 

John Paul Jones Failed Raid on the British Isles.

 

Capt. John Paul Jones hailing the British frigate Serapis during the action from the deck of the frigate Bon Homme Richard, 23 September 1779. (Lithograph by Hayes Lithographing Co., Buffalo, from a painting by Paul Moran, now in the collections of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command)

When discussing the American Revolutionary War, it is easy to assume that all of the fighting took place on North American soil. While this true to some extent, there were some notable and strange battles that took place not only outside of America, but even on British soil. The raid on Whitehaven, led by John Paul Jones, is the only such attack to reach the British mainland.

A Continental Navy captain of the name John Paul Jones had made quite the name for himself, and in 1778, he wanted to stage a daring assault on British soil. Previously, he had been operating out of France, sailing up and down the Channel trying where he could to disrupt the British and help the war being fought across the Atlantic Ocean.

Venturing into the Irish Sea in the hopes of inflicting damage against merchant shipping, he concocted his plan to attack the British at their own doorstep. This was something that would have been considered impossible, thanks to the vast distances between the United Kingdom and the United States, and the incredible might of the Royal Navy.

John Paul Jones, 

At the time, the British Royal Navy was unrivaled in power and was capable of decimating any naval force brave enough to face them head-on. For this reason, John Paul Jones’s crew and other American ships adopted the tactic of harassment, striking supply lines and merchant shipping where possible. Jones was aware of the Royal Navy’s strength, so he wanted to strike with the element of surprise.

Jones was to strike at the port of Whitehaven on the coast of Cumbria. The plan of attack was to anchor his ship, the Ranger, out at sea and head into the port at night with 30 volunteers in two dinghies. One crew was to attack and silence a British fort guarding the harbor, while the other was to sabotage the town and set the 200 ships in the harbor alight.

Finally, the British would feel the heat of this war on their own turf.

Why Whitehaven? Was Whitehaven strategically important? No. Jones chose it because he was born and raised in the U.K. and began his sailing career from the port of Whitehaven. Because of this, he had intimate knowledge of its layout to help him find his way around at night.

His career started at the young age of 13, eventually becoming the captain of a merchant vessel at just 21 after the captain of the ship he was on suddenly died from yellow fever, leaving Jones to navigate the ship back. After commanding this ship for a while, his reputation took a dive for the worse when he flogged a member of his crew so severely that he died a few weeks later, causing him to be seen as overly cruel.

Jones left Scotland after this, captaining another vessel in Tobago for over a year before killing yet another member of his crew after a dispute. Fleeing from the potential legal repercussions, he relocated to Virginia in the U.S., a nation that from then on he would regard as his own.

Off the coast of Whitehaven, the Ranger‘s anchor was dropped, and the two crews set off for the port just after midnight on April 23, 1778. Immediately, they were faced with a strong wind and tides, slowing their journeys significantly.

Upon arrival, Jones’s crew made their way into the fort, successfully and quickly silencing its dangerous cannons. Jones had difficulty starting any fires, as the fuel for their torches had run out on the unexpectedly long journey to shore.

A sculpture in Whitehaven commemorates the raid. 

Exiting the fort, Jones was greeted with a very noticeable lack of burning vessels in the harbor. Meanwhile, the other crew had also run out of fuel, forcing them to find their own in Whitehaven. On this hunt, they had conveniently entered a public house, and got caught up in more important matters, namely, having a drink!

By the time Jones linked up and rallied his men, they were drunk, and the sun was coming up, forcing them to abandon the goal of burning the entire port to the ground in exchange for claiming a single coal ship that they hoped would spread fire to other moored boats when ignited.

With success seeming impossible, the situation was made worse by a traitor in Jones’s own crew, running around the town to warn the townspeople of the attack. This traitor had only joined the Continental Navy for a free ticket back to the U.K.

Back in the port, Jones and his crew managed to successfully set the large coal ship alight, but thanks to the alerted townsfolk, the fire was quickly suppressed. Jones and his men jumped back into their dinghies and headed back to the Ranger in the morning light, well aware of their failure.

For a man like Jones, this failure was unbearable, so he set sail for Scotland hoping to kidnap the wealthy Earl of Selkirk to use him as a bargaining tool to retrieve captured Americans from the British.

(Photo Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs)

Gathering yet another crew, he rushed ashore, entering the stately home of the Earl. With another stroke of bad luck, Jones discovered the Earl was all the way down in London. Exhausted, deflated, and suffering yet another defeat, the crew opted to steal the Earl’s silverware.

Despite the total and utter failure of both of Jones’s plans, which nearly resulted in a mutiny, the attack did ruffle some feathers in Britain, which had previously insisted the mainland was safe from American attack.

Jones would take the Ranger to Ireland the next day to attack the Drake, a British warship. After engaging in combat, Jones successfully captured the ship, returning both it and the Ranger back to France.

This attack was the only one on British soil, and unlike the situation in North America, it didn’t end in the American’s favor. Jones would later go on to be remembered very differently in the two countries, as a hero in the U.S., but as a working-class pirate in the U.K.

     John Paul Jones was Symbolically Pardoned by the town of Whitehaven in 1999.

The Blue Falcon Award for Endangering Operators and Allies.

    Personal note, My eye is much better, I can use it to focus and it don't hurt anymore.  I am still using the "drops" and will until they are "gone".  

Holy Shit!, I read the  Yahoo article associated with this posting and all I can say is "Oh Crap".  The information given in this article is too specific and too detailed.  Somebody released information on intelligence sources and details on an open media that involves a hostile power.  If this was "official Sanctions" then this is really screwed up, if the Xiden administration is releasing information and intelligence to suck up to the Iranians like the Obama administration did and after Bin Laden was killed, a lot of information about "Seal Team Six" was all of a sudden available and somehow a regular "Shithook" was Shot Down by the Taliban and a lot of people, me included honestly believe that information was traded to the Taliban for the lives of Seal Team Six as payback and apology for the killing of Bin Laden.   First question I had was "Why were they using a regular '47 instead of the specialized version that they normally use for their insertions that has all the extra stuff they hang on their version to make it much harder to shoot down."   The Obama Whitehouse was known for being anti military and very soft toward the Taliban and other groups that hated America like the Iranians and Palestinians, it wouldn't put it past the Politicians to trade American Soldiers lives for their own goals because they view us as "expendable" anyway.   

I pulled it from "SSG" again, the next generation Think Tank.

A recent article on the killing of Qassem Soleimani had far too much detail to be safe. Someone gave access to a guy they thought had the credibility to put this out without burning them. Now both US units and certainly our Kurdish allies will suffer. The mention of Kurdish units being involved in the mission itself will  quite likely result in reprisals from Iran against Kurds either in Iran or elsewhere. Even if the regime knew about Kurdish involvement having their noses rubbed in it publicly will push them to retaliate.

The author Jack Murphy was a Ranger who now fancies himself a journalist and seems seems to have forgotten what keeps our troops and allies safe. Apparently he feels that outing operationally significant information about a highly-classified mission is good. Mainly because it gets you head pats from the people on the Left who like to pretend spilling classified information is the same as “transparency”. It is most assuredly not

It is unsurprising this came out during a Leftist administration in the same way details of the bin Laden raid did during Obama’s term. Dems don’t value the military and only use it for their own purposes. Biden and the terror-coddling members of his foreign policy and national security team did not approve of the Soleimani op and now they are kissing up to the Iranian regime again.

This whole thing smacks of an information op by the Biden team to hurt allies who helped Trump and show the Iranians they are going to play ball. That probably means they are loading pallets of $$$ on planes to ship to the Mullahs as we speak. Shameful all the way around.

For the uninitiated, Blue Falcon is a euphemism for Buddy F**ker which is someone who screws over comrades in arms for his own benefit.

Monday Music "Enter the Sandman" by Metallica

My Apologies for not posting for several days, I had a medical procedure done on my heart, it was an a Cryoablation procedure. I was irritated, I had lost over 100 pounds and I had to deal with this? what the hell.... My heart would drop into "Afib".  and my heart Dr recommended this procedure to help correct the problem since medication was a hit or miss.  Well I had it done on Friday and I had to take it easy and I don't know what happened, but my right eye was affected, I couldn't see out of my right eye for most of Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday.  Even now my eye is light sensitive.  it is improving but I am going to the eye Dr on Monday and hopefully this is a temporary condition.  This is why I haven't posted.  hard when light hurts and you have to squint.

  I am continuing my string of "bugaloo" songs.  This discussion was started in the "Monster Hunter Nation, Hunters Unite", back in November of 2019? it is a Facebook group with enthusiast of the ILOH "International Lord of Hate" A.K.A Larry Correia.  We were talking about what song would we use if we looked out of our window or glanced at our security camera and saw this.....

One of the alphabet bois lining up to take down your house...What would be your "Valhalla" song and you would set it up to play as you load up magazines set up the Tannerite Rover, turn on the water irrigation system and fill it with gasoline instead of water and prepare yourself.

 I figured it would scar the alphabet boys if they come busting in and hearing a song about people standing for their beliefs and willing to fight for them no matter the cost, Good Music  unlike that crap they listen to now.  What can I say, My humor is warped....just a bit. Next week will be "Hold Your Head Up" by Argent,  Now that should really cause some psych evals., hehehe, some poor ATF guy trying to explain the attraction to his mother because he is imaging himself as The savior of the American way rather than working for an agency that have the initials of a convenience store.  Now because we ain't gonna answer that door.  They can kick it in and start "the Dance" 

Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album) is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records. It was recorded in an eight-month span at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. The recording of the album was troubled, however, and during production the band frequently came into conflict with their new producer, Bob Rock. The album marked a change in the band's sound from the thrash metal style of the previous four albums to a slower and heavier one rooted in heavy metal.

Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad but True", all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song "Don't Tread on Me" was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.

Metallica received widespread critical acclaim and became the band's best-selling album. It debuted at number one in ten countries and spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, making it Metallica's first album to top the album charts. Metallica is one of the best-selling albums worldwide, and also one of the best-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began. The album was certified 16× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2012, and has sold over sixteen million copies in the United States, being the first album in the SoundScan era to do so.

Metallica played Metallica in its entirety during the 2012 European Black Album Tour. In 2003, the album was ranked number 255 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time. In December 2019, Metallica became the fourth release in American history to enter the 550-week milestone on the Billboard 200. It also became the second longest-charting traditional title in history, and the second to spend 550 weeks on the album charts.

"Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child's nightmares.

The single reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and achieved platinum certification for more than 1,000,000 copies shipped in the United States, spurring sales of over 30 million copies for Metallica and propelling Metallica to worldwide popularity. Acclaimed by critics, the song is featured in all of Metallica's live albums and DVDs released after 1991 and has been played live at award ceremonies and benefit concerts.

"Enter Sandman" was the second music video from Metallica and the first from Metallica. It was also the first of six Metallica music videos directed by Wayne Isham. Recorded in Los Angeles, it premiered on July 30, 1991, two weeks before the release of the album. The plot of the music video directly relates to the theme of the song, combining images of a child having nightmares and images of an old man (R. G. Armstrong) with shots of the band playing the song. The child dreams that he is drowning, falling from the top of a building, covered in snakes, being chased by a truck and finally falling from a mountain while escaping the truck. During the part of the song in which the child recites a prayer, he is being watched by the Sandman. Throughout the video, the picture flickers continuously. The music video won Best Hard Rock Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Andrew Blackie of PopMatters has said the video's "narrative suits the sludgy riffs and James Hetfield's

China's 2nd Aircraft Carrier Holds First Drills of 2021.

I have posted about the 2nd Chinese Aircraft Carrier, China has been flexing their muscles for the past 20 years, they view themselves and the 21st century as "Their" century.  You throw in communism  with a huge helping of mandarism and you get the modern Chinese government.  They look at the long road and they want to avenge slights from centuries past.  Also they want to expand their economic reach, far beyond their borders.  They flat own ports in the United States, huge swaths of Africa and Asia outside of Mainland China, and they have been building manmade island for their military to lay claim to the resource rich South China Sea.  They have been arguing with the Philippines over the Spratley Island, and they have their eyes on Taiwan, and with the Xiden Whitehouse in thrall to the Chinese, the Taiwanese are swinging in the wind, and they know it.  We have seen how they have treated the people of Hong Kong despite treaties to the contrary.   Life is cheap over there when you are a vassal of the state.  

China's 2nd aircraft carrier group holds 1st drill in 2021 in S.China Sea, 'training for combat preparedness'

In-Depth Coverage

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: May 02, 2021 12:10 PM Updated: May 02, 2021 02:39 PM

An aircraft carrier group led by China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, is conducting a series of exercises in the South China Sea in its first known voyage of the year, almost immediately after the country's first carrier, the Liaoning, left the region, and Chinese analysts said on Sunday that the move highlighted the fact that the two aircraft carriers that China currently operates are actively training for combat preparedness.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently organized the Shandong aircraft carrier group for exercises in waters in the South China Sea, Senior Captain Gao Xiucheng, a spokesperson from the PLA Navy, said in a statement on Sunday.

The drill is a regular series of exercises organized based on the annual work schedule, and is fully legitimate and legal, Gao said, noting that it will contribute to boosting the service's capability to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests as well as regional peace and stability.

"We hope the outside world can view [the Shandong's exercise] objectively and rationally. The PLA Navy will continue to organize similar exercises according to the plan regularly in the future," Gao said.

This is the first time the Shandong has embarked on exercises made aware to the general public in 2021, observers said.

As China's second aircraft carrier which entered service in December 2019 and underwent further trials and training sessions in 2020, the Shandong is gaining furtherly enhanced combat capability, a Beijing-based military expert told the Global Times on Sunday, requesting anonymity.

The spokesperson said that the Shandong is in a group, and this means the aircraft carrier could practice coordinating with other vessels including destroyers and frigates like in real combat, instead of acting alone and testing its own technical parameters like during trial phases, the expert said.

Gao did not announce which ships other than the Shandong are included in the group.

Analysts pointed out that the Shandong's latest exercises come immediately after the end of exercises by another Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, also in the South China Sea.

The Liaoning carrier group recently conducted routine drills and training in waters around Taiwan and related waters in the South China Sea, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

According to Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff, the Liaoning left the region as it had returned to the East China Sea on April 26 via the Miyako Strait.

Having two aircraft carriers means the PLA Navy can deploy these large warships more often, according to the anonymous expert, who noted that when one undergoes maintenance, the other can take its place.

The recent, consecutive exercises by the Liaoning and the Shandong show that China's aircraft carriers are actively training for combat preparedness in order to deal with any potential threat the country is facing, analysts said.

"China's aircraft carriers are not 'homebodies,' and long distance voyages are bound to become norm," Wu said.

Biden Wants to Ban "Weapons of War"

 I also got this from SSG.  it used some really good verbage in defense of the 2nd Amendment.  Unless the Donks are successful in packing the supreme court, than the post I set up on Sunday might become an reality.

President Biden has a constitutionally unsound interest in shredding the Second Amendment. We have been told he seems likely to release some executive actions on the topic tomorrow. He has consistently called for gun-grabbing policies and legislation that would fundamentally incapacitate that vital protection against tyranny. Fortunately for America, and freedom, we have a solid Conservative majority on the Supreme Court who believe the words on that dusty old parchment still matter.

UPDATE:

Now that the Biden admin has released the executive orders here are some quick takes

Ghost Guns- This is a narrative over danger action for a problem that doesn’t really exist, it will be tough for it to survive scrutiny. It is a classic “We have to do something, invent a scary name” action.

Pistols vs. short-barreled rifles- The use of a forearm brace to turn a pistol into a more rifle-like weapon is a tough one. In many cases these are not just pistols, but rifle or submachine gun actions and this may be an area where the courts side with Biden. But it more properly belongs as a legislative action, so they may shoot it down on those grounds.

Red Flag laws- These gain popular emotional support as they can be used to take weapons away from people who have shown they are a danger. That means these rules can also be abused to get guns confiscated by angry spouses during divorces other disputes. If this survives it needs to be very narrowly tailored.

The rest of Biden’s aggressive gun-grabbing agenda is outlined  below and has yet to be put into action. But he and his allies are hell bent on doing it, so we can expect an attempt in Congress soon.

On the three year anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, President Biden released a statement that included this:

“Today, I am calling on Congress to enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets.”

He repeated that call after Ahmad al-Issa used an AR-15 to kill 10 people in Boulder, Colorado on March, 22. Biden said Congress should pass universal background checks but “should also ban assault weapons in the process.”

That “weapons of war” formulation is a favorite of Biden’s and his anti-gun mob. It’s catchy, but 100% unconstitutional when talking about the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms. Unfortunately for the Left, the right to own a weapon of war is precisely what is guaranteed.

The legal precedent for interpreting the Second Amendment is the D.C. v. Heller ruling penned by Justice Antonin Scalia. It very firmly establishes that there is a right for individual citizens to own guns for any legal purpose; and the type of weapons protected. Justice Scalia noted the previous decision U.S. v. Miller 1939 addressed this:

“Miller’s holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those in common use at the time…”

Scalia expanded on that:

“The militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense. The Antifederalists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in order to disable this citizens’ militia, enabling a politicized standing army or a select militia to rule. The response was to deny Congress power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear arms, so that the ideal of a citizens’ militia would be preserved.”

This expressly contemplated that the citizens’ militia would be on some sort of equal basis with the standing army, and not simply a collection of individuals with shotguns and hunting implements.

At the time of the drafting of the Second Amendment that weapon would have been a musket. What does that mean in these modern times? I delve deeply into the intent of the Second Amendment in my new book, Winning the Second Civil War: Without Firing a Shot.

The answer is a weapon useful for service as a foot soldier in the militia:

“Today the individual soldier carries some type of AR-15 style rifle with a large capacity, detachable box magazine. It just so happens that the most commonly used weapon by private citizens, also known as the well-regulated militia, is some type of AR-15 style rifle with a large capacity, detachable box magazine. Interesting.”

The argument that usually follows from the Left is that the National Firearms Act of 1934 prohibits citizens from owning many weapons of war including machine guns. They think this should allow prohibiting semi-automatic “assault weapons”, too. The simple answer is that machine guns and other weapons banned in 1934 were never in common use or useful as the weapon of the individual soldier. An AR-15 variant is both.

Justice Scalia did a masterful job in preserving the Second Amendment from most of the attacks the Left will mount against it. Thankfully, D.C. v. Heller is virtually bulletproof. This was vital because it is arguably the most important of all the rights enumerated. It is the only one that gives citizens actual recourse to protect all the others if a government ever becomes un-Constitutionally tyrannical.

You can find a full list of Biden’s bad ideas on guns here. They include the previously mentioned desire to ban the manufacture and sale of “assault weapons”, the registration and taxation of existing ones, a limit to one gun purchase per month, and a cornucopia of other constitutionally-suspect regulations. These issues will come to a head soon as there are bills already being introduced in Congress.

“Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has proposed a gun control bill that would create a national firearm registry, set a minimum gun ownership age at 21 and both require licensing and psychological evaluations.”

She also adds an $800 tax for “insurance” and makes this gun registry public knowledge so anyone can find out what guns someone else owns. A more likely first step is a bill reintroduced by Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy who said:

“…the single most popular and effective proposal we can consider is universal background checks,”

This might be the one place they can sneak something in without falling afoul of the Constitution. Federally licensed dealers must already conduct background checks, but private sales don’t require them. It is an open question whether this would be an improper burden on private sales or transfers, including between family members.

The Left is deeply invested in this and they know they need to act while they have control in Congress and the White House. While any law that includes gun banning or grabbing measures would be a grave danger, we need to test the viability of D.C. v. Heller with the supposed Conservative majority in the Supreme Court. An “assault weapons” ban should be an easy 6-3 decision to overturn.

It better be.