November 10th is the official birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marine Corps traces its roots back to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, which established a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" as forces to land with the fleet. 

The Marines' first land battle on foreign soil was in Libya in 1805, where 600 Marines stormed the city of Derna to rescue the crew of the USS Philadelphia from pirates.

The Marine Corps has been a component of the U.S. Department of the Navy since 1834 working closely with naval forces for training, transportation, and logistics. The USMC operates posts on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world, and several of the Marines' tactical aviation squadrons, primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the Navy's aircraft carriers.  The Marines have over 1300 manned aircraft. 

Today, our country is defended by almost 220,000 Marines, including the reserves.

Latin for "Always Faithful," Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps motto in 1883.  According to the Corps, Semper Fidelis is a permanent reminder that "a Marine will forever live by the ethics and values of the Corps."

Beginning March 1st the Blue Mountain recycling and waste transfer station will be temporarily closed for approximately six weeks and all glass recycling is being discontinued.  The City of Port Angeles says supply chain issues have delayed delivery of necessary equipment to operate the facility requiring the closure. Port Angeles is taking over collection of recycling and yard waste from Waste Connections, Inc.  An announcement from the city says commercial cardboard bins are also slightly delayed, but overly large service disruptions are not anticipated. After investigating the glass recycling market, the City discovered there is only one recycling facility in the entire state of Washington, and they are no longer accepting glass at this time. The city says it will continue to monitor potential glass recycling market changes over the coming months in hopes that an option to utilize a reuse stream becomes available. Until then, glass is to be disposed of through regular solid waste means.

Efforts to make schools safer in earthquake and tsunami prone areas  took a big step forward Wednesday. State senators voted unanimously to support a bill that would authorize up to $500 million dollars in bonds to finance a school safety grant program to retrofit buildings in danger. During Wednesday’s floor debate Democratic State Senator David Frockt of Seattle said school seismic safety could range anywhere from a brace for a building to relocating a building entirely.

FROCKT:  “This is not a theoretical problem Madam President. You may remember there was a volcanic eruption in Tonga I believe about a week ago and we had tsunami warnings on the coast and nothing really happened. But what would happen if there had been a more serious one.  I would note the bill provides for evacuation tsunami towers as an option as well, so these elevated platforms could be built under this legislation.”

Republican Senator Mark Schoesler from the eastern Washington community of Ritzville was a co-sponsor of the bill.

“Some of us have tragic fires. Some of us have floods. Some are in a position that it’s not a matter of if there is an earthquake disaster but when, or a tsunami. I think what we have here is a very much needed improvement to how we do this. It is a statewide issue that requires a statewide solution.”

The grant program would pay two-thirds of the cost of replacing or retrofitting eligible schools in earthquake or tsunami prone areas. The measure now heads to the House for consideration.

Peninsula Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry says she and superintendents of the Peninsula’s public school districts were caught off guard yesterday when State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said he will be recommending to Governor Inslee that the statewide mask mandate for students be dropped and the decision for masking options be returned to local public health officials. 

She told the Peninsula Daily News that “A lot of us didn’t see that coming.”  She says local health jurisdictions do not agree with him.

Health officers in the state are in agreement – now is not the time to lift masking mandates in schools. She says health officials will be meeting soon to discuss the metrics for when that mandate can and should be lifted.  She noted that the largest number of positive COVID cases during the past week on the Peninsula were children 10 to 17 years of age.

GAUCHO thinks the best way to get kitties to stop climbing the Christmas tree is to NOT have a cat!

After all, "Kitties Gonna Do What Kitties Wanna Do!"

Here is a photo of Luna, Bear, and of course "Gaucho".

A lawsuit seeking to overturn the proof of vaccine mandate for patrons of restaurants and bars in Clallam County has been delayed once again.  The suit filed by six restaurant owners had been set to be heard in Kitsap County Superior Court today.  But word came late yesterday it has been delayed until next month. It’s now tentatively set for Friday, January 7th at 3:30 pm. 

The case was moved to Kitsap County after Clallam County’s three superior court judges recused themselves, saying it would be difficult to be impartial.  Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Michelle Adams will be hearing the case instead. 

The suit filed by the owners of the Oasis Bar and Grill, Blondie’s Plate and Jose’s Famous Salsa House restaurant in Sequim, Kokopelli Grill and Coyote Barbeque Pub in Port Angeles and the Blackberry Café in Joyce is alleging that the vaccine mandate unconstitutionally targets a single industry, and harms their freedom of commerce.

A swarm of at least 50 earthquakes have been recorded about 250 miles west of Newberg off the Oregon coast since around 9:30 Monday night. They’re in an area known as the “Blanco Fracture Zone.” The strongest was a magnitude 5.8.  Most have been ranging in intensity from 4.0 to 5.8 and are quite shallow, around 6 miles. The National Weather Service and Pacific Northwest Seismic Network say the activity is eye catching, but nothing to be concerned about. The seismic network says the area is one of the most seismically active in North America and the high activity is not a cause of concern.  

Because it’s not a part of the Cascadia Subduction Zone it doesn’t pose a threat for tsunamis. In any event,  swarms like these are a constant reminder of the potential danger posed by our regions close proximity to the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Northwest coast.  Scientists have been predicting there’s about a 37 percent chance of a huge magnitude 9.2 earthquake that could be unleashed from Cascadia in the next 50 years and would likely generate a catastrophic tsunami.

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans of all wars.  It is a federal holiday that is observed every November 11th. Here’s the history:

At the beginning of the last century, the most destructive war yet known to mankind was waged with unbridled violence and destruction.  The war, known at the time as “The World War”, or “The Great War” has since been enumerated and referred to as “World War One”

Hostilities began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. It involved the Western Allies, (including Britain, France, and Russia) versus the German empire.

More than 70 million military personnel were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history.  

More than 9 million combatants were killed during the war, including over 886,000 deaths from Great Britain; 117,000 brave soldiers and sailors from the United States, and nearly 65,000 from our valiant Canadian allies.  

Armistice Day commemorates the cease fire signed amongst the belligerents.  The armistice called for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, taking effect at the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.  Today marks the 103rd Anniversary of that event.

 “Armistice Day” was celebrated in the United States every November 11th, becoming a national holiday in 1938.  In Canada the day is known as “Remembrance Day.”

“The War to End All Wars” did not signal the end to this type of human tragedy.  World War II, The Korean War and many wars since have proven this sad fact.  In 1954, with the approval of Public Law 380, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars, and would thereafter be referred to as “VETERANS DAY”.

We, at KSQM, are very proud of our country and we wish to honor all veterans.  This solemn day will include a number of military and patriotic musical selections.  We thank you for listening.

Next Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day…
KSQM honors veterans with special programming recognizing a specific branch of our military each day for this entire week, culminating on November 11th.  We honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for all Americans.

Today, we dedicate our broadcast to the honor of the United States AIR FORCE and SPACE FORCE, and all who have so nobly served.

Here’s an AIR FORCE “Fun Fact”:

An Airman first broke the sound barrier.

In 1947 Retired Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager was only a captain when he broke the sound barrier in an experimental Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft named "Glamorous Glennis." He flew at Mach 1.015 at an altitude of forty-two thousand feet, kicking off a race of pilots who competed to do the next big thing, eventually leading to outer space and a man on the moon.


Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:


An Ace isn’t just a good pilot. They’re the best combat pilots.

An “ace” is a pilot who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. The top jet ace in U.S. Air Force history is Joseph C. McConnell Jr, a “Triple ace” who shot down 16 MiG fighters during the Korean War over a four month period, bagging three on his last combat mission of the war. His record still stands.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in aerial combat.  In 1954, he was killed while test piloting an F-86H fighter-bomber.


Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:

The Air Force tracks Santa

Perhaps one of the coolest jobs Air Force members are tasked with is to watch and track Santa as he treks the globe on Christmas Eve. The NORAD Santa Tracker goes live every December to track Santa’s trip around the world, courtesy of the North American Aerospace Defense Command AKA the Air Force. NORAD has maintained this tradition since 1955.
 
Today, you can download apps to follow along on your smartphone.  You can also follow along on the website: NORAD SANTA (dot) ORG which fires up on December 1st.

Here’s another AIR FORCE Fun-Fact:

If you’re a weatherman in the Air Force, you’re probably a battle-hardened commando.

Before the Air Force sends squadrons of $150 million aircraft into areas, it likes to know what kind of environmental conditions are waiting for them. But the kinds of places where it sends such aircraft aren’t exactly friendly or hospitable to U.S. military operations. To gather meteorological and geological intelligence, the Air Force sends in Special Operations Weather Teams—commando forces with special training to read the environment and report back.

To join such an elite fighting force, these men endure a punishing training pipeline that tests their mental and physical limits. The airmen who make it through earn the coveted gray beret and crest, and are trained to jump out of airplanes, climb mountains, snake through jungles, blow things up, and use small unit tactics in hostile territory.

The United States Merchant Marine is comprised of civilian mariners and a fleet of U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. These fleets are managed by either the government or private sector, and engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is responsible for transporting cargo and passengers during peacetime. In time of war, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver military personnel and materiel for the military.

In the Second World War, OVER 3 million tons of merchant ships were lost. Merchant Mariners died at a rate of 1 in 24, which was the highest rate of casualties of any service.  733 American cargo ships were lost and 8,651 of the 215,000 who served in the US Merchant Marine perished in troubled waters and off enemy shores.

During the Korean War, the number of ships under charter grew from 6 to 255. 

During the Vietnam War, ships crewed by civilian seamen carried 95% of the supplies used by the American armed forces. Many of these ships sailed into combat zones under fire.

During the first Gulf War, the merchant ships of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) delivered more than 11 million metric tons of vehicles, helicopters, ammunition, fuel and other supplies and equipment.   

The motto of the US Merchant Marine Academy is:  "Deeds, Not Words"