On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
“We were taught to never leave a man behindâ€
Former Oregon National Guard Soldier
Alek Skarlatos, who served in Afghanistan has released the following statement:
"As a former infantryman who served in Afghanistan, we were taught to never leave a man behind.
"As a result, it’s time for President Joe Biden, our commander and chief, to authorize the Pentagon to take back Bagram Air Field.
"This will give our military additional power and another route for Americans and our allies to evacuate the country.
"Then, President Biden needs to expand the security perimeter around the Kabul Airport, and allow our military to go out and rescue every American and as many Afghan allies as possible so they do not need to go through these Taliban checkpoints, where they are being beaten, whipped, and denied access.
"Once we complete that mission, which should not have any self-imposed artificial deadlines, then we can work to draw down our presence in Afghanistan."
Skarlatos is a former Oregon National Guardsman, who served in Afghanistan. In 2015, while traveling on a train bound for Paris, he, along with four others, jumped into action to stop an Islamic Terrorist who tried to open fire on a passenger train. His heroism earned him several awards and medals around the world including, the United States' Soldier’s Medal.
After serving as a National Guardsman for 5 years, Skarlatos left military service in November 2017. Upon completing his service, Skarlatos voiced his inspiring experience by authoring
15:17 to Paris: The True Story of A Terrorist, A Train, and Three American Heroes describing the events that led up to the attack on the train ride to Paris from Amsterdam. He worked with legendary director Clint Eastwood on the film
15:17 to Paris that portrayed the harrowing attack in which Skarlatos starred as himself.
Skarlatos ran for US Congress in Oregon's 4th Congressional District against Peter DeFazio and is expected to run for Congress in 2022.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-08-20 09:02:00 | Last Update: 2021-08-20 13:54:03 |
