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Your busted dude.....best flush your reefer.....now!
Best watch out for them cable cops they are ruthless.......bamboo under the finger nails etc. etc. etc.
What.....jumper wire......report scammers.....is this not a conflict of interest? LOL
I should of posted that on the joke board........
It's a known fact that all the clintoon loving libs are flakes, with that being said I am issuing a challenge to the board: Can we all speak kind words to each other for the next week?
lol
I fear that Onebgg has slipped into deep depression due to the fact that the Blazers are on a loosing streak........
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=671791
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=671796
I ask that all the posters here pm poor ol one and send their condolences..... tia...... I know he will appreciate it
I'm sure some of you will be able to state your opinion with this.......http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/cgi-bin/ttsdemo
Clintons only serve to make the future moron-certain.
An ambassador is the one who lies abroad for the good of the country.
In Search of Al Qaeda
Within three months of September 11, the War on Terror had succeeded in crushing the Taliban. But many of the operation's primary targets--members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network of international terrorists--managed to escape into neighboring Pakistan. This PBC Frontline special examines the quest to bring the terrorist group to justice in "In Search of Al Qaeda." The one-hour documentary follows the trail of Al Qaeda from the Afghan border areas into Pakistan's cities as U.S. and Pakistani authorities begin to track down some of the network's leaders. The journey continues to other Middle Eastern countries, where local villagers, officials, and others are interviewed about what has happened to Al Qaeda and its efforts to regroup.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/search/
I ask that all the posters here pm poor ol one and send their condolences..... tia...... I know he will appreciate it!
I fear that Onebgg has slipped into deep depression due to the fact that the Blazers are on a loosing streak........
Stand back, Suns' Stoudemire has arrived
Rookie jumps from preps to large impact in the NBA
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_1663441,00.html
By Ronald Tillery
tillery@gomemphis.com
January 10, 2003
PHOENIX - Shawn Kemp, once regarded as a Man Child, did not walk into the NBA with such a physique.
Even Kevin Garnett took longer to impose on the game.
However, mention Phoenix Suns rookie Amare Stoudemire and wrecking shop simply comes to mind.
"Here's a high school kid coming into the NBA and competing right away," Grizzlies assistant coach Tony Barone Sr. said. "Who's the last guy who's done that? I don't know."
What about Moses Malone?
OK, before this goes too far, Stoudemire is no Moses Malone.
But he's sure doing a mean imitation these days.
The 6-10, 245-pound forward, who made the leap from high school, is making an impact not seen since Malone left his prep friends behind for the NBA in 1974.
Not many general managers could forecast 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds a game when the Suns took Stoudemire with the ninth overall pick.
But for the first time since Charles Barkley was in his prime the Suns have a player who can dominate the paint.
Stoudemire's power, rapid development and apparent maturity are major reasons for the Suns' surprising ascent in the Western Conference.
"He reminds me of Chris Webber when he first came out of high school," said Griz center Lorenzen Wright, whose job is to contain Stoudemire tonight at 8 p.m. CST when their teams meet. "If he had gone to college, he would have been like Chris Webber - a man among boys. He's got a man's body. He can jump out of the gym and run the floor."
If Stoudemire attended college, he'd be a part of a surging Memphis program.
Oh, well.
Stoudemire, 20, now gives new meaning to the phrase "bigger and better."
His greatest practical asset arguably is an ability to rebound in traffic. The insatiable effort and thirst for contact in the paint is what separates Stoudemire.
And he's increasingly shown deft play with the ball on the block.
For example, Stoudemire exploded for 38 points Dec. 30 against Minnesota in only his 31st career game. That point total was the most in league history by a first-year player making the prep-to-pro jump.
When the Suns first met the Los Angeles Lakers this season, Shaquille O'Neal approached Stoudemire and - according to Stoudemire - said, "Keep up the good work. You're going to have a great career."
Standing tall at a young age
Minnesota's Kevin Garnett - who in 1995 was the first to make the jump in more than 20 years - is the only player in the recent high school-to-NBA movement to average 10 points in his rookie pro season. Here is a list of rookie stats for some players who went from high school to the NBA.
Amare Stoudemire (2002): 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds
Kevin Garnett (1995): 10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg.
Kobe Bryant (1996): 7.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg.
Tracy McGrady (1997): 7.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg.
Kwame Brown (2001): 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg.
Jermaine O'Neal (1996): 4.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg.
Moses Malone (1974, ABA): 18.8 ppg, 14.6 rpg
"What helps me the most is my quickness," Stoudemire said. "That's what allows me to get around bigger defenders. Plus, I know my role. Get rebounds and be active on defense. I guess hard work pays off. If you have passion for the game, it comes easily."
Recent discussion around the Suns has to do with whether Stoudemire will hit the fabled "wall" - where young players who are unaccustomed to the NBA grind start to run out of energy.
Suns coach Frank Johnson pointed out that, "when you're having success, you might not hit that wall."
Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol never hit the wall last season.
Besides, part of Stoudemire's allure is that he seems to be a student of the game.
"Early on, I was making quick moves and turning it over," Stoudemire said. "Now, I'm taking my time instead of rushing my shot. I'm understanding the game a lot more. . . . I was planning on coming into the season averaging maybe 10 points, eight rebounds. That's what I told my old coach back in high school. Right now I'm doing a little better than that. I'm just going to try to continue to do better."
Much was made of Stoudemire's troubled youth before the 2002 draft. Stoudemire attended six high schools in five years and played just two years of basketball. His mother and brother have spent time in jail.
Barone said the Grizzlies saw Stoudemire six times and the trepidation never centered on maturity or raw talent. Instead, scouts wondered how long it would take for him to thrive in an NBA setting.
Now that Stoudemire's abilities are anticipated, teammates marvel at his level head.
"He doesn't wear hip-hop stuff, or a lot of jewelry," Suns guard Penny Hardaway said. "He wears custom-made clothing, not a lot of jeans or T-shirts. That lets me know he has some maturity. He's much more mature than a 20-year-old, especially for somebody playing at this level."
Even Stoudemire is in awe. That is, when he stops to think about what's happening.
"I don't think anybody else has done this, played two years of high school, skipped a level, then played in the NBA and done well," Stoudemire said. "I just look at it as a gift from God."
- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353
Copyright 2003, GoMemphis. All Rights Reserved.
THE WORD
Who do you think is the most underrated small forward in the NBA?
View Results
Shawn Marion
55%
Ron Artest
15%
Richard Jefferson
14%
Matt Harpring
12%
Other
4%
Whats your point ergo?
Don't hold back digr.....
Can't we all just get along? Now shut up you wimpy libs!
lol
Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal gains ground as East forward
Kobe, Vince Still Lead All-Star Voting
http://www.nba.com/news/all_star_ballot_030109.html
NEW YORK, Jan. 9 – Kobe Bryant, from the three-time defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets lead all players in the Western Conference, and Toronto’s Vince Carter and Orlando’s Tracy McGrady lead all players in the Eastern Conference in votes received after the third returns in the 2003 NBA All-Star Balloting program.
The fans, through the 2003 NBA All-Star Balloting program, will determine starters for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, to be played at Philips Arena in Atlanta on Sunday, February 9. The game will be broadcast live on TNT, Rogers Sportsnet, ESPN radio and audio in several languages on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com) at 8 p.m. ET.
E-mail photo / Buy photos
Kobe Bryant leads the Western Conference All-Star voting.
Catherine Steenkeste
NBAE/Getty Images
Bryant leads all players with 1,148,754 votes. Following Bryant at the guard position in the Western Conference is Houston’s Steve Francis (778,518). Houston’s Yao Ming leads all West centers with 1,015,018 votes, followed by Los Angeles Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal (784,920). San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (906,446) and Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett (854,811) lead all West forwards.
Carter leads all Eastern Conference players with 1,023,750 votes. He is followed at the forward position by Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal (694,174). Detroit’s Ben Wallace leads all Eastern Conference centers with 850,714, followed by New Jersey’s Dikembe Mutombo (468,245), while Orlando’s Tracy McGrady leads all East guards with 1,016,123 votes, followed by Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson (902,754).
NBA All-Star Balloting began on November 14 providing fans with the opportunity to vote in more ways than ever with Best Buy and 989 Sports joining existing balloting partners Sprite, America Online, Reebok and Champs Sports. In addition to being distributed in all 29 NBA arenas, fans can vote at more than 1,000 retail locations including Champ Sports and Best Buy Stores and online at NBA.com and America Online (AOL Keyword: NBA.com). Directions for NBA All-Star Ballots are also available for the first time in 11 different languages on NBA.com In addition, to AOL’s online ballot, the balloting partners provide links to the NBA.com All-Star Ballot from their homepages.
Balloting for this year’s All-Star Game will continue through January 12 with the announcement of the All-Star starters on Thursday, January 23. After the fan voting is completed and the starters are announced, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conferences.
Attached are the leaders among the Eastern and Western Conference players in the third return of the 2003 NBA All-Star voting program:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: Vince Carter (Tor) 1,023,750; Jermaine O’Neal (Ind) 694,174; Grant Hill (Orl) 672,679; Antoine Walker (Bos) 396,369; Kenyon Martin (NJ) 316,832; Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Atl) 201,180; Latrell Sprewell (NY) 198,852; Darius Miles (Cle) 190,153; Keith Van Horn (Phi) 176,576; Richard Jefferson (NJ) 171,093.
Guards: Tracy McGrady (Orl) 1,016,123; Allen Iverson (Phi) 902,754; Michael Jordan (Was) 795,481; Jason Kidd (NJ) 731,811; Paul Pierce (Bos) 245,167; Ray Allen (Mil) 193,833; Jerry Stackhouse (Was) 126,413; Reggie Miller (Ind) 125,812; Ricky Davis (Cle) 119,962; Baron Davis (NO) 118,840.
Centers: Ben Wallace (Det) 854,714; Dikembe Mutombo (NJ) 468,245; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cle) 238,418; Antonio Davis (Tor) 173,692; Brad Miller (Ind) 165,556; Brian Grant (Mia) 123,978; Theo Ratliff (Atl) 98,696; Todd MacCulloch (Phi) 97,205; Tony Battie (Bos) 93,837; Kurt Thomas (NY) 67,320.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Forwards: Tim Duncan (SA) 906,446; Kevin Garnett (Min) 854,811; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 814,457; Chris Webber (Sac) 667,228; Peja Stojakovic (Sac) 198,255; Elton Brand (LAC) 184,211; Pau Gasol (Mem) 168,711; Scottie Pippen (Por) 146,733; Rasheed Wallace (Por) 135,115; Robert Horry (LAL) 131,975.
Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,148,754; Steve Francis (Hou) 778,518; Steve Nash (Dal) 575,911; Mike Bibby (Sac) 413,209; Gary Payton (Sea) 405,288; Michael Finley (Dal) 333,111; Tony Parker (San) 133,490; John Stockton (Uta) 133,349; Cuttino Mobley (Hou) 131,919; Doug Christie (Sac) 130,254.
Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 1,015,018; Shaquille O’Neal (LAL) 784,920; Vlade Divac (Sac) 235,536; David Robinson (SA) 181,915; Raef LaFrentz (Dal) 130,465; Michael Olowokandi (LAC) 97,614; Arvydas Sabonis (Por) 64,178; Marcus Camby (Den) 53,994; Erick Dampier (GS) 40,998; Radoslav Nesterovic (Min) 28,154.
TOP 10 OVERALL
Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,148,754
Vince Carter (Tor) 1,023,750
Tracy McGrady (Orl) 1,016,123
Yao Ming (Hou) 1,015,018
Tim Duncan (SA) 906,446
Allen Iverson (Phi) 902,754
Kevin Garnett (Min) 854,811
Ben Wallace (Det) 850,714
Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 814,457
Michael Jordan (Was) 795,481
The team will begin play in the 2004-05 season
NBA Board of Governors Approves Charlotte Expansion, Johnson as Owner
http://www.nba.com/news/charlotte_030110.html
NEW YORK, Jan. 10 – The NBA Board of Governors today unanimously approved the granting of an expansion team to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be owned by Robert Johnson. The team will begin play in the 2004-05 season.
Mr. Johnson also takes over ownership of the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting, effective immediately.
E-mail photo / Buy photos
Robert Johnson will own Charlotte's NBA and WNBA franchises.
Mitchell Layton
NBAE/Getty Images
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Charlotte back into the NBA, since we appreciate how supportive their fans have been in the past,” Commissioner David Stern said. “We are particularly excited to have Robert Johnson as our newest owner. Bob has shown a great understanding for building a new company, and we are confident in his ability to develop a strong NBA organization.”
Johnson is the founder and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (“Viacom”) and the leading African American-operated media and entertainment company in the United States.
In 2000, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for approximately $3 billion and signed a multi-year contract to continue to serve as chief executive officer. This all-stock transaction made Johnson the second largest individual shareholder in Viacom to its chairman, Sumner Redstone. Following the sale of BET, Johnson formed The RLJ Companies.
The team will play its inaugural season in the Charlotte Coliseum and move to a new arena to be constructed for the 2005-06 NBA season.
Hardaway to Undergo Thumb Surgery
Posted: Jan. 10, 2003
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/hardaway_030110.html
Hardaway
Phoenix Suns guard Anfernee Hardaway will undergo thumb surgery on Saturday, Jan. 11, to repair the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb.
“Penny sprained it and tried to play through it. The tissue stretched and basically he runs the chance of having a long-term detriment,” Suns team physician Dr. Thomas Carter said. “It’s our recommendation because of how unstable the thumb is to have it repaired now before it gets so severe that he ends up having arthritis or career-threatening injuries.”
The surgery will be performed at Good Samaritan Hospital by Dr. Robert Wilson, a member of the Suns medical team who specializes in hand injuries.
Normal recovery time for this type of injury is six to eight weeks.
“Back in November in the Sacramento game I hit it pretty good on my thumb. There was pain right away,” Hardaway said. ”I kept reinjuring it by playing. It went on for about four weeks really bad but it calmed down. Then I hit it again and reinjured it. I just thought it was a jammed thumb.
“(By playing) I’m only going to make it worse. It’s going to make the tissue work and make it harder on the doctors to do surgery. The more it gets hit, the more I play the worse it gets. The doctors told me there is no reason to wait or else it’s going to be worse at the end of the season.
“The one good thing is that it’s not my knee. We’re going so well right now and it’s been this way with my thumb for seven weeks. They told me if I kept going it might be career-threatening and I just thought it was a jammed thumb. It never really got well.”
Phoenix (22-14) hosts Memphis tonight and then faces Utah at America West Arena on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m.
way to freakin go brody.....just what are we going to do with you?
What are you trying to say?
WHATS YOUR POINT?
To late......
I'm off to bed
Best of luck to ya Phil
Phil I took # 4000 so the next ones yours......
Blank post
A real Man
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_foss.html
Joseph Foss - C.O. VMF-121
AcePilots Main Page
The Forum
Marine Corps Aces
Medal of Honor Winners
Joe Foss was born in 1915 to a Norwegian-Scots family in South Dakota. He learned hunting and marksmanship at a young age. Like millions of others, 11-year old Joe Foss was inspired by Charles Lindbergh, especially after he saw Lindy at an airport near Sioux Falls. Five years later he watched a Marine squadron put on a dazzling exhibition, led by Capt. Clayton Jerome, future wartime Director of Marine Corps Aviation.
In 1934, Joe began his college education in Sioux Falls, but he had to drop out to help his mother run the family farm. However he scraped up $65 for private flying lessons. Five years later he entered the University of South Dakota again and supported himself by waiting on tables. In his senior year he also completed a civilian pilot training program before he graduated with a Business degree in 1940.
Upon graduation he enlisted in the Marine Corps reserves as an aviation cadet. Seven months later, he earned his Marine wings at Pensacola and was commissioned a second lieutenant. For the next nine months he was a 'plowback' flight instructor. He was at Pensacola when the news of Pearl Harbor broke, and since he was Officer of the Day, he was placed in charge of base security. Thus he prepared to defend Pensacola from Jap invaders, riding around the perimeter on a bicycle. To his distress, he was then ordered to the aerial photographers school and assigned to a VMO-1, a photo reconnaissance squadron. But he insisted he wanted fighter pilot duty, even after being told "You're too ancient, Joe. You're 27 years old!" After lengthy lobbying with Aircraft Carrier Training Group, he learned all about the new F4F Wildcat, logging over 150 flight hours in June and July. When he finished training, he became executive officer of VMF-121. Three weeks later, he was on his way to the South Pacific, where Americans were desperately trying to turn the tide of war. Arriving in the South Pacific, VMF-121 was loaded aboard the escort carrier Copahee.
Guadalcanal
On the morning of October 9, they were catapulted off the decks, in Joe's only combat carrier mission. Landing at Henderson Field, he was told that his fighters were now based at the 'cow pasture.' He was impressed with the 'make-do' character of the 'Cactus Air Force. The airfield was riddled with bomb craters and wrecked aircraft, but also featured three batteries of 90mm anti-aircraft guns and two radar stations. As 'exec' of -121, he would normally lead a flight of two four-plane divisions, whenever there were enough Wildcats to go around. He was the oldest pilot in the flight, four years older than the average age of 23. The flight would become known as 'Foss's Flying Circus' and rack up over 60 victories. Five of them would become aces; two would die in the in the fight for Guadalcanal. Read about two other great
Marine aces at Guadalcanal:
Marion Carl
John L. Smith
On October 13, 1942, VMF-121 scored its first victories when Lts. Freeman and Narr each got a Japanese plane. Later that same day, Joe led a dozen Wildcats to intercept 32 enemy bombers and fighters. In his first combat, a Zero bounced Joe, but overshot, and Joe was able to fire a good burst and claim one destroyed aircraft. Instantly, three more Zeros set upon him, and he barely made it back to 'Fighter One', his Wildcat dripping oil. Chastened by the experience, he declared "You can call me 'Swivel-Neck Joe' from now on." From the first day, Joe followed the tactics of Joe Bauer: getting in close, so close that another pilot joked that the 'exec' left powder burns on his targets. The next day while intercepting a flight of enemy bombers, Joe's engine acted up and he took cover in the clouds. But suddenly a Wildcat whizzed past him, tailed by a Zero. Joe cut loose and shot the Zero's wing off. It was his second victory in two days.
While the Wildcats' primary responsibility was air defense, they also strafed Japanese infantry and ships when they had enough ammunition. Joe led on such mission on the 16th. Mid-October was the low point for the Americans in the struggle for Guadalcanal. Japanese warships shelled the U.S. positions nightly, with special attention to the airstrips. To avoid the shelling, some fliers slept in the front lines. Foss grew to appreciate the Navy's fighter doctrine and found that the "Thach Weave" effectively countered the Zero's superior performance, because "it allowed us to point eyes and guns in every direction."
Joe was leading an interception on morning of the 18th when the Zero top cover pounced on them and downed an F4F. But Foss was able to get above them and flamed the nearest, hit another, and briefly engaged a third. Gaining an angle, he finally shot up the third plane's engine. Next he found a group of Bettys already under attack by VF-71. He executed a firing pass from above, flashed through the enemy bombers, and pulled up sharply, blasting one from below. Nine days at Guadalcanal and he was an ace! Two days later Lt. Col. Bauer and Foss led a flight of Wildcats on the morning intercept. In the dogfighting, Joe downed two Zeros, but took a hit in his engine. He landed safely at Henderson Field with a bad cut on his head, but otherwise unharmed.
'Cactus Fighter Command' struggled to keep enough Wildcats airworthy to meet the daily Japanese air strikes. On the 23rd, it put up two flights, led by Foss and Maj. Davis. There were plenty of targets and Joe soon exploded a Zero. He went after another which tried to twist away in a looping maneuver. Joe followed and opened up while inverted at the top of his loop. He caught the Zero and flamed it. He later described it as a lucky shot. Next he spotted a Japanese pilot doing a slow roll; he fired as the Zero's wings rolled through the vertical and saw the enemy pilot blown out of the cockpit, minus a parachute. Suddenly he was all alone and two Zeros hit him, but his rugged Grumman absorbed the damage, permitting Foss to flame one of his assailants. Once again, he nursed a damaged fighter back to Guadalalcanal. So far he had destroyed eleven enemy planes, but had brought back four Wildcats that were too damaged to fly again.
October 25 was the day that the Japanese planned to occupy Henderson Field; they sent their fighters over, with orders to circle until the airstrip was theirs. It didn't work out that way, as the U.S. ground forces held their lines and 'Cactus' did its part. Joe Foss led six Wildcats up before 10 AM, and claimed two of the Marine's three kills on that sortie. Afterwards, he berated himself for wasting ammunition on long-range shooting. He kept learning how important it was to get close. (The great German ace, Erich Hartmann, said "Get close enough until the airplane fills the whole windscreen; then you can't miss.") In an afternoon mission on the 25th, he downed three more, to become the Marine Corps' first 'ace in a day'. He had achieved 14 victories in only 13 days.
Despite rugged living conditions and the stress of daily combat flying, Foss retained his enthusiasm. He and some other fliers of VMF-121 occasionally went prowling with their rifles in the jungle, looking for Japanese soldiers, but Col. Bauer stopped this activity; trained fighter pilots were too valuable to risk this way. They slept in six-man tents and ate the wretched powdered eggs that are mentioned in almost every pilot's memoirs. On guy had a gramophone that they played scratchy records on. They bathed in the Lunga River; many grew beards rather than try to shave in cold water. They kept the beards neatly trimmed, not for appearances, but to ensure their beards didn't interfere with the close-fitting oxygen masks. 'Washing Machine Charlie' and 'Millimeter Mike' harassed the field nightly, so some pilots tried to sleep in the daytime.
Down!
On November 7th Foss led seven F4Fs up the Slot to attack some IJN destroyers and a cruiser, covered by six Rufe floatplane fighters. They dispatched five of the Rufes promptly and prepared to strafe the destroyers. Joe climbed up to protect the others and got involved in a dogfight with a Pete, a two-man float biplane. He shot down the slow-flying plane, but not before its rear gunner perforated the Wildcat's engine with 7.7mm machine gun fire. Once again, Foss' aircraft started sputtering on the way home. But his time, it didn't make it. As the engine died, he put it into the longest possible shallow dive, to get as close to home as he could.
As he plane went into the water off Malaita Island, Foss struggled with his parachute harness and his seat. He went under with his plane, gulped salt water, and almost drowned before he freed himself and inflated his Mae West. Exhausted and with the tide against him, he knew that he couldn't swim to shore. While trying to rest and re-gain his strength in his life raft, he spotted shark fins nearby. He sprinkled the chlorine powder supplied for that purpose in his emergency pack and that seemed to help. As darkness approached, he heard some searchers looking for him. They hauled him in and brought him to Malaita's Catholic mission. There were a number of Europeans and Australians, including two nuns who had been there for forty years and had never seen an automobile. They fed him steak and eggs and invited him stay for two weeks.
The next day a PBY Catalina, piloted by Maj. Jack Cram rescued him. On his return to Guadalcanal, he learned that 'Cactus' had downed 15 Japanese planes in the previous day's air battle. His own tally stood at 19. On the ninth, Admiral Bull Halsey pinned the Distinguished Flying Cross on him and two other pilots.
The Americans were bringing four transports full of infantry to Guadalcanal on November 12. The Japanese sent 16 Betty bombers and 30 covering Zeroes after them, while the American Wildcats and Airacobras defended. Foss and his Wildcats were flying top cover CAP and dived headlong into the attackers, right down onto the deck. As Barrett Tillman described it in Wildcat Aces of WWII:
Ignoring the peril, Foss hauled into within 100 yards of the nearest bomber and aimed at the starboard engine, which spouted flame. The G4M tried a water landing, caught a wingtip and tumbled into oblivion. Foss set his sight on another Betty when a Zero intervened. The F4F nosed up briefly and fired a beautifully aimed snapshot which sent the A6M spearing into the water. He then resumed the chase.
Foss caught up with the next Betty in line and made a deflection shot into its wingroot; the bomber flamed up and then set down in the water. The massive dogfight continued, until Joe ran out of fuel and ammunition.
Between the fighters and the AA, the Americans destroyed almost all the bombers and many of the Zeros. No U.S. ships were seriously damaged. But that night another naval surface battle raged in Ironbottom Sound. Warships on both sides were sunk or damaged, including the IJN battleship Hiei which Marine bombers and torpedo planes finished off on the 13th. The major Japanese effort continued on the 14th, as they brought in a seven ship troop convoy. The American air forces cut this up as well.
Late that afternoon, Col. Bauer, tired of being stuck on the ground at Fighter Command, went up with Joe to take a look. It was his last flight, described by Joe Foss in a letter to Bauer's family. No trace of 'Indian Joe' was ever found. Back at Guadalcanal, Foss was diagnosed with malaria. Two great leaders of Cactus Fighter Command were gone, although Foss would return in six weeks.
He recuperated in New Caledonia and Australia. He met some of the high-scoring Australian aces, who viewed the Japanese as inferior opponents and were a little dismissive of Foss' 23 victories. After a brief relapse of malaria, Joe returned to Guadalcanal on New Year's Day. Improvements had been made in his absence, notably pierced steel planking (PSP) for the Fighter Strip. Foss returned to combat flying on the 15th when he shot down three more planes to bring his total to 26.
He flew his last mission ten days later when his flight and four P-38s intercepted a force of over 60 Zeros and Vals. Quickly analyzing the situation, he ordered his flight to stay high, circling in a Lufbery. This made his small flight look like a decoy to the Japanese. Soon Cactus scrambled more fighters and the Japanese planes fled. It was ironic that in one of Joe Foss' most satisfying missions, he didn't fire a shot.
Home
A few months later, he went to Washington D.C., to be decorated and begin "the dancing bear act," for his 26 aerial victories that equaled Eddie Rickenbacker's World War One record. He gave pep talks, made factory tours, and went on the inevitable War Bond tours. In May, 1943, President Roosevelt presented him with the Congressional Medal of Honor for outstanding heroism above and beyond the call of duty.
Medal of Honor Citation:
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Over Guadalcanal, 9 October to 19 November 1942, 15 and 23 January 1943. Entered service at: South Dakota. Born: 17 April 1 915, Sioux Falls, S. Dakota.
For outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as executive officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 121, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at Guadalcanal. Engaging in almost daily combat with the enemy from 9 October to 19 November 1942, Capt. Foss personally shot down 23 Japanese planes and damaged others so severely that their destruction was extremely probable. In addition, during this period, he successfully led a large number of escort missions, skillfully covering reconnaissance, bombing, and photographic planes as well as surface craft. On 15 January 1943, he added 3 more enemy planes to his already brilliant successes for a record of aerial combat achievement unsurpassed in this war. Boldly searching out an approaching enemy force on 25 January, Capt. Foss led his 8 F-4F Marine planes and 4 Army P-38s into action and, undaunted by tremendously superior numbers, intercepted and struck with such force that 4 Japanese fighters were shot down and the bombers were turned back without releasing a single bomb. His remarkable flying skill, inspiring leadership, and indomitable fighting spirit were distinctive factors in the defense of strategic American positions on Guadalcanal.
Back to active duty, he served as a training advisor at the Santa Barbara Marine Corps air station. Then he became commander of VMF-115 in the South Pacific, where he met Charles Lindbergh.
After the war, Foss was commissioned in the South Dakota Air National Guard, which he helped organize. Joe then turned to politics and was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives. In the Korean War, he returned to active duty as an Air Force Colonel. Then he became chief of staff of the South Dakota Air National Guard with the rank of Brigadier General. In 1954, Foss was overwhelmingly elected Governor of South Dakota and two years later was elected to a second term. After that, he was elected the first commissioner of the American Football League and served until 1966. He was president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) from 1988 - 1990.
Foss was featured in Tom Brokaw's best-seller The Greatest Generation.
Sources:
Joe Foss article from National Aviation Hall of Fame website
Thomas G. Miller, Cactus Air Force, Harper and Row, 1969
Cactus Air Force web site
Barrett Tillman, Wildcat Aces of World War 2, Osprey Publishing, 1995
What neck of the woods do you hang your hat?
The kind thats going to make me rich.........
phil.....what kinda consulting do you do?
Besides the crack head wasn't our commander and chief and never will be......
I mean you no disrespect, I just don't agree with your lopsided views.
ergo zero.....we're not talkin about my sex life we're talkin about slick willard......and i bet if it was George W that lied to the world you would care.
And just why don't you care?
Sox....your really racking up points around here........not
brody.....i'm in mesa
right on k......30lbswishinicoulddrop
In and out burger, no bun,2 patties, 2 cheese with lettuce wrapped around the cluster of protein and fat.......
any of you atkins people (onebgg) ever have a double double protein style?