John Bretschneider

Arlington at 150 — Celebrating America's Heroes

By John Bretschneider on May 23, 2014 Afghanistan, Arlington National Cemetery, Army, Iraq, Memorial service, NASA, Navy

Since the first military burial on May 13, 1864, Arlington National Cemetery has become the final resting place for more than 400,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and their families. Those who on Sept. 11, 2001, died only a few hundred yards away at the Pentagon are buried here, as are the Challenger astronauts. Fifteen thousand soldiers from the Civil War — Union and Confederate — rest in Section 27 and Section 13, known as the Field of the Dead. Four thousand freed slaves, many identified only as “Citizen,” and two presidents also are buried at Arlington. Section 60 is the…

The Last Dive Bomber

By John Bretschneider on April 1, 2014 Aviation, Carriers, Navy, The Pacific, Women in the Navy, World War II

A World-War II era Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver was unveiled at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. April 1. The Helldiver was the last purpose-built dive bomber to enter Naval service and was designed as a replacement for the smaller SBD Dauntless dive bomber. Poor lateral stability in the early Dash-1 versions led to its not-so-flattering fleet nicknames: Son-of-a-Bitch, Second-Class (for SB2C) or simply “The Beast.” By the end of WWII, guided bombs and rockets eliminated the need to point the entire airframe at the target in order to insure a successful bomb…

Oldest WWII Sailor Honored

By John Bretschneider on December 16, 2013 Navy

Elmer Hill, 107, believed to be the oldest-surviving World War II Navy veteran is honored during a Dec. 15 concert at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Drafted in 1942, Hill served as a cook and a gunner aboard ship in the Pacific theater.

Navy School Set for Satellite Launch

By John Bretschneider on November 19, 2013 Navy

NASA and Orbital Sciences are set to launch the Air Force STPSat-3 spacecraft atop a repurposed Minuteman I missile Tuesday, Nov. 19, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The Minotaur launch vehicle is scheduled for liftoff at 7:30 p.m. EST, the start of a two-hour launch window. Weather permitting, the booster’s flame trail should be visible from Augusta, Maine, to Jacksonville, Fla. Also aboard the launcher are 28 miniature CubeSat payloads, measuring 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) per side each. Of those CubeSats, 15 are Defense Department payloads, 12 were built by universities (including one each from West…

The Navy This Week, April 19, 2013

By John Bretschneider on April 19, 2013 Carriers, Maps, Navy, Ships

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending April 19 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004dabc507b1110224ab&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=23.885838,15.46875&spn=140.799904,9.140625&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=300]

The Navy This Week, March 29, 2013

By John Bretschneider on March 29, 2013 Maps, Ships

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending March 29 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004d912e4cf3ef4f2db5&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=24.527135,9.140625&spn=140.617333,9.140625&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=300]

The Navy This Week, March 14, 2013

By John Bretschneider on March 14, 2013 Carriers, Deployment, Geography, Maps, Maritime operations, Mobile Diving and Salvage, Navy, Persian Gulf, Ships, The Pacific, The Philippines

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending March 14 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004d7ec9b010499fcffb&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=32.546813,-0.703125&spn=148.622757,9.84375&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=350]

The Navy This Week, March 7, 2013

By John Bretschneider on March 13, 2013 Carriers, Maps, Navy, Ships

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending Feb. 28 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004d7d03d3a9b0ed0763&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=21.289374,1.40625&spn=151.485441,9.84375&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=350]

The Navy This Week, Feb. 28, 2013

By John Bretschneider on March 5, 2013 Maps, Navy

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending Feb. 28 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004d73274d12c4ea249a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=26.431228,2.109375&spn=150.379743,9.84375&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=350]

The Navy This Week, Jan. 17, 2013

By John Bretschneider on January 17, 2013 Maps, Navy

Here is this week’s Navy Times interactive map, showing what sailors are doing around the world. Information for the week ending Jan. 17 is provided by Navy public affairs. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=214279882004694880104.0004d38119280f3716f32&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=p&ll=23.241346,2.109375&spn=140.977222,9.140625&z=1&output=embed&w=526&h=300]

Author John Bretschneider