October 2014 - Friendship Christian School

Military Terms, Abbreviations, and Acronyms
Making Life an Adventure in the Military (Part 1)
Fouga: French-built jet-powered
aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force
as support for the Six-Day War
1
2, 3
Here’s Why: Fallen Soldier’s Battle Cross
2
The 93rd Foot Regiment (Part 1)
3
Prayer Notes from Colonel Martin
4
Ouragan: the world’s first Frenchdesigned jet fighter-bomber (also
used by the IAF in the Six-Day War)
UNEF: acronym for the United
Nations Emergency Force
Editor’s Note: The terms, abbreviations, and acronyms for this month
come from Colonel Martin’s opening
article on Operation Moked.
Note from Colonel (R) Martin: This is the second
of a two part series on the Six Day War in June 1967.
A large portion of the content came from an Air War
College paper I wrote in 2006. This will provide you
with some additional background concerning recent
events in Israel.
“Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my
hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” (Psalm 144:1)
In May of 1967, the countdown to war seemed inevitable to everyone in Israel. Radio broadcasts out of
Egypt were filled with anti-Israeli sentiment. For affluent Israelis who could afford television, the images of
throngs of people waving their fists against Israel and
scenes of troops and equipment parading through the
streets could not easily be ignored. To the Diaspora
(displaced Jews), many of whom had survived the
Holocaust and Nazism, as well as the Sabras (born in
Israel), a sort of “fatalism” concerning the neverending fate of the Jews to fight war after war began to
develop. Both clearly recognized that the
extermination of the Jews could take place
on their own soil at the hands of their enemies. It was a defining moment that
brought together all ages and all classes.
Israeli leaders were also genuinely concerned about their survival as a nation in
the days leading up to the war. Israel
decided to go to war based on three
known considerations. First, this particular
incident of Arab aggression was not an
isolated incident. Hostility by the Arab
world since Israel had become a nation in 1948, had
been continuous, and previous political and military
posturing had not curtailed this continued hostility.
Secondly, the United Nations had been proven unable
to stop or even slow the aggression by the Arab nations. The removal of the United Nations Emergency
Force (UNEF) on May 18, 1967, further demonstrated
the UN’s lack of willingness to control the escalating
mobilization of forces against Israel. Finally, the lack of
decisive action by the United States to keep the Gulf of
Aqaba and the Straits of Tiran opened provided further
demonstration of the failure of diplomatic efforts. In
1957, the United States had agreed in writing to exercise Israel’s right to free and innocent passage through
the Straits of Tiran. However, in 1967, the United
States seemed to be more preoccupied with Cold War
politics, specifically the war in Vietnam. Although President Johnson had tried to organize an international
flotilla to test Egyptian resolve, it never materialized.
In 1948, David Ben-Gurion (pictured below, center)
determined that because Israel would always be outnumbered, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) must be able to
accomplish its primary role of air superiority which was
to defend Israel and its ground forces from enemy
aircraft. As a result, Ben-Gurion gave the IAF resource
priority and established the position of IAF Supreme
Commander to be on equal footing with
other service commanders, answerable
only to the IDF Chief of Staff.
It was estimated that Egypt alone had
spent in excess of $2 billion improving its
aircraft and armor capabilities between
1955 and 1967. The extent to which they
had improved could not accurately be
measured. Other than the Yemen War,
the Egyptian military had not really been
tested since the 1956 Sinai War, and other
than guerrilla action, there had been little
Israeli contact with the Egyptian military in that time.
While Israel had held the upper hand in the quality of
their force in 1956, it was suspected that in 1967, the
gap had become negligible.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Page 2
Editor’s Note: The following
was adapted from a Wikipedia
article on this subject.
The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross
(also known as the “Battlefield
Cross”) s a symbolic replacement
of a cross on the battlefield or at
the base camp for a soldier who
has been killed. In the Army and
other branches of the U.S. military, most units prepare a visible
reminder of the deceased soldier
with a display of a pair of combat boots and an inverted rifle
with the soldier’s helmet and dog
tags hanging on it. Its purpose
is to show honor and respect for
the fallen at the battle site.
The practice started during
the American Civil War or maybe
earlier as a means of identifying
the bodies on the battleground
before they were removed. Today, it is an immediate means of
showing respect for the fallen
among the still living members of
the troop. It might be seen in
the field or base camp after the
battle in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Used less today as a means to
identify the fallen but more as a
private ceremony among those
still living as a means to mourn,
as attending the funeral is not
always possible for soldiers still
in the fight.
According to the US Army Field
Manual, “The helmet and identification tags signify the fallen
soldier. The inverted rifle with
bayonet signals a time for prayer, a break in the action to pay
tribute to our comrade. The
combat boots represent the final
march of the last battle. The beret (in the
case of soldiers from
airborne units) reminds
us that the soldier has
taken part in his final
jump.”
Source: http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Battlefield_Cross
THE PATRIOT NEWS
Editor’s Note: One Army wife talks
about her kids’ resilience after three
deployments as part of the Care.com
Interview Series (Part Two of this
interview will be featured next
month.)
When Julie P. and her sons dropped
off her husband for his second deployment, she told them that the
upcoming year would be about making memories and having fun - and it
was. With trips around Austria, Germany and the States, as well as visits
with family, Julie and her three boys
have made the most of military life
by staying as busy as possible. After
three duty stations and three deployments in six years, The Soldier's
Wife, Crazy Life blogger tells
Care.com that she may never be able
to replace Daddy or make up for the
time he misses while away, but she's
doing her best to keep everyone
happy, even if "the Army always
changes its mind."
Please tell us a little about your
military family.
We have been an army family for 6.5
years. We have three little boys, 7, 5
and 1. We have been stationed at 3
different duty stations - two in Germany and one in the US.
How do you feel being a military
family has influenced your children's perspectives and experiences, if at all?
I think for them, having Daddy being
gone for periods of time
is normal. It is what
they know. Although
my husband has been
home since last July so
I think the next deployment might be different. They have gotten
very used to him being
home this time around.
My boys have been able
to experience things
other kids haven't because of our 4 years in
Germany. I think that is
pretty cool.
Each deployment was
different. Deployment #1 was mostly
trying to get through each day just at
home. Deployment #2 we went on a
few trips. It was such a great way to
break up the [time]. Deployment #3
I once again had a small baby. We
just tried to keep busy to get through
it all.
What is the overall greatest
challenge of a military family?
I think our 15-month deployment
was the hardest thing.
When my husband got
back, he came home to
a 3 year old and an 11
month old he had last
seen when he was 3
weeks old. This was an
issue for a while. They
just did not bond for a
long time. I think it
wasn't until he was 3
that I can say they were
truly bonded. That
breaks my heart but
when a parent is gone
the whole first year of a
kid's life, there is going
to be a huge adjustment period.
CONTINUED ON PG 3 SIDEBAR
Israel’s equipment, a combination of
American, British, and French-made
weapons, was aging and becoming
an increasing liability with each passing year. Israel was far from being
an affluent society, but they found
inventive ways to maintain their
equipment. With the Straits of Tiran
closed to shipping, obtaining additional equipment, or more importantly re-supplying the equipment they
had, became problematic. Israeli
Premier Levi Eshkol was not sure
they had the capability to fight a war
lasting more than a week; therefore,
an extended conflict could not be
supported. The final decision, to
strike first against Egypt, was not
made out of a sense of strength, but
of weakness. Both the political and
military leadership knew that Israel
could not absorb and recover from an
Egyptian first strike.
In 1963, the Air Force Commander
Brigadier General Ezer Weizman
called for a plan which would achieve
air superiority through massive deployment of the IAF. This plan,
known as Moked, which stood for
“focus or sacrificial fire,” became the
Knowing the enemy was an important ingredient to the plan. IAF
Commander Brigadier General Mordechi Hod knew it would take the
Egyptians one hour to determine
what had happened and another
hour to react to it. He believed the
Egyptians would not relay the true
story of the strike to their allies but
would claim victory. This would allow Israel the time it needed to destroy their enemy and prepare for
“Operation Moked” became the bigany retaliatory attacks from Syria and
gest gamble in aviation history. It
Iraq. General Hod’s obsession with
evolved from a Concept Plan to an
excellence by IAF aircrews and
Execution Order on June 5, 1967.
ground crews took the IAF from a
This daring plan targeted eleven
decent Air Force in 1956, to one of
bases, which were selected because
the best in the world in 1967. Practicthey had either bombers or MIG-21’s. ing the way you are going to war and
The mission of the IAF was to attack relentlessly rehearsing strategic, opand finish off the Egyptian Air Force
erational, and tactical plans became
on the ground, move against the
a priority.
Syrian and Jordanian Air Forces, clear
By 1967, the IAF was achieving airthe routes for the ground forces,
craft turn-around times in minutes as
prevent the reinforcement of enemy
opposed to several hours, which was
forces, and attack the enemy’s arthe worldwide standard. This ability
mor. Success in executing the plan
to quickly turn aircraft became a
would yield a tremendous payoff for
significant factor in successfully
the Israelis; failure would be disasachieving “Operation Moked.”
trous not only for the air campaign,
but also for the survival of Israel.
blueprint for Israel’s air strike against
Egypt on June 5, 1967. During the
years leading up to 1967, Israel further refined the plan by developing a
comprehensive list of information on
every Arab airfield in order to keep it
current. Israel’s plan revolved on a
single premise – eliminate the Egyptians from the fight first. Syria, Jordan and Iraq would then be unable
to succeed against the IDF.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Page 3
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 10
through the heavily defended AbuAgeila and Kusseima regions. Bitterly
fought armor battles ensued, and on
June 6, 1967, Abu-Ageila fell. Upon
hearing of the fall of Abu-Ageila,
Egyptian Minister of War Field Marshall Abdel Hakim Amer panicked and
ordered a full retreat of Egyptian
forces back across the Suez Canal,
which secured an Israeli victory in
On June 5, 1967, Israel sent three
the Sinai. Israel then launched an
division-strength armored columns
historic pursuit of Egyptian forces to
into Sinai with the further destroy the army and prevent
goal of pushing
their capability to regroup for future
the Egyptian forc- attacks. Israeli Defense Minister
es back to the
Moshe Dyan, concerned about the
Suez Canal and
political ramifications of capturing the
capturing the
Suez Canal, kept the Zahal from capdominant position turing this strategic point. The Zahal
at Sharm-elhad moved forward under air cover
Sheikh, thus open- by the IAF and had complete control
ing the Straits of
of the eastern bank of the Gulf of
Tiran. Simultaneously, Israel
Suez by June 9.
launched an independent brigade of
armor against the city of Gaza and a Jordan was a reluctant participant in
the Six Day War. On the first day,
division-sized element against the
Jordanian radar sightings of aircraft
Gaza Strip. On the first day of the
war, Israeli-built Fougas strafed the flying from Egypt to Israel were misinterpreted as Egyptian aircraft.
By 1100 on June 5, 1967, Israel had Egyptian armor based near Rahfa.
achieved an astounding victory over During the day, the IAF flew approx- Nasser informed King Hussein that
Egypt had been attacked and Israel
the Egyptian Air Force. In a little
imately 200 sorties and destroyed
had suffered staggering losses.
less than three hours, the balance of two-thirds of the field pieces, while
air power in the Middle East had
Brigadier General Israel Tal’s armor Based on a mutual defense pact with
Egypt and with victory apparently at
swung decisively to the IAF, and
continued moving forward.
hand, Hussein decided to capture the
more importantly, they had complete
Central Division armor, commanded Government Hill Ridge in East Jerusaair superiority on all fronts. So
lem and began limited shelling of
thorough was their victory that not a by General Avraham Yoffe, and
single Egyptian aircraft had arisen to Southern Division armor, command- Israeli bases.
challenge them. As it became clear ed by General Ariel Sharon, battled
The IAF flew the French-made Ouragans and Mirages (sample pictured
below, right) in sets of four, in combination with low altitude flying, radio
silence, and precisely timed takeoffs
and attacks. At 0745 on June 5,
1967, the first wave of IAF Fighters
descended on Egyptian airfields. The
first wave attacked, made several
attack runs on the airfield, and departed. They were followed by subsequent waves of aircraft attacking in
seven to ten minute
intervals. The
Israelis employed
aerial cannons,
previously discarded by the French
from their aircraft
eight years before,
as their primary
weapon of destruction. The cannons
were ideal for strafing from low altitude and used standard ammunition.
It proved to be the perfect weapon
for the surprise attack on the Egyptian Air Force.
that their initial attack was a complete success, General Hod began to
shift his fighters and bombers to
strike against Syrian and Jordanian
bases. Meanwhile, he moved a portion of his forces into the Sinai to
support the armored columns that
were now moving against the Egyptian Armor.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Also known as the 93rd Sutherland
Highlanders, this regiment is known
for being the “thin red line” of the
British Army; the regiment’s soldiers
standing three men deep held back
the formidable Russian Calvalry at
the Battle of Balaclava in 1854. They
existed from 1799 to 1881, when
they were combined with the 91st
Foot (Princess Louise Highlanders).
Doing service in such diverse places
as the Cape (1805), New Orleans
(1814), Canada (1835), India
(1857), and Gibralter (twice in the
1870’s), wherever they went, they
fought well and lived well, so that
even Queen Victoria knew and wrote
of their bravery and exemplary behavior, calling them “gallant and
splendid”. Wearing kilts, sporrans,
and highland bonnets into battle,
these men made their chivalry and
courage known
throughout the Empire.
While military buffs
might know of them
today, they have
largely fallen into obscurity, and unless you
have visited Stirling
Castle, which served
Do you believe military kids
have differing needs as
compared to their civilian
peers? If so, what might
those be and why?
Yes, I think they might need
more patience sometimes. It is
hard when there is only one
parent at home. My husband is
a very hands-on Dad when he is
home. I can really count on him
to help so I really feel that loss
when he is gone. Take potty
training for example. This really
is a two parent job, but I had to
do it by myself. I didn't have
anyone to take over when I got
too stressed out about it. My
son was probably not potty
trained as quickly as he would
have been if Daddy hadn't been
gone.
And as fun as I make things, I
will never become Daddy. They
lose out on that part of life during certain times during their
childhood. It is a loss and it is
like there is a missing piece of
the puzzle. At the same time,
maybe that will make them
stronger kids?
as their headquarters, you probably
have never heard of them. But the
93rd deserves some attention from
Christians – chivalry and courage
were not the only characteristics
that set them apart as a regiment.
The 93rd Regiment was a spiritual
family. Presbyterianism was ubiquitous in the Sutherland area where
the men came from, and many of
the regiment’s soldiers were strong
Calvinists. Though they had sworn
loyalty to their monarch, their first
loyalty was to Christ. This shone
through in the way they lived and
fought.
CONTINUED NEXT MONTH
For more info, visit
thechristianpundit.org
Note: Julie P. is a coffee drinking, picture taking, book loving
Army wife and mom of three
young boys, ages 7, 5 and 1.
She and her family have spent
four of their six years in the
army stationed in Germany. She
shares her family's story on her
blog, Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life.
NEXT MONTH:
THE CONCLUSION
CHURCH CONTACT
INFORMATION
Friendship Baptist Church
5510 Falls of Neuse Road
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: (919) 876-0585
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.fbcweb.net
COLONEL STEVE AND
DEBORAH MARTIN
Phone: (919) 571-4378
[email protected]
Editor-in-Chief:
Joe Perez ([email protected])
Contributing Author:
Don King ([email protected])
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS:
 Ashley Huskey - 7
 Albert Watkins - 10
 Seth Ingersoll - 11
 Sam Johnson - 21
 Ruth Miller - 24
OCTOBER
ANNIVERSARIES:
 Ed & Kristy Salerno - 4
 Brian & Ivey Palmer - 17
MARK THE DATE!
What: Fall Chicken-Pickin !!
When: 10/11/14, 1 to 4 pm
Where: Historic Oakview Park,
4028 Carya Dr, Raleigh
Bring your favorite chicken!
Highlights: Live music, yard
games, fishing (shelter beside the
lake), & plenty of time to visit.
Operation Moked (Part 2)
- continued from page 3
Initial attacks by the Royal Jordanian
Air Force against Israeli air bases and
positions were ineffective, and IAF
attacks against two Jordanian air
bases on the afternoon of June 5
completely eliminated the Royal Jordanian Air Force from the war. Jordanian troops, now moving into Israel, had superior ground forces but
now had no air cover.
most of their aircraft on the ground
on June 5, but although the IAF had
begun shelling the fortifications on
June 5, the Syrian army remained
intact. This area was dominated by
mountainous slopes with few roads,
and the Zahal required support from
the IAF to fight this uphill battle
against heavily fortified positions.
On June 9, the IAF launched a fullscale aerial attack on the Golan
As Jordanian forces moved to surHeights. Although the artillery was
round Jerusalem on June 5, 1967,
largely unaffected by the attacks, the
Israel went on the offensive. After
Syrian Army was harassed to the
hours of severe fighting, the IAF air
point that they could not effectively
superiority began to take its toll on
organize a defense against the onthe Jordanians as their West Bank
coming Zahal. By the evening of June
Headquarters had to retreat east of
9, the Zahal began breaking through
the Jordan River. Air strikes against
to the Heights. By June 10, Israel
the forces surrounding Jerusalem and
had captured the Golan Heights and
the Jordanian reserves in the Jordan
the Syrian Army was in full retreat.
Valley, the destruction of Jordanian
lines of communication, and the com- By capturing the Golan Heights on
plete annihilation of the 60th Jordani- June 10, 1967, Israel had secured
an Brigade along the Jerichovictory. The next day, a ceasefire
Jerusalem Road, ended the Jordanian went into effect ending the Six Day
initiatives within Israel. By the end
War. In the end, Israel had captured
of June 7, Israel had captured Jeruan area three times its own land
salem and gained control of the West mass which included the Gaza Strip,
Bank to the Jordan River, effectively the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank
ending the war with Jordan.
and the Golan Heights. More importantly for all Jews, Israel had reOn June 7, Israel launched a threecaptured Jerusalem, and Israelis now
pronged attack at Sharm-el-Sheikh
stood on the site of the Second Temconsisting of paratroop, air, and naple of the Jews and its 2,000 year old
val forces. To their surprise, they
western containment wall known as
found that the area had been desertthe “Wailing Wall.” Israel also had a
ed and the blockade of the Straits of
defensive luxury that they had never
Tiran was non-existent. The 1,600
enjoyed before – strategic depth.
Egyptian soldiers stationed in the
With the Sinai Desert to its south, the
Straits had received and executed
West Bank to the River Jordan to the
Field Marshall Amer’s order to reeast, and the Golan Heights to the
treat.
north, a buffer zone had been created, and the areas used for initiating
The capture of the Golan Heights
attacks against Israel were now unpresented numerous problems for
der their control. Israel now felt that
the Zahal. Syrian artillery had been
in place for some time, and its fortifi- it had the upper hand in peace negocations proved to be a difficult obsta- tiations.
cle to overcome. The IAF was able
The Six Day War demonstrated how
to conduct unrestricted operations
crucial air superiority is in any camagainst the Syrians after destroying
paign. In modern warfare, the ability
First of all, I want to thank you all for praying for my friend SMSgt (R) Wilford
Capps. This past month he went home
to be with the Lord. Please continue
to keep his family in your prayers. Seth Summey has returned
home from his deployment and we
praise the Lord for his safe return. Please continue to keep Justin Reece and Travis Nelson in
your prayers. They are still de-
THE PATRIOT NEWS
Page 4
to control the air allows for free
movement of your forces, while restricting the capabilities of your enemies. Never was this better demonstrated than in the aftermath of the
destruction of Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi air forces on June
5, 1967. Throughout the campaign,
the IAF proved to be very effective,
and the significant destruction of
enemy aircraft on the ground allowed
the IAF to provide maximum support
to its ground forces. During the
campaign, the IAF flew 492 sorties
and destroyed 452 aircraft. In comparison, the IAF lost twenty-four
aircraft - all to ground fire. In the
wake of the Six Day War, air forces
worldwide began a comprehensive
review of their airfield protection and
defense capabilities.
The Six Day War brought an end to
“Nasserism” which had come to symbolize an era of politics and culture
that ultimately led to the total defeat
of the Arab alliance. The years following the Six Day War have seen
numerous changes in the Middle
East. Most of the territory captured
by Israel was returned under United
Nations Resolution 242, signed in
November 1967. The United States
became a significant regional influence beginning in the 1970’s, while
Soviet influence decreased. The rise
of the PLO and similar organizations
has led to a new generation of intellectuals not bound by, and often at
odds with, existing regimes.
“Operation Moked” was a modern
day version of David and Goliath with
the much smaller Israel defeating its
enemies on three sides. One desperate strike, bearing the Star of David,
brought a giant to its knees and forever changed the Middle East.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
they shall prosper that love
thee.” (Psalm 122:6)
ployed to Afghanistan. Please keep Dan
Reece in your prayers. He seriously injured his hand recently and please pray
that it heals quickly and he regains full
use! Please continue to keep Brian and
Ivey Palmer in your prayers as they minister to our service members in Fort Greely,
Alaska. The Palmer’s will be in North Carolina during the month of October visiting
Ivey’s Dad, Albert Watkins.
~ Colonel Martin
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 10