Veterans...Get the hell in here now!
- Thread starter 6ohMax
- Start date
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
This year, a panel revisited the Australian Navy’s request to award the Victoria Cross to Ordinary Seaman Edward “Teddy” Sheean. On August 12th, they overturned three previous decisions that Sheean’s actions did not rise to the level necessary to receive the award.
The Victoria Cross is the highest honor for military valor in the British commonwealth of Australia. Sheean was awarded it nearly 78 years after his actions in the Timor Sea saved the lives of many of his fellow sailors.
An 18-year-old Sheean served as a gunner’s mate on the HMAS Armidale, a corvette in the Australian Navy. They were spotted by Japanese reconnaissance planes as they left Darwin on November 29, 1942. On December 1, they were attacked by Japanese fighter planes. The ship was struck by two torpedoes and began to sink quickly. The order was given to abandon ship.
Sheean, who was injured in the attack, ignored the order to abandon ship and strapped himself to his anti-aircraft gun. He continued firing at enemy aircraft as the ship sank thereby providing cover for his fellow sailors as they abandoned the ship. The surviving sailors said that they could see tracer bullets rising from under the water as Sheean continued firing even while being dragged down with the ship.
Of the 149 sailors on the Armidale, 49 survived. They were recovered from the Timor Sea a week after the attack. According to the panel that awarded the Victoria Cross to Sheean, each survivor most likely owed his life to the actions of the gunner’s mate.
His case was first reviewed for the Victoria Cross in 1942-1942. It was subsequently reviewed in 2013 and 2019. Each time the panel determined that Sheean did not deserve the award.
Sheean was a legend in Australia, though. There are monuments to him throughout the country. The Navy named a submarine after him making him the lowest ranked sailor to receive such an honor. Through the years the navy continually pushed for Sheean to receive the highest honor his nation could give him.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the government had received “conflicting evidence about Sheean’s efforts after the reviews in 2013 and 2019. He ordered a new panel convene to review the case one more time. In a statement, Morrison stated that they were correcting a “substantial injustice.” He said that the new decision formalized what Australians already knew to be true – that Sheean was a hero.
Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross in 1856 to recognize acts of gallantry by members of the British armed forces. In order to receive the award, an armed forces member must show extreme bravery in the presence of the enemy.
The original prototype for the award is said to have been formed from the bronze of guns captured from the Russians in Crimea. The first 110 medals were also cast from this same bronze but this is actually false. Historian John Glanfield has established that the metal for most of the medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannons
The Victoria Cross medal is in the form of a Maltese cross cast in bronze. The face of the medal has the royal crown topped with a standing lion. Beneath the crown is a ribbon that has the words “For Valour.” The reverse of the cross has a circle with the date of the heroic actions. The cross is suspended from a “V” connected to a bar which lists the details of the recipient.
Sheean will be the 101st Australian to receive the honor when it is presented to his family later this year.
The Citation:
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
TO BE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS FOR AUSTRALIA
ORDINARY SEAMAN EDWARD SHEEAN H1617 (DECEASED)
For the most conspicuous gallantry and a pre-eminent act of valour in the presence of the enemy during a Japanese aerial attack on HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942.
TO BE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS FOR AUSTRALIA
ORDINARY SEAMAN EDWARD SHEEAN H1617 (DECEASED)
For the most conspicuous gallantry and a pre-eminent act of valour in the presence of the enemy during a Japanese aerial attack on HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942.
On 1 December 1942, during operations in the Timor Sea, HMAS Armidale came under aerial bombardment and torpedo attack from Japanese aircraft. Shortly after the commencement of the attack, Armidale was hit by a torpedo and began listing to port. One minute later the ship was hit by a second torpedo which broke the vessel’s back, causing the Captain to order abandon ship.
Ordinary Seaman Sheean, one of the youngest and most junior ranked members of Armidale’s Ship’s Company, made his way to the stowage position of the motor-boat and assisted in its launch. As the enemy continued to fire upon the ship and his shipmates who were already in the water, Ordinary Seaman Sheean decided to forgo his opportunity for survival by not abandoning ship and returning to his Action Station to man the aft Oerlikon gun, where he was the loader, not the gunner. Despite being wounded, he strapped himself into the gun and commenced firing at the enemy, damaging at least two enemy aircraft.
Ordinary Seaman Sheean’s actions disrupted and distracted the enemy from strafing and killing his defenceless shipmates in the water. He sacrificed his life trying to save his shipmates and, despite his wounds, he continued firing the gun until the ship sank and took him to his death. His pre-eminent act of valour and most conspicuous gallantry saved Australian lives. His heroism became the standard to which the men and women of the Australian Defence Force aspire.
wascaptain
Well-Known Member
i am still in the fight boys (and girls)
did a 108 floor stair climb in honor of our fallen hero's this morning for 911.
did a 108 floor stair climb in honor of our fallen hero's this morning for 911.
Attachments
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Vintage aircraft fly in formation over Oahu, Hawaii, on Sept. 1, 2020, for the 75th commemoration of the end of WWII. (Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr./Air Force)
They train like this near me. Rad to watch them in the canyons and skimming the ground
We had a couple of Raptors showing off over town a few days ago.
I'd hate to piss one of those guys off!
www.bing.com
I'd hate to piss one of those guys off!
f22 raptor video - Search Videos
raratt
Well-Known Member
They do things aircraft should not be able to do thanks to vectored thrust. Air to air missiles are kept inside the fuselage to maintain stealth. I saw the first aircraft shot down by one while working flight test. (I think I mentioned that before, but it was REALLY cool to watch).We had a couple of Raptors showing off over town a few days ago.
I'd hate to piss one of those guys off!
f22 raptor video - Search Videos
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
They’ll do even more once we get the meat out of the cockpit.
raratt
Well-Known Member
They will be able to save more RPV's once they come up with an electronic sphincter to assess the threat situation.
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
The iron asshole of truth
The flat spin/drop just blew me away - you gotta have control and an ass load of thrust to pull outta that!
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Today in Military History:
The Siege of Leningrad, also called 900-day siege, prolonged siege (September 8, 1941–January 27, 1944) of the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union by German and Finnish armed forces during World War II. The siege actually lasted 872 days.
After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, German armies had by early September approached Leningrad from the west and south while their Finnish allies approached to the north down the Karelian Isthmus. Leningrad’s entire able-bodied population was mobilized to build antitank fortifications along the city’s perimeter in support of the city’s 200,000 Red Army defenders. Leningrad’s defenses soon stabilized, but by early November it had been almost completely encircled, with all its vital rail and other supply lines to the Soviet interior cut off.
The ensuing German blockade and siege claimed 650,000 Leningrader lives in 1942 alone, mostly from starvation, exposure, disease, and shelling from distant German artillery. Sparse food and fuel supplies reached the city by barge in the summer and by truck and ice-borne sled in winter across Lake Ladoga. These supplies kept the city’s arms factories operating and its two million inhabitants barely alive in 1942, while one million more of its children, sick, and elderly were being evacuated. There were somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 documented cases of cannibalism throughout the siege. Rations were reserved for those most integral to the protection of the city. As a result, children were not a priority for food.
On January 27, 1944, after nearly 900 days under blockade, Leningrad was freed. The victory was heralded with a 24-salvo salute from the city’s guns, and civilians broke into spontaneous celebrations in the streets. “People brought out vodka,” Leningrader Olga Grechina wrote. “We sang, cried, laughed; but it was sad all the same—the losses were just too large.”
In total, the siege of Leningrad had killed an estimated 800,000 civilians—nearly as many as all the World War II deaths of the United States and the United Kingdom combined.
theculturetrip.com
allthatsinteresting.com
The Siege of Leningrad, also called 900-day siege, prolonged siege (September 8, 1941–January 27, 1944) of the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union by German and Finnish armed forces during World War II. The siege actually lasted 872 days.
After Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, German armies had by early September approached Leningrad from the west and south while their Finnish allies approached to the north down the Karelian Isthmus. Leningrad’s entire able-bodied population was mobilized to build antitank fortifications along the city’s perimeter in support of the city’s 200,000 Red Army defenders. Leningrad’s defenses soon stabilized, but by early November it had been almost completely encircled, with all its vital rail and other supply lines to the Soviet interior cut off.
The ensuing German blockade and siege claimed 650,000 Leningrader lives in 1942 alone, mostly from starvation, exposure, disease, and shelling from distant German artillery. Sparse food and fuel supplies reached the city by barge in the summer and by truck and ice-borne sled in winter across Lake Ladoga. These supplies kept the city’s arms factories operating and its two million inhabitants barely alive in 1942, while one million more of its children, sick, and elderly were being evacuated. There were somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 documented cases of cannibalism throughout the siege. Rations were reserved for those most integral to the protection of the city. As a result, children were not a priority for food.
On January 27, 1944, after nearly 900 days under blockade, Leningrad was freed. The victory was heralded with a 24-salvo salute from the city’s guns, and civilians broke into spontaneous celebrations in the streets. “People brought out vodka,” Leningrader Olga Grechina wrote. “We sang, cried, laughed; but it was sad all the same—the losses were just too large.”
In total, the siege of Leningrad had killed an estimated 800,000 civilians—nearly as many as all the World War II deaths of the United States and the United Kingdom combined.
A Brief History Of The Siege Of Leningrad
Read about the longest and most destructive siege in history: the Siege of Leningrad.
theculturetrip.com
872 Days, 1.5 Million Deaths: A Disturbing Look Into WWII's Siege Of Leningrad
There are as many as 1,500 documented cases of cannibalism throughout the siege as citizens became desperate for food.
allthatsinteresting.com
doublejj
Well-Known Member
The Navy has banned sailors and Marines from using shampoos, lotions and soaps made with hemp or cannabidiol, one of the main active compounds in cannabis plants, it said in a statement. At issue is the possibility that such products could contain too much of the psychoactive compound found in pot called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and their use could “negatively impact mission readiness and disqualify a sailor from continued service,” said the statement released Friday.
www.stripes.com
Yet they didn't even enforce drinking age on base when I was in the army. If you were in uniform they would serve you..
Sailors, Marines can no longer use hemp products to fight frizz, soften skin, Navy says
The Army, Air Force and Coast Guard already have policies in place that forbid military members from using products made with hemp or hemp seed oil.
Yet they didn't even enforce drinking age on base when I was in the army. If you were in uniform they would serve you..
Last edited:
pabloesqobar
Well-Known Member
lol.
I remember drinking @ Gitmo in the 70's at the age of 18 - Windjammer - really just a gym converted into a makeshift bar for about 500 Navy, CG & Marines.The Navy has banned sailors and Marines from using shampoos, lotions and soaps made with hemp or cannabidiol, one of the main active compounds in cannabis plants, it said in a statement. At issue is the possibility that such products could contain too much of the psychoactive compound found in pot called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and their use could “negatively impact mission readiness and disqualify a sailor from continued service,” said the statement released Friday.
Sailors, Marines can no longer use hemp products to fight frizz, soften skin, Navy says
The Army, Air Force and Coast Guard already have policies in place that forbid military members from using products made with hemp or hemp seed oil.
Yet they didn't even enforce drinking age on base when I was in the army. If you were in uniform they would serve you..
Of course there were Marine SP's in uniform about every 25' against the bulkheads - helmets & all.
There was a fight at least every 30 minutes or so still.
raratt
Well-Known Member
There is the problem right there...lol
doublejj
Well-Known Member
exactly.....
I dunno, but the uniform was definitely the target.