Miss National Defense

I can't find any evidence that this contest occurred in any year other than 1941.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 09, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Military, 1940s

Sound Effects—U.S. Air Force Firepower

A 1962 release that included tracks such as:

• Sonic Boom: F-104 "Starfighter"
• F-100's Fire Mixed Loads Of Rockets At Ground Targets
• Mass Napalm Attack By F-100's (Ground Bursts)
• Nuclear Bomb Explosion, Yucca Flat, Nevada
• 20 MM Vulcan "Gatling Gun" Type Aircraft Cannon

You can peruse the full list of tracks at discogs.com.

The Akron Beacon Journal - Oct 4, 1962

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 23, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Military, 1960s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

Ronald’s no protester

But I wonder how Ronald ever got targeted by the selective service system if he hadn't registered yet.

Press and Sun Bulletin - Mar 13, 1968

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 15, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Military, War, 1960s

Operation Fragrant Cow

Back in the 60s, the U.S. Army employed scientists to sneak into Omaha stockyards and spray cows with deodorant. The logic behind this was to test how easy it would be for Soviet agents to spread hoof-and-mouth disease among American cows.

Unfortunately, I can't find any more info about this operation, which is a shame because it raises so many questions. For instance, the important part of the operation must have been to see how easily they could gain access to the stockyards. So then, why bother to deodorize the cows? Was it just to add a touch of realism? Why not spray them with paint so that they could later count the "infected" ones?

Southern Illinoisan - Aug 5, 1994

Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 09, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Military, Science, Cows, 1960s

Polar Do’s and Don’t's

From the U.S. Navy's Polar Manual (4th ed., 1965):


The whole list is pretty interesting and worth a read. You can download the entire manual from the Defense Technical Information Center (PDF - 33 MB).

Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 15, 2017 - Comments (5)
Category: Military, Body Fluids

Non-Terrifying Gas Mask

1941: Charles Leguillon, a manager at the B.F. Goodrich Co., invented a "non-terrifying gas mask" that a pretty girl could wear "and remain a pretty girl and not become a gargoyle."

The media proclaimed that for this he deserved "female thanks," because of course all women want to continue looking their best, even during chemical warfare.

But was the new gas mask actually non-terrifying? I'll let you be the judge.

American Legion Magazine - Aug 1941

The Akron Beacon Journal - June 11, 1941

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 09, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Military, 1940s

Falsified Soviet Maps

Original article here.

Additional essay here.

More wide-ranging essay on Soviet maps here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 17, 2016 - Comments (0)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Imitations, Forgeries, Rip-offs and Faux, Military, 1980s, Russia

Sighted Stiff, Sank Same

Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 16, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Kludges, Hacks and Duct-tape Repairs, Military, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1980s

Let’s Say It Right

In October 1969, the U.S. Command in Vietnam issued a directive titled "Let's Say it Right" to the American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN). The directive forbid military press officers from using certain terms and provided a list of acceptable terms in their place.

For instance, instead of referring to "free firing zones" in which anything that moved was considered enemy and could be fired at, officers were supposed to say "pre-cleared firing zones." And instead of "lull" they were supposed to refer to "light and scattered action."

A military spokesman said that the directive was actually just a "style sheet" whose purpose was to "get everyone using similar words."

Some more of the "no-no" words (as AFVN officers described them) were listed in this NY Times piece:

New York Times - Jan 11, 1970

GI Press Service - April 1971

Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 04, 2016 - Comments (5)
Category: Languages, Military, 1960s

Honor

Not weird, as many of you are well aware, but worth passing on. A day in November is not the only time we should remember to say:
To all of you who served or are serving in the military, thank you for your service. Your sacrifices should never be forgotten.

Posted By: Alex - Fri May 13, 2016 - Comments (0)
Category: Emotions, Military, Money, Patriotism