HELICOPTERS at War

Aeromedical Evacuation during the Korean War. (U.S. Air Force photo)

From World War II, helicopters were largely insignificant in usage. While they were often used for supply and rescue missions in the China-Burma-India Theater, their limited design restricted their usage for greater depth. This continued in the Korean War, as helicopters were kept away from combat missions. Greater deployment for troop ferrying was disallowed by law, but on November 4, 1952, via an agreement signed by the Army and Air Force, the helicopter began its evolution in increasing roles played in combat zones. Significantly, before the Korean War ended, the 6th Transportation Company with Sikorski H-19s was deployed via helicopter to Korea.

The Vietnam War saw the United States greatly increase the usage of air mobility in their war strategies. Troops from the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) were sent to fight Viet Cong guerillas in 1962 using helicopters. This enjoyed initial success before the guerrillas found ways to combat this during the crucial AP BAC stand. They were taught how to shoot down the H-21 and Huey helicopters, and the air threat was greatly reduced as a result.

In spite of this, the U.S. Army broadened their scope of ground attacks via airborne vessels (in the shape of helicopters). With their increasing involvement in the Vietnam War by the mid-1960’s, the Army’s helicopters now not only ferried huge troop forces but also larger fleets combined with bomb and rocket carpeting of opposing armies by fixed-wing airplanes.

Using the helicopter, the U.S. Army could engineer rapid deployment and withdrawal of troops into, and from, enemy territory, which was a far cry from slow engagement over ground forces. It could also launch surprise attacks on enemies with less reaction time. The Ch-47 Chinook and UH-1 Huey were widely used for such purposes with great success.

Armed helicopters evolved as well, providing cover and support for ground troops against enemy troops. Helicopter gunships such as the AH-1 Cobra featured wide-ranging artillery including grenade launchers and guided missiles. Before long, the helicopter as a weapon of war was as much a fixture as the tank, armored personnel carrier, and jeep. The Vietnam War had its greatest representative weapon in the Huey.

The number of air casualties was massive during the Vietnam War. There were a total of 4,869 American helicopters lost in the war zone over the course of 1962 to 1973. Curiously, forty-seven percent of the losses came from operational mishaps, which resulted from poorly maintained war-time helicopters. The thick Vietnam jungle landscape also proved an obstacle to damaged helicopters, leading to multiple crashes.

By achieving reasonable success in the usage of helicopters in war conflict, other countries like Great Britain and the ex-Soviet Union copied the U.S.’s lead. However, most countries limited it to troop deployment over combat zones against rebel groups, primarily using U.S. helicopters. 

With the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army continued to refine its combat aviation capabilities as they became less reliant on the U.S. Air Force. The looming threat in Europe of a Soviet ground offensive became their focus, and once again, the helicopter was the primary weapon.

The HueyCobra with heavy artillery was used against deep enemy targets. Utilizing greater American technology that facilitated attacks under night cover, such as “Nap of the Earth” (NOE) flying where helicopters could fly hidden amidst trees and hills and infrared and night imaging gadgets, the Army obtained an advantage over the larger numerical Soviet ground forces and bombarded them with missiles. Helicopters equipped with sophisticated laser-guided missiles to cripple tanks became a fixture in the 1980s.

The benefits of these strategic developments were shown in all their glories in the Persian Gulf War. Iraqi ground troops and artillery were crushed through tactical maneuvers that hinged on the mobility provided by U.S. attack helicopters. These results encouraged other countries to do the same.

Helicopters have not contributed much beyond infantry warfare, due to comparative disadvantages in speed, protection, and weight management capability to conventional fixed-wing aircrafts.

From its infancy, helicopters with greatly developed navigation capabilities have been a mainstay in Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. Notable results were achieved during the East European wars such as the Bosnia crisis and the Yugoslavia bombing in 1999, while Vietnam offered more than its share of highlight reels. 

The helicopter has also proved to be the perfect tool in submarine hunting and anti-shipping missions, over-the-horizon targeting, and deep sea mine clearing. They provide a more mobile solution compared to ships and cannot be targeted by enemy submarines. Helicopters can also escape detection by ships’ sensors as they are sited beyond the horizon, providing ally ships with target data. They are also safe alternatives to deep sea mine clearing by keeping a distance above the water.

Despite increasing military usage, the helicopter still lacks in speed, range and lifting capabilities. However, with continued research and development by aircraft manufacturers worldwide to meld its attributes with the finer points of conventional aircraft, the helicopter could see an even wider future role and greater impact in the field.

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Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny - Photo: Wikipedia

America is a vast country covering thousands of square miles of land that traverses tremendously diverse climate and landscape.  From high and majestic mountains, to wide deserts to vast fruitful plains that seem to go on forever, the sheer size of the physical landscape of America is breath taking.

Obviously, this was not always the case.  When those earliest settlers landed on the east coast and carved out their stark settlements, they had no idea of huge expanse of land that lay to the west.  It took the bold explorations of surveyors such and Lewis and Clark to report back how stunningly huge the amount of physical space that was available for America to inhabit.

At first, the very idea of becoming a nation was seemingly impossible for the early settlers to grasp.  They came here to escape persecution, tyranny or to make a new home for their families.  If they could have looked a few hundred years down the line into the future and seen the powerhouse of a nation that would grow up from their work in those early years, they would have been stunned that this country grew to be such a world force.  So the earliest challenges of settlers and early leaders of the citizens of the young America was to grasp the scope of what they were about to set about to achieve.

But grasp that scope they did.  It seemed that the physical majesty of what was to become the nation of America inspired a concept that was just as grand as the land itself and that was the concept of Manifest Destiny.  Manifest destiny was the force that drove those settlers and explorers to drive their wagon trains across sometimes impossible terrain through difficult weather conditions and facing many dangers from animals and Native Americans alike to build a nation that spanned form the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

This was the dream of the early settlers of this country.  They did not just see a new nation but one of importance, of an almost holy calling to become a virtual utopia of democracy and opportunity.  And part of that utopian vision was the idea of a nation that spanned ocean to ocean and from Mexico to the Canadian border as well.  

When you think about it, its phenomenal that a people who did not have space photographs of a landscape or high speed travel such as is common today to get a vision of a unified nation of such vast size and scope.  But it was more than just physical size that spoke to the hearts and souls of those early Americans.  Manifest Destiny spoke to a vision of greatness for America that was birthed in the hearts of even these early citizens.  

The size of the country was to be a reflection of the majesty of the human spirit and the magnificence of the American experiment to build a nation built on freedom, the will of the people and on democracy and opportunity.  Today such concepts seem ordinary and for that we can thank the early founders of this country for catching that dream together and making it a reality.

Many have criticized Manifest Destiny as greed or empire building.  And to be sure, mistakes were made and many people died or had their individual destinies hurt in the wholesale rush to the west that America experienced in its early decades.  But what is not diminished is that sense of calling and that sense that America was put here for something great.  That calling lives still in the hearts of all true Americans as we find out how we too can help our country fulfill its Manifest Destiny to be a voice for freedom and liberty in the world.  Let’s hope Americans never loose their sense of calling and destiny.  Because if that dies away, something holy and magnificent will die with it.

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Sudoku Solutions: Helpful for Some, Boring for Others

Sudoku puzzle solved by a brute force/backtracking algorithm. The algorithm started by filling the first empty cells with the values 1 - 9 until one of them created a valid board and moved on from there backtracking whenever doing this could not create a valid board. The program is written in Java. Letter images made in Photoshop.
Photo: Wikimedia

Many players of the Sudoku find this puzzle game very difficult to solve. However, because of the clever minds of most players, they have created techniques, strategies, and solutions to make the game simple.

The following are some of those solutions the players have made in solving any levels of the Sudoku puzzle game.

1.  Scanning

This solution is executed at the start and all throughout the game. Scans should be done for many times in the middle of studying the puzzle. There are actually two basic techniques involved in scanning they are:

•  Cross-hatching – This is scanning of rows and columns to know which line holds numbers that should be removed. The process is repeated in rows and columns. For an accurate result, the numbers should be scanned based on their frequency. It is very necessary to do this process in order to check all the 1 to 9 numbers. 

•  Counting – This technique is performed to know what the missing numbers are. In order to have a fast result, counting should be done based on the last number revealed. 

While the scanning is performed, advanced solvers are searching for possibilities. They do it by narrowing the location of each number in a row or column. 

Most challenging puzzle games have many possibilities that need to be discovered. These possibilities might be in many directions or intersections. The puzzles that need only the solution for scanning in order to be solved are categorized as the easy puzzle. On the contrary, the difficult puzzle can also be solved by using scanning but still, it requires the discovery of possibilities. 

2.  Marking Up

Scanning is usually stopped when there are no numbers that can be detected. From this, it is important to use some logical analysis. Most players find it helpful to lead the analysis by marking up the possible numbers in the empty boxes. There are two famous notations in marking up, they are:

•  Subscript – The possible numbers are written in subscript in the box. The disadvantage to this is that Sudoku puzzle found in newspapers or magazines are normally too small to contain the subscripts. Therefore, it is suggested that if you are going to use this notation, you should make a bigger copy of the puzzle or use a finely pointed pencil. 

•  Dots – the advantage of this is that it can be used on original puzzles. When using the notation, you need to have dexterity in order to put the dots. Misplaced or unintended dots may lead the player to confusion. 

3.  Analyzing 

The following are the two basic approaches for analyzing:

•  Elimination – This is the way of eliminating possible numbers from one box or more to have only one option. After getting each answer, it would be good to perform another scan. This is made to know the effect of the last number placed in. There are several elimination tactics. The commonly used among these tactics is the unmatched candidate removal. Boxes with similar sets of possible numbers are a match if the number of the possible numbers is equal to the numbers of boxes having them. 

•  What if – In this approach, a box containing only two possible numbers is chosen and a guess is completed. The steps already mentioned are repeated except if the same number is found in the same box. If duplication happens, the alternative candidate number is the solution. In logical expressions, this is what called as the reductio ad absurdum. This kind of approach requires a pencil and an eraser. The logical perfectionist may frown about this approach because of its many trial and error test. However, this approach can draw out solutions faster. 

It is not necessary to combine techniques in order to solve the Sudoku. These may prevent the drawbacks of the above solutions, which for most players can be very uninteresting. The counting of the rows and columns can also bore the seasoned Sudoku players. Writing down the possible numbers in an empty box can also consume more time. In addition, the what-if approach can be very puzzling unless the players know how to organize. 

The best solution for solving the Sudoku is to search for techniques that do not require more counting, marking out and analyzing.

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The History of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

Old Harley-Davidson - Photo: Pixabay

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle has been in production since 1903. The brand offers a variety of models for both men and women. While this brand of motorcycle is among the most expensive, the models also have a reputation for being reliable and well built. Harley-Davidson bikes are also well known for the power behind them as they were initially built as a racing bike.

The sell of the motorcycles was slow in the beginning. The one cylinder bike they made in 1903 sold quickly,  but by 1905 they had only sold 11. They continued to improve their designs, and it paid off. By 1908 they had sold 154. They decided to move production from a tiny barn to a factory and hired 20 employees. The bar and shield logo that graces each and every Harley-Davidson bike was introduced in 1910. 

By 1912 the business was booming. There were 200 dealerships in the United States and Japan was demanding more and more bikes. By 1914 almost all motorcycles in the racing circuit were Harley-Davidsons as they could outrun all other brands on the market. Over 20,000 bikes were sold to the military and used in the war. No one was surprised in 1918 when Harley-Davidson became the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.

From 1940 until 1945 consumers were very disappointed as it was almost impossible to purchase a new Harley-Davidson. This is because the company had signed another large contract with the United States military, supplying motorcycles for the war. However, this leads to the 1950’s being a difficult time for Harley-Davidson as many consumers got tired of waiting and started purchasing other brands of motorcycles. By 1957 though Harley-Davidson was back on top with the introduction of the Sportster. 

Minor changes to the style and design of the motorcycles took place through the early 1980’s. Harley-Davidson decided some major changes were in order. They introduced a model that featured a five-speed transmission called the FLT. They also replaced the drive train with a belt. The twin-engine was introduced in 1984. 

Harley-Davidson has always taken pride in listening to the consumers of its products. They earned the respect of many owners in 1987 when they introduced their Buy Back Program. This allowed customers to obtain the full trade-in value when they came to purchase a newer model. 

Since then, Harley-Davidson has continued to introduce a variety of new designs including the Fatboy that has sold well. Men and women both find Harley-Davidson motorcycles to be comfortable bikes that are well designed. Riding one is also a prestigious symbol to many. 

Today, you can find a variety of Harley-Davidson retailers all over the world. They offer a full range of motorcycles to choose from. You can even have a customized bike built for you from the factory. You will find the salespeople to be friendly and informative. Harley-Davidson also offers one of the best warranties on motorcycles in the industry. 

Harley-Davidson has stood the test of time when it comes to manufacturing quality motorcycles. This is because they have continually worked to improve upon their designs. They have also paid attention to what consumers are looking for and be willing to produce it when other motorcycle brands have hesitated. Harley-Davidson has earned a loyal consumer base with many claiming they won’t consider riding anything else. The company is reaping the rewards of their dedication, owning 62% of the motorcycle market. 

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Basic Equipment Required for Youth Soccer Training

Socer Training - Photo: Pixabay

Hosting a youth soccer training session can be a lot of fun. When hosting a soccer training session with children, you can expect to see them, their family members, and even a few of their friends come to watch the training. This makes for a very exciting time for everyone. Coaches get the opportunity to personally develop each player individually, while others watch in amazement at the pure skill and agility of the child that they are supporting. However, it is essential to bring along some basic equipment that is required for youth soccer training. 

The first thing that you should bring to your youth soccer training session is a soccer ball for each player. While you should allow it to be permissible for a child to bring their own soccer ball, it is important to understand that many children may not have their own soccer ball. There are many children who may simply forget their soccer ball. This is why it is essential to have a steady supply of balls available. Be sure to make a rule that if a child brings along their own soccer ball they should write their first and last name in permanent marker on it. This will ensure proper identification after the youth soccer training session is over. 

The next thing that you should be sure to bring to a youth soccer training session is a large container of prepared ice water or prepared ice Gatorade. You can purchase a cooler that has a spout to make it easy to get the fluid from the container. Be sure to purchase a large number of cups that the children can use. Normally, these cups will become misplaced and a child may use a new cup each time that they get something to drink. You may wish to explain to parents that a child should bring a bottle of ice water with them to soccer training. Be sure to stress the importance of placing their names on the bottles. Many children may even like to bring sports bottles. 

The third thing that you should bring to a youth soccer training session is enough shin guards for all of the players. It is important to have these items available to avoid the risk of injury to your players. Many children may forget their shin guards, or may not be able to purchase a pair for themselves. However, as a coach, it is essential that you take these things into consideration to ensure that all players are able to enjoy a safe practice session.

When coaching a youth soccer training session, it is very important to be certain that you bring a whistle. In many cases, this will be the only method that you can use to gain the attention of the children. This is especially true if the training area is relatively large. You do not have to invest a lot of money into the whistle for it to be effective, but it is necessary that it has a high enough quality to be heard. You may choose to bring a few extra whistles to ensure that you have a backup in case the first one becomes lost or damaged in any way. 

The next item that you will need at a youth soccer training session is a way to separate the group into teams. This may be as simple as different colored vests, t-shirts of different colors, or even flagging devices. There are many drills and other activities that may require you to have at least two teams, so, having a method of identifying your teams are very important. 

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Facts About XMODS RC Cars

Xmods Saleen S281E Transformers Barricade - Photo: Wikimedia

There are generally two types of RC cars: toy-grade and hobby grade. 

Toy-grade RC cars are made to be played with until they expire. This is because there are no parts available to repair them or do anything to extend their useful life. 

Hobby grade RC cars, on the other hand, can be repaired using kits brought in different hobby shops. It is commonly the case that people would experiment with the kits and create their own customized RC car. However, this can take a lot of effort to pull off. People who are virtual newbies in the world of RC cars may have to settle for kits with not-so-original features. This perception of customization, however, has been changed with the introduction of XMODS RC cars.

What are XMODS RC cars? Well, they are often advertised as giving the most authentic tuner experience to RC fans. This is because XMODS RC cars are fully customizable. The problem with other hobby RC car kits is the fact that the choices of parts are limited. This is because most RC car companies wish to monopolize customers. By making sure that no other parts fit with their RC cars, they can be sure to maintain a client base.

The problem with this technique is that it leaves enthusiasts with virtually no freedom to make a car that's unique. The limited choices in parts mean that duplication is not only possible, it's inevitable. 

There is also the question of quality. People know that different companies have different specialties. This is the reason why sticking with one company in terms of RC car parts is not really advisable for an enthusiast. In order to build the perfect RC car, an enthusiast should be able to combine different parts according to his or her preference. Sticking with parts that come from one company would mean sticking with only one quality. This means that you would end up with a car that may be good in terms of one factor, but bad in others.

One of the main advantages of XMODS RC cars is the fact that many companies are involved in making parts for it. This means that a person availing of a kit is faced with limitless possibilities of tuning and customization. Because of this, a person can create the RC car that's best according to him or her.

Another advantage with XMODS RC cars is their look. XMODS RC cars come in the form of the choicest cars available today. Now while this may be offered by other types of RC companies, XMODS RC cars are actually designed by the makers of the cars themselves. This means that you get exquisite craftsmanship every time you buy an XMODS RC car kit.

If you think that XMODS RC cars are all about the looks, you would be very mistaken. XMODS RC cars are made to race. After all, people do not engage in the RC car hobby just to tinker around, do they? When all the work is done, you get the opportunity to enjoy it by racing your XMODS RC car using a homemade track or you could choose to enter your car in tournaments sponsored by radioshack. Whatever your choice, you are sure to enjoy the enhanced RC experience brought to you by XMODS RC cars.

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The Boston Tea Party

"The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor" - Photo: Wikimedia

There are some events that took place during the historic time when America was declaring its independence from England that are so historic, so iconic that they have taken on the status of myth and legend as much as history.  And certainly, the Boston Tea Party fits that description.  This is such a standout event in American history that it is common to see school children reenact it during elementary school plays or skits.  And the participant's names including John Hancock, Paul Revere, and John Adams have similarly become classic heroic figures in American folklore and history.

But the events of December 16, 1776, were not fable or myth but real and important parts of the development of the American Revolution that was crucial to the early foundation of this country.  The situation of taxation that was being imposed by Brittan on goods that were coming into the colonies was one of serious stress on the colonists because they had no control over those taxes.  And that tax situation was made more extreme with the relationship between the British government and the East India Tea company who was receiving tax breaks for their goods that would place them at a competitive advantage in the Americas.  

These kinds of preferential treatment only aggravated the already tense relationship between the colonies and Britain and many in leadership over the American states saw the way England was handling the situation as conspiratorial to try to hurt the economy of the growing new country and to impose restrictive rule through taxation on the colonies and the colonists.  That is why that famous proclamation “No Taxation Without Representation” became one that is historic for the outrage against the English that took the colonies into a revolutionary war that eventually lead to the independence of the American colonies and the beginning of a new country.

Finally, on Thursday, December 16, 1776, decisive action needed to be taken.  And our forefathers were nothing if known for bold and decisive action in the fact of tyranny.  The East India Tea Company had docked the HMS Dartmouth in Boston harbor full of a fresh import of tea for the colonies.  It was time for the colonists to make a statement that this unethical and immoral use of taxes on tea was for all intents and purposes an act of war and they were going to treat it as such.

Badly disguised as Indians, the brave colonists boarded the HMS Dartmouth and her sister ships, the HMS Beaver and the HMS Eleanor and skillfully and efficiently dumped the entire delivery of tea into Boston harbor.  All totaled, over forty-five tons of tea went into the water that night.  It was a stunning blow.  But more than that it was a slap in the face of the British government and a gauntlet laid down that their attempts to rule the colonies b tyranny were not going to be tolerated any longer.

This event was pivotal in pushing the hostilities between England and the colonies past the “nuisance” stage and setting forces in motion for war.  But more than that, it was such a bold statement of defiance that many colonists were inspired to join the increasing chorus calling for war and independence.  

For loyal Britains, the idea of separating and forming their own country was hard to grasp.  But the leadership of the men who planned and executed the Boston Tea Party demonstrated a new independent spirit.  This was the kind of backbone, the sense of pride and independence that was to come to define the American spirit in years ahead.  But it took the courage and boldness of this little band of men to demonstrate that treading on by a foreign tyrant was not something we had to put up with.  

It made a statement to England and to the colonists at the same time that revolution was possible and they really could think of themselves as free people who would bow to no king.  From that time forward the independence of America was inevitable.  These visionary leaders showed us an America that gave power to its people, not to kings or governments and the result in how America works and our lives are lived in the direct outcome of bold protests such as the Boston Tea Party.

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