of the local country, so we're aware of how those people in that country react and behave. so when something is out of the ordinary, we can recognize it. >> i never thought i'd be a victim. but you never really know. it could happen again tomorrow just walking down the street.to.

washington journal begins live at 7:00 a.m. eastern tuesday morning. on september 14, 1986, president and mrs. reagan made a rare joint address from the white house residence carried live on national television. their message was on drug abuse. first lady nancy reagan, who died on march 6 at the age of 94, urged young people to just say no to drugs, an anti-drug abuse strategy she had been promoting since 1982. >> good evening. usually, i talk with you from my office in the west wing of the white house. but tonight, there's something special to talk about and i've asked someone very special to skroin me.

nancy and i are here in the west hall of the white house and around us are the rooms in which we live. it's the home you have provided for us of which we merely have temporary custody. nancy is joining me because the message this evening is not my message but ours. and we speak to you not simply as fellow citizens but as fellow parents and grandparents and as concerned neighbors. it is back to school time for america's children. and while drug and alcohol abuse cuts across all generations, it's especially damaging to the young people on whom our future depends. so tonight, from our family to yours, from our home to yours, thank you for joining us. america has accomplished so much in these last few years. whether it has been rebuilding our economy or freedom in the world, what we have been able to achieve has been done with your help. with us working together as a

nation united. now we need your support again. drugs are menacing our society. they are threatening our values and undercutting our institutions. they are killing our children. from the beginning of our administration, we have taken strong steps to do something about this horror. tonight, i can report to you that we have made much progress. 37 federal agencies are working together in a vigorous national effort. and by next year, our spending for drug law enforcement will have more than tripled from its 1981 levels. we have increased seize ufrz illegal drugs, shortages of marijuana are being reported. last year alone, over 10,000 drug criminals were convicted and nearly $250 million of their assets were seized by the dea, the drug enforcement administration. to the most important area, individual use, we see progress. in four years, the number of

high school seniors using marijuana on a daily basis has dropped from one in 40 to one in 20. the u.s. military cut the use of illegal drugs among its personnel by 67% since 1980. these are a measure of our commitment and emerging signs that we can defeat this enemy. but we still have much to do. despite our best efforts, illegal cocaine is coming into our country at alarming levels. and four to five million people regularly use it. 500,000 americans are hooked on heroin. one in 12 persons smokes marijuana regularly. regular drug use is higher among the age group 18 to 25, most likely just entering the work force. today, there's a new epidemic. smokeable cocaine, otherwise known as crack. it's an explosively destructive and often lethal substance which is crushing its users.

it is an uncontrolled fire. drug abuse is not a so-called victimless crime. everyone's safety is at stake when drugs and alcohol are used by people on the highways or by those transporting our citizens or using industrial equipment. drug abuse costs you and your fellow americans at least $60 billion a year. from the early days of our administration, nancy has been intensely involved in the effort to fight drug abuse. she has since traveled over 100,000 miles to 55 cities in 28 states and six foreign countries to fight school-age drug and alcohol abuse. she's given dozens of speeches and scores of interviews and has participated in 24 special radio and tv tapings to create greater awareness of this crisis. her personal observations and efforts have given us such

dramatic insights that wanted her to share them with you this evening. nancy? >> thank you. as a mother, i've always thought of september as a special month, a time when we bundled our children off to school, to the warmth of an environment in which they could fulfill the promise and hope in those restless minds. but so much has happened over these last years, so much to shake the foundations of all that we know and all that we believe in. today there's a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic in this country and no one is safe from it. not you, not me and certainly not our children, because this epidemic has their names written on it. many of you may be thinking, well, drugs don't concern me. but it does concern you. it concerns us all. because of the way it tears at our lives and because it's aimed at destroying the brightness and life of the sons and daughters of the united states.

for five years, i have been traveling across the country learning and listening. one of the most hopeful signs i have seen is a building of an essential new awareness of how terrible and threatening drug abuse is to our society. this was one of the main purposes when i started. so, of course, it makes me happy that that's been accomplished. but each time i meet with someone new or receive another letter from a troubled person on drugs, i yearn to find a way to help share the message that cries out from them. as a parent, i'm concerned about what drugs are doing to mothers and their newborn children. listen to this account from a hospital in florida of a child born to a mother with a cocaine habit. nearby a baby named paul lies motionless in an incubator. feeding tubes riddling his tiny body. he needs a ris pir ator to

breathe and a daily spinal tap to relieve fluid buildup on his brain. only one month old, he has suffered two strokes. now you can see why drug abuse concerns every one of us. all the american family. drugs steal away so much. they take and take until finally every time a drug goes into a child, something else is forced out. like love and hope and trust and confidence. drugs take away the dream from every child's heart and replace it with a nightmare. and it's time we in america stand up and replace those dreams. each of us has to put our principals and consciences on the line whether in social settings or in the workplace to set forth solid standards and stick to them. no moral middle ground. indifference is not an option. we want you to help us create an

outspoken intolerance for drug use for the sake of our children. i implore each of you to be unyielding and inflexible in your opposition to drugs. our young people are helping us lead the way. not long ago in oakland, california, i was asked by a group of children what to do if they were offered drugs. and i answered, just say no. soon after that, those children in oakland formed a just say no club. now there are over 10,000 such clubs all over the country. well, their participation and their courage in saying no needs our encouragement. we can help by using every opportunity to force the issue of not using drugs to the point of making others uncomfortable, even if it makes -- means making ourselves unpopular. our job is never easy, because drug criminals are ingenius.

they work every day to plot a new and better way to steal our children's lives just as they have done by developing this new drug crack. for every door that we close, they open a new door to death. they prosper on our unwillingness to act. so we must be smarter and stronger and tougher than they are. it's up to us to change attitudes and just simply dry up their markets. and finally, to young people watching our listening, i have a very personal message for you. there's a big wonderful world out there for you. it belongs to you. it's exciting and stimulating and rewarding. don't cheat yourselves out of this promise. our country needs you. but it needs you to be clear eyed and clear minded. i recently read one teenager's story. she's now determined to stay

clean, but was once strung out on several drugs. what she remembered most clearly about her recovery was that during the time she was on drugs, everything appeared to her in shades of black and gray. after her treatment, she was able to see color. so to my young friends out there, life can be great but not when you can't see it. so open your eyes to life, to see it in the vivid colors that god gave us as a precious gift to his children, to enjoy life to the fullest and to make it count. say yes to your life and when it comes to drugs and alcohol, just say no. >> i think you can see why nancy has been such a positive influence on all that we're trying to do. a job ahead of us is very clear. nancy's personal crusade like that of so many other wonderful individuals should become our

national crusade. it must include a combination of government and private efforts which compliment one another. last month, i announced six initiatives which we believe will do just that. first, we seek a drug free workplace at all levels of government and in the private sector. second, we will work toward drug free schools. third, we want to ensure that it the public is protected and the treatment is available to substance abusers and the chemically dependent. our fourth goal is to expand international cooperation while treating drug trafficking as a threat to our national security. in october, i will be meeting with key u.s. ambassadors to discuss what can be done to support our friends abroad. fifth, we must move to strengthen law enforcement activities such as those initiated by vice president bush and attorney general mease. finally, we seek to expand public awareness and prevention.

in order to further implement these six goals, i will announce tomorrow a series of new proposals for a drug free america. taken as a whole, these proposals will toughen our laws against drug criminals, encourage more research and treatment and ensure that illegal drugs will not be tolerated in our schools or in our workplaces. together with our ongoing efforts, these proposals will bring the federal commitment to fighting drugs to $3 billion. as much financing as we commit, however, we would be fooling ourselves if we thought that massive new amounts of money alone will provide the solution. let us not forget that in america, people solve problems and no national crusade has ever succeeded without human investment. winning the crusade against drugs will not be achieved by throwing money at the problem. your government will continue to act aggressively.

nothing would be more effective than for americans to quit using illegal drugs. we seek to create a massive change in national attitudes which ultimately will separate the drugs from the customer. to take the user away from the supply. i believe quite simply that we can help them quit. and that's where you come in. my generation will represent how america swung into action when we were attacked in world war ii. the war was not just fought by the fellows anything the planes or driving the tanks. it was fought at home by a mobilized nation, men and women alike building planes and ships, clothing sailors and soldiers, feeding marines and airmen. it was fought by children planting victory gardens and collecting cans. now we're in another war for our freedom. it's time for all of us to pull together again. so for example, if your friend or neighbor or a family member has a drug or alcohol problem, don't turn the other way. go to his help or to hers.

get others involved with you. clubs, service groups and community organizations. provide support and strength. of course, many of you have been cured through treatment and self-help. you are the combat veterans. you have a critical role to play. you can help others by telling your story and providing a willing hand to those in need. being friends to others is the best way of being friends to otherselves. it's time, as nancy said, for america to just say no to drugs. those of you in union halls and workplaces everywhere, please make this challenge a part of your job every day. help us preserve the health and dignity of all workers, to businesses large and small, we need the creativity of your enterprise applied directly to this national problem. help us. those of who you are educators, your wisdom and leadership are indispensable to this cause. from the pulpits of this

spirit-filled land, we will welcome your reassuring message of redemption and forgiveness and of helping one another. on the athletic fields, you men and women are among the most beloved citizen service our country. a child's eyes fill with your heroic achievements. few of us can give youngsters something as special and strong to look up to as you. please don't let them down. in this camera in front of us, it's a reminder that in nancy and my former profession and in the newsrooms and production rooms of our media centers, you have a special opportunity with your enormous influence to send alarm signals across the nation. to our friends in foreign countries, we know many of you are involved in this battle with us. we need your success as well as ours. when we all come together, united, striving for this cause, then those who are killing america and terrorizing it with slow but sure chemical destruction will see that they

are up against the mightiest force for good that we know. then they will have no dark alleyways to hide in. in this crusade, let us not forget who we are. drug abuse say repudiation of everything america is. the destructiveness mocks our heritage. think how special it is to be an american. can we doubt that only a divine providence placed this land, this island of freedom here as a refuge for all those people in the world who yearned to breathe free? the revolution out of which our liberty was conserved signalled a historical call to a world seeking hope. each immigrant rode the crest of that hope. they came seeking a save harbor from the oppression of cruel regimes. they came to escape starvation and disease. they came those surviving the holocaust. they came the boat people

chancing death for a glimmer of hope that they could have a new life. they all came to taste the air rich with the freedom that is ours. what an insult it will be to what we are and where we came if we do not rise up together in defiance against this cancer of drugs. and there's one more thing. the freedom that so many seek in our land has not been preserved without a price. nancy and i shared that remembrance two years ago at the american cemetery in france. in the still of that june afternoon, we walked together among the soldiers of freedom, past the hundreds of white markers which are monuments to courage and memorials to sacrifice. too many of these and other such graves are the final resting places of teenagers who became men in the roar of battle. look what they gave to us who live. never would they see another sun lit day glistening off a lake or

river back home or miles of corn pushing up against the open sky of our plains. the pristine air of our mountains it and the energy of our cities are theirs no more. nor would they be a son to their parents or a father to their own children. they did this for you, for me, for a new generation to carry our democratic experiment proudly forward. that's something i think we're obliged to honor. because what they did for us means that we owe as a simple act of civic stewardship to use our freedom wisely for the common good. as we mobilize for this national crusade, drugs are a constant temptation for millions. remember this when your courage is tested. you are americans. you are the product of the freest society mankind has ever known. no one ever has the right to destroy your dreams and shatter

your life. right down the end of the hall is lincoln bedroom. in a civil war, that room was the one president lincoln used as his office. memory fills that room and more than anything that memory drivers us to see vividly what president lincoln sought to save. above all, it is that america must stand for something and that our heritage lets us stand with the strength of character made more steely by each layer of challenge pressed upon the nation. we americans have never been morally neutral against any form of tyranny. we're asking no more than we honor what we have been and what we are by standing together. >> now we go on to the next stop. making a final commitment not to tolerate drugs by anyone, any time, any place. so won't you join us in this

great new national crusade? >> god bless you and good night. tuesday on capitol hill, treasury secretary jack lew testified on the state of information security before the house financial services committee. that's live at 10:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span3. then securities and exchange commission chair mary jo white will speak to members of the house appropriations subcommittee about her department's budget. that's live at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2. i am a history buff. i do enjoy seeing the fabric of our country and our things -- just how they work and how they're made sgli love american history tv. the presidency.

american artifacts. >> i had no idea they did history. that's something i would enjoy. >> with american history tv, it gives you that perspective. >> i'm a c-span fan. here comes the flight crew now. ron mcnair and pilot mike smith. >> 30 years ago on january 28, 1986, the space shuttle challenger exploded 7 73 second after liftoff taking the lives of the seven crew members pictured here. up next on american history tv's reel america, a 1986 nasa video report detailing the causes of the disaster. the conclusions are the findings of the presidential commission on the space shuttle accident

released june 6, 1986. first, nasa's video of the shuttle launch followed by president reagan's remarks to the nation from the oval office about five hours after the accident. t minus 15 seconds. t minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six -- we have main engine start. four, three, two, one. and liftoff. liftoff of the 25th space shuttle mission. and it has cleared the tower. >> rock and roll, challenger. >> confirmed. challenger now heading down range. engines beginning throttling down. 94%.

normal throttle for most of the flight, 104%. will throttle down to 65% shortly. engines at 65%. three engines running normally, three good fuel cells. 2257 feet per seconds. three nautical miles. engines throttling up. three engines at 104%. >> challenger, go with throttle up. >> one minute 15 seconds. altitude nine nautical miles.

>> flight control looking carefully at the situation. obviously, a major malfunction. we have no down link. we have a report from the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded. director confirms that. we are looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what can be done at this point.

>> ladies and gentlemen, i had planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the union. the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. today is a day for mourning and remembering. nancy and i are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle challenger. we know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. this is truly a national loss. 19 years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. but we have never lost an astronaut in flight. we had never had a tragedy like this. perhaps we forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. but they, the challenger seven, were aware of the dangers and overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. we mourn seven heros.

we mourn their loss as a nation together. the families of the seven we cannot bear as you do the full impact of this tragedy. but we feel the loss and we're thinking about you so very much. your loved ones were daring and brave and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, give me a challenge and i will meet it with joy. they had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. they wished to serve and they did. they served all of us. we have grown used to wonders in this century. it's hard to dazzle us. but for 25 years, the united states space program has been doing just that. we have grown used to the idea of space and perhaps we forget that we have only just begun. we're still pioneers. they, the members of the challenger crew, were pioneers. and i want to say something to the schoolchildren of america who were watching the live

coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. i know it's hard to understand, but painful things like this happen. it's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. it's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. the future doesn't belong to the faint hearted. it belongs to the brave. the challenger crew was pulling us into the future and we will continue to follow them. i have always had great faith in and respect for our space program. and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. we don't hide our space program. we don't keep secrets and cover things up. we do it all up front and in public. that's the way freedom is and we wouldn't change it for a minute. we will continue our quest in space. there will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. nothing ends here. our hopes and our journeys

continue. i want to add that i wish i could talk to every man and woman who works for nasa or who worked on this mission and tell them, your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades and we know of your anguish. we share it. there's a coincidence today. on this day 390 years ago, the great explorer sir francis drake died aboard a ship off the coast of panama. in his lifetime, the great frontiers were the oceans and a historian later said, he lived by the sea, died on it and was buried in it. today, we can say of the challenger crew, their dedication was like drake's, complete. the crew of the space shuttle challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived third lives. we will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for

their journey and waved good-bye and slipped the bonds of earth to touch the face of god. thank you. >> flight of the space shuttle challenger on mission 51-l, the 25th flight of the space shuttle program began at 11:38 a.m. eastern standard time on january 28, 1986. it ended 73 seconds later in a structural breakup of the external tank and orbitor in which the seven perished. the solid rocket boosters continued in flight. they were destroyed 110 seconds after launch. the delivery and assembly began

months prior to launch. the solid rocket booster segments were transported by rail to the kennedy space center. the srbs were inspected and partially assembled at the rotation processing and storage facility. the segments were then moved to the vehicle assembly building or vab where they were stacked on the mobile launch platform. the external tank arrived by barge and was moved into the vab where it was checked out and mated to the stacked solid rocket boosters.

after orbiter checkout, challenger was rolled into the vab and mated with the external tank and srbs. the sts 51-l vehicle was transported from the vab to the launch pad on december 22, 1985. at a crawler speed of approximately one mile per hour, the journey takes about six hours. the launch was rescheduled several times, resulting in the final countdown on january 28, 1986. the weather was forecast to be clear and cold with temperatures dropping into the low 20s overnight. the fuelling of the external tank began at 1:25 a.m.

ice had accumulated on the launch pad during the night. several water systems were opened slightly and allowed to flow into drains. the drains froze and caused overflows. high wind gusts spread the water over large areas and ice formed. the air temperature at launch was 36 degrees fahrenheit. this was 15 degrees colder than any previous launch. at t minus seven minutes and 30 seconds, the ground launch began retracting the arm. it can be put back in place within 15 to 20 seconds if an emergency arises and the crew must evacuate the pad. at t minus three minutes and 15 seconds, checks of the main engines were performed. all three engines move in a preprogrammed pattern to verify flight control.

the sequence ends with the engines in the start positions. at t minus two minutes and 55 seconds, external tank liquid oxygen pressurization began and main engine purging was completed. at t minus two minutes and 50 seconds, retraction of the gas oxygen vent hood began. the ground launch sequence verified full retraction at t minus 37 seconds. sound suppression water was started at t minus 16 seconds. at t minus eight seconds, hydrogen igniters were turned on to burn off any free hydrogen. 6.6 seconds before launch, challenger's liquid fuel main engines were ignited in sequence and run up to full thrust.

thrust from the main engines bends the shuttle stack. when it returned to vertical, the solid rocket boosters ignited. at t zero the bolts were exmroe sufficiently released. after the initial prerelease motion, structural forces on the assembly are dissipated through vibration at a rate of three cycles per second during first few seconds of flight. rollover was initiated 7.24 seconds. it was completed at 21.124 seconds. >> 104%. throttle down to 65%. >> the main engines were throttled back to 65% at 35.379

seconds for about 16 seconds in order to alleviate loads during maximum dynamic pressure. >> altitude 4.3 nautical miles. >> the engines were then throttled up. >> 104%. >> during the flight, data gave no indication of problems. >> one minute 15 seconds. altitude nine nautical miles. down range decision, seven nautical miles. >> the solid rocket boosters

continued in flight and were destroyed 110 seconds after launch. data from nearly 200 cameras were analyzed during the investigation. the following sequence of events is based on the evaluation of film, video and telemetry data. this graphic indicates viewing angles for three cameras in the vicinity of the launch sight. the first is from camera e-63 at the lower right of the chart. at .678 seconds ah strong puff of gray smoke can be seen spurting from the joint on the right solid booster. the material indicates there was not complete sealing action within the joint. this second view is from camera e-60. the smoke can be seen between the right srb and the external

tank and moves in the upward direction. the angle between this view and e-63 is approximately 100 degrees. with e-60 and e-63 side by side, it's clear when smoke is first visible to e-60, it is not visible to e-63. .2 seconds later it becomes visible and is seen in puffs reaching maximum visibility at about 1.9 seconds. a third higher resolution camera d-67 was located east of the launch pad. d-67 recorded this view of the smoke at approximately the same time of maximum development. smoke appears to the right side of the srb only. while normal water condensation vapors appear to the left. this plan shows that none of the

cameras directly view the surface of the right srb in the shaded region of the graphic. analysis of film from several pad cameras indicated that the smoke came from between 270 and 310 degrees on the circumference of the joint. as indicated on these pre-flight photos, the smoke emerged from just above the strut between the srb and et at a point along the longitudinal axis near the aft field joint. the multiple smoke puffs occurred at a rate of four times per second, approximating the frequency of the structural load dynamic and joint flexing. this greatly exaggerated computer animation depicts the flexing of the srb joint. this flexing increased the gap at the location of two rubber o ring seals.

last evidence of smoke above the aft detach ring is at 7.23 seconds. the last appearance is 3.75 seconds. film records of the assembly of the solid rocket booster were reviewed to determine any evidence of cause for the smoke. photographs taken just prior to mating of the booster saysme ee show a subtle variation but through computer enhancement was a shadow caused by irregularities in the grease. no evidence of o ring defects was observed in any of the photography. the facility hydrogen vent arm was not captured after retraction at launch. film analysis however showed that it did not rebound and contact the vehicle or contribute to the accident.

post launch inspection of the hold down posts revealed that the kick spring assembles on four of the posts were missing. doe tailed analysis determined that the assemblies could not have been detached prior to t plus 850 milliseconds and were not a contributing factor to the smoke observed at liftoff. the next significant event was the development of the srb burn through plume. camera e-207 located about six miles north of the launch pad shows the growth of this plume. the first evidence of flame appeared on the right solid rocket booster at 58.788 seconds. this occurred as the main engines had been throttled up and the srbs were increasing thrust.

camera e-203 was located west of the launch site and gives an aft view. the exposure was set for the booster nozzle plumes. this graphic illustrates the location of the flare. the flare was located near the aft field join approximately 300 degrees circumferential which is consistent with the smoke emissions at liftoff. within half a second, the flame had grown into a continuous and well defined plume. at the same time, telemetry showed a divergence in pressure between the right and left srb. pressure in the right was lower as a result of the growing leak. the plume is seen here on the surface of the external tank and lower aft strut. at 62 seconds, the control

system elements began to respond to the forces caused by the plume. as recorded on e-207 and e-204, the first visual indication that the plume penetrated the external tank was seen at 64.66 seconds as an abrupt change in the shape and color of the plume. this is an indication of hydrogen leaking from the external tank. at 64.705 seconds, a bright sustained glow developed between the orbiter and the external tank. slight changes in the hydrogen tank pressure data confirmed the leak 2.2 seconds later at 66.8 seconds when the lh-2 tank pref pressurization could no longer maintain its rate. the pressure could no longer be

maintained indicating leak path was growing rapidly. at 72.2 seconds, the guidance system showed that right srb motion diverged from the orbiter and left srb indicating the strut was severed or pulled loose. during this time frame, exaggerated staring command and control system responses registered in data. at approximately 73 seconds, both liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen pressure to the main engines showed a significant drop. this was followed at 73.124 seconds by the appearance of a white pattern around the et aft region suggests tank structural failure. 13 milliseconds later, at 73.137 seconds, vapor was observed indicative of the lick witness oxygen tank failing thchlt can be attributed to abnormal loads

induced by the right srb rotation at the forward attach point or the propulsive forces. probably both. within milliseconds, liquid oxygen was observed streaming along the external tank. at 73.191 seconds, a flash was observed between the et and orbiter that was followed by the start of the total vehicle breakup at 73.213 seconds. during the next 100 milliseconds, additional flashes occur in the srb forward attach area. as the et broke up, the released fluids vaporized rapidly producing a cloud of gases, vapors and fluid with imbedded debris and localized combustion of mixed gases. no shock wave or other evidence of a violent explosion was detected in the imagery.

illumination from a combination of srb plume, reflected sun and burning of gases gives the cloud the appearance of a fireball. by 73.6 seconds, the main engines were in automatic shutdown mode as a result of pressure. the last telemetry was received 73.618 seconds after launch. the actual vehicle brokeup was essentially obscured by the vapor cloud which enveloped the vehicle. hundreds of fragments were noted exiting the cloud. those identified included the shuttle main engines, left wing, crew cabin and both srbs. approximately one second after initial breakup, film showed the front segment of the orbiter emerging from the cloud. the nose, crew cabin and a portion of the cargo bay make it up in this view.

oxidizer from the reaction control system provided an orange brown color to the cloud. by 74.578 seconds s a flash wa visible. this is believed to be caused by burning gas from the forward rcs. the flash reaction from the rcs abated revealing separation of the nose from the crew cabin. less than a quarter of a second later, the crew cabin was noted to be severed from the cargo bay. igniting a discharge continued to be observed from the forward rcs. a camera south of the launch pad recorded a wider array of debris existing the vapor cloud.

the initial emergence of the crew cabin from this perspective was at 75.237 seconds. the initial path of the crew cabin from the vapor cloud carried it across the path of an adjacent trail revealing its form and attitude. the left wing became visible at 78.531 seconds. the main engines and crew cabin are also identifiable. after ten seconds, the crew cabin was seen again with the front end and top of the cabin visible. as the subject moved further away and dropped lower on the horizon, the quality of the image for visual analysis deteriorated rapidly. long range tracking cameras followed the srbs through safety

destruct. at approximately 75.8 seconds, the right srb was seen exiting the cloud. camera e-207 shows the right srb after the breakup and the joints are clearly visible except for the aft field joint. this confirmed the location of the plume along the longitudinal axis of the srb. the separated nose cap and deployed parachute are identified at approximately 76.4 seconds. the shock wave from the detonation of the charge on the right srb can be seen clearly. sigh mul tan our multaneou simultaneously, the left srb was destroyed.

at approximately 37 seconds, challenger had encounter the first of several expected high altitude wind sheer conditions which lasted until about 64 seconds. these wind sheers are best illustrated by the effect on the booster exhaust trails. the effect of wind sheer was immediately sensed and count erd by the guidance navigation and control system. wind reconstructions were aided by comparing predicted exhaust trail shapes with photography. it was used to verify the loads were within limits. several flashes in the ssme plumes were observed during the flight. as similar flashes have been seen on several previous flights, they are considered not to have contributed to the accident. the visible condensation that appears in this frame is created

by shock waves which develop as the vehicle passes through the speed of sound. a large scale search effort was initiated to recover the space shuttle debris. 22 ships, 6 underwater search vesle vessels and 33 aircraft participated in the operation. the pieces recovered initially were those found floating on the surface. the submarine fleet was used to locate and inspect underwater debris. objects identified as being important to the investigation were retrieved. 50% of the entire vehicle was recovered in the effort.

the ocean search area was located at edge of the gulf stream at depths up to 1200 feet. approximately 93,000 square miles of ocean were searched. the recovered hardware was brought to the logistics facility where reconstruction efforts helped to verify the investigation team's finding s s well as analyze the breakup of the et and srbs and orbiter. inside the facility, parts were arranged on the floor according to their location on the vehicle. 45% of the orbiter itself was recovered. the debris confirmed it did not contribute to the cause of the accident and that the orbiter break just was a result of aerodynamic affects rather than explosive affects. shown here are parts of the

orbiter forward fuselage structure which surrounds the crew cabin. extensive heating and erosion was detected on the right aft section of the orbiter. the paint was scorched and blackened on the right side of the aft fuselage. thermal distress was apparent on the right rudder speed brake while the left showed little effect. thermal effects were also seen on the elevan. the aft left side of the orbiter showed no apparent sign of heat damage. the remaining recovered parts of the orbiter showed no evidence of fire or explosion from within

the vehicle. all three main engines were recovered and helped to verify that they did not contribute to the cause of the accident. the external tank was similarly reconstructed. 25% of the liquid hydrogen tank, 80% of the inner tank and 5% of the liquid oxygen tank was recovered. most of the external hardware was also recovered. the nose cap sustained very little damage. in general, the recovered pieces were quite large. the spray on on foam insulation exhibited varying degrees of

thundersto thermal effects from extreme charring to practically no effect. the external tank range safety charges were recovered undetonated, eliminating them as a possible factor in external tank breakup. the inner tank region showed signs of buckling in the fore and aft direction. this would be consistent with the impulsive thrust that resulted from the sudden liquid oxygen from the aft section of the tank. this shearing failure of the forward attachment fitting with the right srb was caused by the booster's rotation after the aft strut area failed. the stiffener stringers on the right-hand side of the inner tank show evidence of contact which matched marks on the forward assembly of the right srb.

a section of the ring frame and a section of the aft dome from the lower strut attachment area was recovered in one piece. the lower strut attachment fitting had been pulled away. the effects of the anom louse srb plume can be seen on the external tank excluding an area which was shielded by the strut and attachment fitting. approximately 50% of solid rocket booster hardware was recovered. an ordnance storage facility was used to house the pieces as some contained unburned propellant. marks seen on the right srb matched the contact area shown previously on the e.t. inner tank stringers. the size and location of the burn-through as indicated by the recovered srb debris were

illustrated on an assembled booster. the aft center section of the joint shows a large hole. the irregular hole is roughly rectangular and is about 27 by 15 inches. the steel case material showed evidence of hot gas erosion caused by combustion products flowing through the opening. the aft section of the right srb showed a hole approximately 33 by 21 inches. the burned surface extended into the aft attached strut region. the exterior surface of the aft case featured a large heat-affected area. the shape and location of this heat spot indicates an impingement from the escaping gases.

there was a small burn-through in the case wall which appeared to have penetrated from the outside in. this was due to the impingement of hot gases from the anomolous plume. the hole in the solid rocket booster segments was the result of the joint leakage on the right hand srb which was determined to be the cause of the accident. the presidential commission concluded that the cause of the "challenger" accident was the failure of the pressure seal in the aft field joint of the right solid rocket motor. the failure was due to a faulty design, rendering the seal unacceptably sensitive to a number of factors. those factors include the effects of temperature, physical dimensions, the character of materials, the effects of reuse and processing and the reaction of the joint to dynamic loading.

more detailed analyses are contained in volume three of the report of the presidential commission on the space shuttle "challenger" accident. as the director of military and veteran affairs at the university of toledo in ohio, many veterans have come into my office talking about who they wants to vote for. regardless if they want to vote democratic or republican, it's your civic duty to get out and vote. many things are at stake with this election so i encourage you to get out, do your research and vote for the candidate that best supports your causes and the future of this nation. >> my name is todd. i'm here in toledo, ohio. i'm here supporting bernie sanders. i feel as though he's one of the most important candidates in this field right now. he's the most viable alternative to mainstream politicians and he has the most progressive ideas that are most important for the

country and i would encourage everyone to go out and support bernie if possible. >> the most important issue that the university of toledo college democrats feel is important in this election is going to be college tuition as well as jobs. when college kids go to school they need to know how to pay for it and afford it as well as when they're leaving college whashgs their future's going to look like, what the job market's going to look like, who's trying to bring jobs back into the u.s. and things like that. so as president of the college democrats i feel those are the two biggest issues for an election cycle. >> i was originally going to vote for bernie sanders. however, since i'm not that politically inclined i ended up voting for hillary because she seems more knowledgeable and has been in the political environment for more. she's my country's leader. she has been secretary of state and has already seen the inner workings of the white house and how the game goes. our road to the white house

coverage continues tuesday evening as voters in arizona, idaho, utah and american samoa head to the polls. our coverage with results and speeches will begin after polling places close live on c-span. 30 years ago, on january 28th, 1986, the space shuttle "challenger" exploded 73 seconds after lift-off. taking the lives of the seven crew members pictured here on their way to the launch pad. the crew included school teacher christa mcauliffe, selected from more than 11,000 am quantipplic be the first teacher in space. next on history tv's real america, a ten-minutes nasa video of mcauliffe, on the right in this photo, with backup teacher barba morgan are shown meeting the "challenger" crew, testing food and being fitted for space clothing.

>> there we go. okay. >> oh, gee, thanks. >> that's all right. you missed the world's greatest picture. >> okay. y'all can relax. as soon as charles [ inaudible ]. he's trying to get one. >> we haven't really done that. you know, when it happened with me, i'm sure it happened to barbara, we had a lot of people who wanted to know exactly what

time we were stepping one foot off so they could interview us for eight hours. we talked briefly this morning and said -- >> okay. that's good. >> people take one of everything. >> we will just finish up the spinach. >> does that seem normal? >> no. it really seems strange.

>> this, when you drink it, keeps the liquid from coming out. >> you have to open that up before you can drink. like that. >> okay. then you just click it? >> yeah. you leave it sitting in zero gravity, it may have a tendency to fall out. >> okay. >> you can take it out. you don't have to -- you don't want to leave it sitting around. >> okay. >> [ inaudible ]. >> okay. why don't we do it this way.

barbara, if you sit down here. christa, you sit back here. >> this is the stuff you'll be wearing in the launch. >> okay. put it around, wrap it around your leg there. okay. have a seat. just want to make sure these cut-outs come where your knees are. all right. okay. stand up. okay.

this doesn't have to be real tight on you. we're just going to take the slack out of these lacings here. go ahead and back it off all the way to zero. your checklist will tell you to back it all the way off. all right? we'll have you work with this hardware. the way you plug this in, pull back on that nozzle. it will slowly build up. >> that's two. >> take it up to three and hold it there. >> okay. feels like i'm floating. >> now, if you move your legs around, you will probably hear

this thing creak and groan. it's keeping up with the pressure you selected. let's say the orbiter lands and you're feeling left-handight-he you want to maintain pressure in the g-suit but you want to get up and walk around. this little lanyard, all you have to do is pull that pin out. that traps all the air in the g-suit. you can then go ahead and disconnect at this point, okay, and then you can get up and you can walk around. >> oh, yeah. easily. easier said than done. >> get your chin right up in there. that's right. now, get your fingers down a little lower. let me position it. okay. thumb right there. bring that forward.

that's it. that's it. okay. get it locked. chin all the way in? >> yeah. >> all right. that will be used strictly in emergency. you have to get out in a hurry, you don't have to fool with this connector. you just leave and that just parts. go ahead and play with that. just go ahead, look that over. okay. i'm going to get on communications with you. okay. you want to snug up a little bit on your head, by tightening that little bracket in the back, you got your hand on it right now. there you go. crank that forward. is that getting your face a little snugger? >> yeah. >> okay.

okay. all right. then go ahead and with your right hand, go ahead and close the visor. you have a flat spot on it. you just have to push and pull down, like this. there you go. okay. one, two, three, four, five. okay. >> frustrating. >> well, i can't [ inaudible ]. trousers, it will have the nasa patch on it and your crew patch. pair of shorts.

they are usually a little baggy but most people like them that way. comfortable. and your cover-alls. nobody's in the room, are they? need to check the waist. they're not pockets. these are just made so that when you get on orbit, you will have a fluid shift from your legs will move up into your torso area. a lot of times people have [ inaudible ]. you just pop these. >> oh, okay. >> you have a lot bigger waist. >> okay. >> have a seat, i will go over some of this with you. >> that too tight? >> no. >> the length's okay? >> okay. it's all right. >> you will have certain items that are standard.

>> they're basically the same thickness. just a little bit difference in smell. >> what were you going to say? >> i just said this one seems to feel a little bit creamy or greasy. >> okay. you have three types of hair grooming implements, pick, comb and brush. >> oh, my gosh. >> let's see. >> would you like any handkerchiefs? >> what else do we need? you wear boots for launch, but once you're up there you don't need them anymore and everybody likes these. what size shoe do you wear?

>> you won't have access to that. >> you can pull in the waist on that, too. >> here you go. tuesday night, american history tv focuses on the struggle for african-american equality from the jim crow era of the late 19th century to the civil rights movement of the mid 20th century. tune in at 8:00 p.m. eastern tuesday night and every night this week here on c-span 3. this week on q & a, robert gordon, professor of economics at northwestern university. professor gordon discusses his book "the rise and fall of american growth" in which he looks at the growth in the american standard of living between 1870 and 1970, and questions if we will ever see anything like it again.

watch this sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> each week, american history tv's real america brings you archival films that provide context for today's public affairs issues. this is krorea documents hardships faced by forces on the korean peninsula. directed by academy award winner john ford, this was produced about six months after the war began when north korea invaded south korea on june 25th, 1950. in the first major conflict of the cold war, north korea was backed by china and the soviet union, while the u.s. led the united nations force in support of south korea. >> this is korea.

[ explosions ]

♪ >> and this is korea. a peaceful land once, with lakes and villages and mountains where the rice grew. men and women worked and people lived for living until the ruthless red hand of communism reached out to snatch it. old people and kids and more kids.

>> sometimes i think that's the last thing any of us will ever forget. those kids, laughing, crying, homeless, hungry, until we fed them. korea. where it gets cold in the wintertime as it does at home. where young men and women marry. where the kids used to play happily.

and here come your kids, and yours, and yours. dirty and tired, slogging back from the desperate chosen reservoir fight, not retreating as they say, but advancing in a different direction. the first marine division. while the head man of the village watches them pass and wonders and the villagers still all wonder, and this little boy wonders, too. poor kid.

into the rest camp for christmas. christmas in the year of grace, 1950. last christmas. ♪ christ is born of mary and gathered all above ♪ ♪ while mortals sleep the angels weep their watch of love ♪ ♪ oh, morning stars together

proclaim the holy birth ♪ ♪ and praise and sing to god our king ♪ ♪ and peace to men on earth ♪ ♪ we hear the christmas -- >> christmas eve and all those kids again on their funny ice sleds. this man out there on guard duty. merry christmas, joe.

fleet post office. mail, stuff from home, flown in by the navy, and is that welcomed. cigarettes, candy, newspapers, letters. did you remember? did you? some of the boys didn't get back for christmas. they stayed where they fell. and these are the replacements, the new men to take their hon honored places, to fill the gaps. look at their faces. young faces, american faces, new york, georgia, idaho, texas,

maine and california. your sons, with the pride in the corps and the will to do. chow line. for real feed this time. no k-rations wolfed in a foxhole. the first hot meal. get that, the first hot meal in two months. steaks that the navy flew in for christmas dinner. hot coffee.

fleet marine force headquarters and a formation for decorations. for gallantry in action, the silver star. with the general himself making the presentations and the hard-bitten marine guard of honor marching past in formal ceremony. ♪ >> well, it started the summer before at the inchon landings. it was part of the eighth army under general walton walker. the marines move out to snatch

it back again. our faces look younger, less tired, cleaner, maybe, but don't kid yourself. they know what's ahead. a hard job. tough job. dirty job. so let's grab a bite and get on with it. here come the babies they'll need. version tanks rumbling up to spearhead the action to come. and the trains loaded with war wearies going back for salvage,

loaded with supplies for the front. here's our 75 millimeter anti-tank gun to argue with those people. ammunition. all the good old 30 caliber machine guns, always hungry. meet general eddie craig, commanding the first provisional brigade. keen fighting man with his operations officer. ammunition. it's dangerous work. let's remember they're supposed to give a little preliminary buzz before they go off.

number one gun, fire! hard rubble roads. that's one of theirs burning.

and the hills. you could light your cigarette on that gun barrel. [ gunfire ] hill after hill. some theirs, some we made ours the hard way.

the bazooka. the 81 millimeter mortar. firepower and maneuvering. an enemy shell. duck! where that guy is with the rifle is the front of the war.

the 75 recoilless rifle. and the direct hit. ammo up. the auto writer.

navy air comes strafing. marine air with rockets and napalm to burn them out. another hill and another village. and the marines move on up. carrying their homes on their backs. but hills cost and how they

cost. these are the boys who paid, in spite of all the gallant work of the hospital corpsmen. walking when they still can, carried when they can't walk. loading the ambulance jeeps. getting them back to the caring station.

for dressings and shock treatment. and hypos to kill the vicious pain. and life-giving transfusions. aren't you glad you gave that pint of blood last week? or did you? but you will now, won't you?

out by helicopter from the front lines while the fighting goes on below. the clean sheets and food and the best of medical care the navy can give them.

and so into seoul, lost once but taken again. and still, the poor hungry kids. south korean recruits, raw then

under a few weeks' training, not so raw. now look at this. and look at it. and look at it. that's what the korean republic is fighting for. miles and miles and miles of homeless refugees set adrift by the red scourge. whole families starving, without hope beyond the united nations. shots for smallpox and typhus. and they don't understand.

but they will. it was a big problem, what to do with the orphan kids they picked up. they had to leave them somewhere before they reached the front. so they asked these good women to take them. little babe ruth dimaggio was not quite sure what it was all about. solemn, confused, frightened until he found friends and smiled in trust. he'll be all right now. >> nuns don't smoke, you dope.

>> candy, chewing gum for the kids. but you have to teach them how t to eat it. poor frightened little fellows. then we move out once again. it's colder now and how cold it gets in korea. brass monkey cold and that's cold. wet, too.

moving north into war's desolation. hills and more hills. rivers and more rivers. rice paddies and more rice paddies. [ explosions ]

still going forward. general puller, four times winner of the navy cross. >> put some more fire down on those people.

>> and we keep on moving. napalm again, hot as the living hinges. the infantry moving up under the fire curtain. always moving up. to the power plant on chosen reservoir.

and another hill. always another hill. the orange cloth on that guy's back is an air marker to indicate the front lines to planes. [ gunfire ]

60 millimeter mortar bites like a 75 gun shell. grenades. flame throwers. pry them out, burn them out, cook them. we found them dug in, ten feet deep.

colder still. sawtooth wind. 20 freezing degrees below. makes a man wonder what he did with his last summer's pay, don't it. now the prisoners come in. prime-looking lot, aren't they? we searched them. we smashed their weapons. we questioned them. this young kid says they killed his mother and father and gave

him a gun. that's all he knows about the war. but these wise mugs were tough. they clammed up. they wouldn't sing. hey, three on a match. and then it happened. you remember valley forge? well, look at it again. snow, ice, wind and all the time we were there, ten enemy

divisions held us boxed in, surrounded, short in all supplies. the carrier planes had to break thick ice to get off in support.

but boys will be boys. they'll keep clean and warm when they can, and share their chow with those poor korean kids always. chow line again. sorry, this is not a chow line. winter decisions had to be made in tokyo and an old soldier made

them. pearl harbor. admiral radford's headquarters. the decisions are passed to the navy for action. back to tokyo again. vice admiral turner joy, commander naval forces for east. >> the situation in korea is so critical that we in the navy must give the eighth army the maximum practical support. i direct that the commander of

the seventh fleet, the commander of carrier division 15, the fleet marine air wing and the commander of the united nations blockading and escort force be directed to provide the maximum possible air gunfire support. make it move. >> meanwhile, the air force under lieutenant general stratemeyer is alerted. >> this task force 77 refueling at sea right in the middle of a winter storm. we think the admiral is praying for good weather.

then the weather broke, and "uss missouri," the mighty mo, comes in. and vice admiral arthur strubel's seventh fleet joins the battle. carriers stand by and the pilots are briefed. napalm, that is.

and the planes are launched to support the marines at the front. that helicopter in the background is ditch patrol. then somebody ditches. and he gets him. nice wet work.

back at the reservoir, wounds and frostbite take their toll.

and the casualties go out by plane. then the heartbreaking withdrawal order comes. burn everything and bug out.

but not before the payoff. and not leaving the dead, either. [ explosions ]

[ explosions ]

'.

>> the first air wing pilots slam their rockets into those commies.

[ explosions ] >> a direct hit on a bridge. back to the 38th parallel. back to our own guns. then we're out and far enough back to hear the thunder of the mighty mo.

and all night long, the mo pounded the beach. [ explosions ]

so that's how the faces got fired. hill after hill. and then we go back again. the long, weary shuttle begins once more. another enemy position to take. and this is how we take it. first the air burns in in close support.

>> the artillery softens up the survivors if any. and whoever runs gets cut down with small arms fire. then we move in on foot.

and we go in for this is korea, chums. this is korea. carrier planes in close support. with napalm again. >> follow me!

>> if you ask these guys what they're fighting for, they can't

put it into words. maybe it's pride in the marine corps, a job to do, duty. and wounds don't count and dead men tell no tales. thy kingdom come, thy will be done. but for little babe ruth dimaggio, it's his whole future and all of his life ahead. and that goiz double for our own sons' lives, and yours. for this is everybody's fight, that the doctrine of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness shall not perish from

this earth. remember us. and remember us. and good luck. >> tuesday on capitol hill, treasury secretary jock lew testifies on the state of financial security before the house financial services committee. that's lye here on c-span3. then securities and exchange commission chair mary jo white will speak before a house appropriations subcommittee about her department's budget. that's live at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2. >> i am a history buff. i do enjoy seeing the fabric of our country and how things --

just how they work and how they're made. >> i love american history tv. the presidency, american artifacts, they're fantastic shows. >> i have no idea they do history. that's probably something i would really enjoy. >> with american history tv, it gives you that perspective. >> i'm a c-span fan. >> about 25 years ago on february 27, 1991, president george h.w. bush announced a cease-fire in the gulf war, bringing an end to a massive air campaign launched a few years earlier to remove iraqi forces from kuwait. up next on american history tv's real america, the story of operation desert storm is told from the perspective of several u.s. air commanders. "winds of the storm -- the air campaign of operation desert storm" is a 37-minute defense department report detailing the strategy and technology used in

what was then seen as a new kind of precision weapon war. >> this is the road to basra. the iraqi army jammed this road and others as coalition ground forces moved into kuwait. for coalition war planes overhead, they were per nefect targets. it became known as the highway of death.

and a harsh example of allied air power during operation desert storm. the coalition used overwhelming air power to defeat a brutal dictator and free a nation. in this program, the air commanders talk about how they fought the war and the air force's role. august 7, 1990, president bush responding to the iraqi invasion of kuwait orders american forces to deploy to saudi arabia. u.s. central command air forces had to move its forces 7,000 miles quickly. within days, five u.s. air force

squadrons and two u.s. carriers arrived in the gulf. the commander recalls the deployment. >> initially we had to get people over here rapt rapidly because of the threat of an iraqi invasion. so we brought over those kinds of airplanes you need to depend and deter such air defense, aircraft awacs, f-16s and a-10s through ground attack missions. and also the f-15 e for capability at night. >> in just five weeks, the coalition air force outnumbered the iraqi air force. >> when it became apparent we were successful in that initial effort, we then fleshed the force out with more aircraft, primarily aircraft such as b-52s, more a-10s, more f-16s. >> the coalition organized its air power for wartime with general horner as the single air commander or air boss.

>> we created four air divisions. one handled the tankers and bomber aircraft. the second one handled the fighters and attack aircraft. glen profitt, warfare and another for air lift operations. we were able to define each air division by function and that way we could provide the command and control we needed to execute the war. >> we began to open locations throughout saudi arabia. and as we began to get more operating locations, we moved tankers into location s locatio. >> the coalition would have eventually close to 3,000 planes. these fighter and attack planes patrolled the desert providing cover for the largest military air lift in history.

air laft, the hidden part of air power. it was the fastest way to get enough men and material over to defend the desert kingdom. the prig deer general that commanded the air lift forces -- >> then the deployment of the c-5s, 141s, the craft aircraft, the kc-10s, they all just hauled as much as they could as fast as they could 37 very early on, it was evident that desert shield was going to surpass by far the number of strategic air lifts that we had ever had before. >> military and civilian cargo planes delivered 91,000 troops and 72,000 tons of cargo in the month of august alone. to places like riyadh, dahran. >> in the early going, it was wall to wall planes. literally planes would be

holding until a plaep took off so another plane could land. in november and december, after the president decided we needed more forces, we actually went through a second peak. we went through a same thing, strategic forces to bring things into the theatre. >> the allies began a military offensive to liberate kuwait. general schwarzkopf was the commander-in-chief in theatre. his concept for operation desert storm called for an intense massive air campaign to prepare the way for the allied ground offensive. >> found amential towards any air campaign is seize control of the air. >> experts of the air staff and commands throughout the air force helped build the most successf successful air power in history. >> our target was the field army deployed in the kuwaiti theatre of operations.

our mission was to eck pell that army from kuwait. on the airside, our concept really is summarized here. first of all, we knew we needed to operate in iraqi air space. so he was going to have the home court advantage. we had to penetrate into his territory. to do that, we had to take apart and disrupt his ability to stop us from coming in. in other words, we had to disintegrate his integrated air defense setup. >> brigadier buster glausen was the director of campaign plans before the war and commanded fighter and attack aircraft during the war. >> targeting strategy from the start was to take down his ability to command and control his military. whether it be in the air or on the ground. of course, we were obviously most concerned about taking it down in the air to start with. >> the coalition would have to overcome saddam's integrated air defenses. brigadier general glen proffitt

ran the combat forces during the war. >> it's set up so that the s.a.m.s have an envelope at medium to high altitude as you fly into it. in order to avoid that, you go in low. he puts his aaa up with the redundancy he had with large barrages. so basically you have to fly through it. if you can avoid the aaa and the s.a.m., his fighters will engage you in other flass, t place, t engagement zones. it's made up op the is a.m. missiles, acquisition radars, fighter aircraft and the nervous system, the control system where you have an air defense operation center, a main one like you had in baghdad, a sector operation center spread out and each one of those has intercept operation centers.

that's what that integrated system does. they control which airplanes are going to be sent again against to engage our fighters and which airplanes are going to be engaged with s.a.m. missiles. >> perhaps as many as 17,000 surface-to-air-missiles on the order of 9,000 or 10,000 anti-aircraft artillery pieces. very modern radars all lashed together with high tech equipment. >> so basically it's a totally integrated system and our objective was to tear that system down. one, take away his nervous system, the control of it, the integration. and secondly, start shooting down or tearing up the pieces of it one by one. >> the desert storm air campaign would have four phases. phase one had three goals -- gain air superiority, destroy saddam's stroo teategic capabil,

namely scuds, and disrupt his command and control. the allies estimated the first phase would last 20 to 25 days. phase two would be short. the allies planned on taking one day to suppress mobile air defenses in the kto or kuwaiti theatre of operations. during phase three, allied air power would continue to hit the targets of phase one, but they would shift their attack to the iraqi field army and the kto, totaling close to half a million men, over 4,000 tanks, and 3,000 artillery pieces. >> one of the main missions was preparing the battlefield. he called it shaping the battlefield. he had to defeat those elements of his ground forces capable of mass casualties, artillery, armor. >> an important part was the republican guard. saddam was depending on them to drive back the coalition ground forces if they attacked his

dug-in army. >> one of the centers of gravity, we were told, is destroy the republican guard and destroy a lot of the military support for saddam hussein. >> planners believed phase three would take about three weeks. the fourth and final phase of the air campaign was to support the allied ground troops as they moved into kuwait. planners estimated the ground offensive would be launched 30 days after the air campaign began. >> now the 28 countries with forces in the gulf area have exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach a peaceful resolution. we have no choice but to drive saddam from kuwait by force. we will not fail. air attacks are under way against military targets in i q iraq. >> the coalition waited 48 hours after the u.n. deadline expired, then began their attack. h-hour was 0300 on january 17,

1991. that was when the first bomb would fall on baghdad and when operation desert shield became operation desert storm. over 600 planes were launched that night from bases throughout the arabian peninsula, from turkey, from carriers in the red sea and the persian gulf, from the indian ocean, from even as far as the united states. >> now, to give you some idea of the order of magnitude within the first 24 to 30 hours, we launched over 300 tanker sorties alone to support the strike package that went in through that period of time. there had never been any launch as big of support packages ever in the history of the air force that incorporated that many tankers. >> in their opening attack, the allies combined their stealth

and precision technology, electronic warfare tactics and the classical elements of mass and surprise. >> we had been here since august, and so he had seen every day an awac sitting up here, f-15s in defensive mode. he was kwlused to seeing that ey day. he knew that was up there and that's what we wanted him to see right up until the minute that the bombs started falling. >> just beyond the radar warning capabilities and the iraqi radars, our attack aircraft were forming up in orbits with tankers so that they were able to top off their fuel at the last moment before heading on into the target area. >> although they numbered less than 3% of the coalition fighters, the f-117s struck almost 1/3 of the targets on the first day. these stealth fighters led the attack, penetrating the iraqi

iads on seen. >> the first step that was taken that one could not then stop was a t-lan coming out of a ship. >> at h minus 1 hour and 26 minutes, a navy cruiser in the red sea launched a tomahawk land attack missile or t-land. they would arrive five to ten minutes after the first f-117 strike. >> the second thing that occurred, of course, was taking down the sites by forces. >> eight apache gunships guided by pave load helicopters took out two iraqi reporting sites on the border. this helped clear the way for nonstealthy fighters heading towards western iraq. >> the first actual bomb to fall on iraq, that occurred at about nine minutes before we refer to as h-hour. >> a 117 took out an ioc that

patrolled the sites. >> we knew 32 f-117s right into downtown baghdad in the first hour and 20 minute ps . >> their next target was the principal telephone communication, also referred to as the at&t building. >> it was really their central com node. >> cnn was reporting and he went blank at h-hour plus about four seconds. that was that bomb hitting the at&t building. >> at h-hour, f-117s took out the adoc in baghdad and the iocs and socs in the southern part of the country. >> immediately at h-hour, his ability to see airplanes coming in from the south was degraded. the iocs and the socs were taken down. his ability to communicate was taken down and the city went black. >> having opened up the gateway

then, our other strike packages rushed through and we hit very hard. that w this was a massive attack. we attacked all the stroo teej call targets, electric power, air communication and defenses and so forth. >> our goal was to put them into shock and destroy their ability to defend their homeland. we were able to do that by having massive attacks across the full spectrum of targets, primary command and control and his air forces and also surface-to-aramisles. >> once we took down what he preferred to socs and iocs, then we fired a few harms, when i say a few arms, i'm talking about hundreds in the first 24 hours. >> harms are high speed anti-radar missiles. when fired, these missiles hone in on enemy radar munitions and destroy those radar sites. >> the f-15-es went after all

the permanent scud launchers in the western part of iraqi and the storage associated with that. the f-11s dpurg the same time period took out of the some power grids and hit many of the industrial sites and the airfields. the gr-1s also were very heavy in striking airfields as were the b-52s in striking the southern airfields. the f-14s and f-15 cs were there from the start that evening making sure the tankers and the airplanes were protected. >> the iraqis never recovered from the allies' first punch on that first night. >> of course, at sun up the first morning, we brought in the f-16s and fa-18s. it was almost eerie to how precise the plan unfolded in to the first 24 hours. for all practical purposes,

there were no glitches. all the details worked out the numerous times we, to use the phrase, we desk flew the first 24 hours to make sure there wnt any glitches. >> it was a good plan. it was very thorough, and we used a lot of airplanes and assets to do that and we totally overwhelmed them from the get-go. he never was able to recover from the first 24 hours in terms of being able to effectively use a defense against our capability. >> so we seized control of the air in the initial moments of the air campaign and as a result made all the rest of it much more easy and efficient and possible. >> the first bomb dropped 18 hours later, the longest continuous weather front that hit iraqi in three years moved in and we fought nothing but weather for eight straight das.s but we intended in the first

three days to take out all his nuclear, biological and chemical storage. the weather really hampered up in this area, and that was our number one concern. he would go into the facilities and take the stuff out and start moving it around. >> the coalition was still able to destroy many nuclear, biological and chemical storage sites and cripple saddam's ability to produce and research these weapons. he was never able to use these weapon against the allies during the war. >> the thing that slowed us down more than anything else. the second most important thing was scuds. we had to divert an inordinate amount of assets to deal with that problem. >> although coalition air power destroyed many permanent scud launchers in the opening attack, they did not destroy saddam's mobile launchers. saddam was still able to send scuds towards israel and saudi arabia. >> scud missiles caused a lot of problems in terms of

psychological impact on both saudi arabia and israel. so it became important we locate these very time sensitive fleetding targets. >> we actually wound up using 24 airplanes continuously. and then we supplemented those airplanes with strikes. so it averaged out that we were using almost 100 airplanes a day just to deal with scuds. >> we used landing pods on the f-16s. we used a variety of intelligent sources to provide us the quick data we needed. then used a command and control network to put the airplanes over the target at the right time. >> the coalition knew that the mobile launchers had to come out of hiding and drive to certain areas so their scuds could reach their targets. these launch areas were called scud boxes. during the day a-10s flew along the roadways looking for them. by night, f-15es circled overhead. british forces used dez cig nay

tors to target scud missiles. in eastern iraq, the new experimental joint stars aircraft successfully directed strike against scuds as well. they were able to locate mobile launchers with their radar which can track movement on the ground. hunted down and destroyed. >> day 11, we were actually at day 4 1/2 in the car, just because of weather alone. then when you subtract the scuds out, we had only accomplished about three days worth of what we had intended to accomplish. >> although the scuds were never fully suppressed, air power greatly produced their chances of hitting their targets and dramatically reduced scud launches from five a day to three a week. although the coalition struggled with the weather and the scuds, they had little difficulty with the iraqi air force. they were no match for coalition pilots.

>> blast, blast coming out westbound. >> the iraqi air force was basically decimated at day three. it was decimated more emotionally and psychologically than it was in reality, because every time they took off they got shot down. they could not complete intercepts. they couldn't even get close to airplanes and that had to be very demoralizing for them. >> splash two, splash two. second coming off hot. >> since they couldn't survive in the air, the iraqis began hiding their aircraft in shelters. >> secondary, big time. >> four, three, two, one. impact. >> oh, there's a hit. there's a shack. oh, yeah.

keep it in there. good time secondaries. 9 allies began to concentrate their attacks on these shelters by day seven of the air campaign. laser-guided bombs penetrated and destroyed over 300 of them since they couldn't survive in the air or on the ground, iraqi began to run en masse since day nine. >> it changed mass to precision where we drop 30,000 bombs to take out a target in world war ii and 300 bombs in vietnam, we dropped one in iraq. >> precision guided munitions are conventional bombs fitted with laser or electrooptical guidance systems.

>> with the combination of stealth and precision attack capability in 117, we were able to attack targets very d discretely. we made sure we attacked only military targets and attacked them quite precisely. >> with precision munitions, the coalition could avoid civilian areas. >> we went after the securities facilities, the baath party headquarters facilities. those were the areas where the most barbaric acts and decisions supporting those were made and executed and controlled from.

it was critical to be able to take that element out of that society. and it's also critical to let the populious see that segment f society was as vulnerable as anyone else. >> this was an electronic war like no other in history. >> the f-111 was able to go in there very close and jam the acquisition radars. anytime we sent a package somewhere, we had jammers. because of that. you're being jammed. you can't work through that

jamming. they wouldn't leave their radars on long enough to work through that jamming. >> they had almost zero effectiveness. >> another danger is anti-aircraft fire. >> if you've got as many gun sights as he's got, you can't take them all out. >> the basic tactic we use for that was medium and high altitude to overcome aaa.

from the very beginning we had essential had air superiority. we didn't lose many airplanes. you look at the volume of this campaign. >> we lost 20, 22 airplanes. i think that speaks for itself. >> we had more than enough air power on the scene to do the phase one job at the beginning and we simply diverted it to begin on phase three. there was no time from day one on that the iraqi ground forces were not under heavy air attack. >> the allies use precision weapons to take down iraqi bridges, cutting down the army

from re-enforcements and supplies. >> i put 11 f-117s and fou four f-111s to drop precision bombs. and we put seven bridges in the water the first night. the resupply of the iraqi army slowed from 20,000 a day. b-52s hammered airfields and large stra teak intargets such as power plants, petroleum supplies and military center ps . their most important mission hit the republican guard. >> very early on, we were providing b-52s over republican guard targets or the targets that had to do with softening up the kuwaiti theatre operation.

the b-52 struck regardless of what kind of weather that there was over the target area. secondly, we struck all day and all night without their ability to effectively mass a counter air offensive against the b-52s. as such, it was very, very effective putting fire power on their equipment, their troop locations, their artillery, their tanks, and they could do nothing about it. and it was extremely demoralizing. >> behind the bombs that fell and the planes that delivered them were e-3a century planes more commonly known as awacs. they delivered bombs on the iraqi iacs, bridges and now the iraqi army. the coalition averaged one bombing mission per minute against iraq. >> the focus became destroying equipment as opposed to destroying troops. our initial intelligence of the

forces in field was poor and we were sending aircraft. when they arrived at the location where they were thought to be, they weren't there. and the flight lead would have difficult time getting a valid target for his flight. so one thing we did is we put f-16s up over the battlefield. we call them killer scouts. their job was to control a 20 by 20 box and find the targets in there. he was able to point out where the tanks were and we could make our attacks much more efficient. we also did that at night using lase laser-guided bombs, for example. >> in the last 11 days of the air campaign before the ground campaign started with precision weapons of the 111s and f-15es, we destroyed in excess of 1,000 tanks. we destroyed in excess 100 artillery pieces. >> on day 30, general horner

gave this assessment of the air war. >> we've had some tough times in the 30 days. particularly unusual weather in january. it was far worse than we had forecast, and it was only because we were doing so well in our counter air campaign taking down airfields and the s.a.m. system in order to maintain the schedule despite a lot of sor dis, up to 50% some days in regard to weather. more importantly, we've demonstrated we were able to dig out his forces in the field in kuwait. eve had particularly good luck with our systems at night, the f-111s, the f-15es and the f f-117s. their bombing accuracy is phenomenal. the owem the yyoman's work is beginning o pay off. it has to be very difficult to

be an iraqi soldier and sit there night after night, day after day. and endure the pounding he's taken. >> their accuracy in using the p.o.w.s words, they never missed. when they were overhead orbiting and you're in a tank or with a group, you didn't know if you were being picked out. so it was an unnerving situation to be experienced and had a tremendous psychological impact. >> despite saddam's fortifications all around kuwait, his flank in iraq was weak and exposed. general schwarzkopf wanted to exploit it. he had air lifters position thousands of trooms and equipment for a massive allied thrust through iraq. one of the biggest jobs we had over here was to move major elements of the 18 airborne

corps starting on the day after the bombing started. for the first 14 days, we had a 130 scheduled into iraq every ten minutes, 24 hours a day. that ability to move that vast amount of people and a lot of their vehicles that quickly in my mind, saddam hussein never caught on until much later on in the ground war that there was anybody even up there. >> b-52s and the f-117s teamed up to hit iraqi breach lines as the ground troops made their final operations. >> to bomb through those areas, there would be clear paths that went through the breach areas. so when they went through, there would be a pathway cleared of minds and the wire would be cut. >> f-117s with their precision-guided bombs entered the battlefield, took out the field points of the entire system that he had developed

that he was counting on, the field trenches and set them on fire to make the breaching more difficult. >> it was time for theround troops to liberate kuwait. >> general schwarzkopf launched the grund war on february 24, 1991, 39 days from the start of the air campaign. the original allied plan was only nine days off schedule. >> allied air power entered phase four, providing close air support. >> it's very difficult in a very fast paced war campaign for the army to know when and where they're going to need close air support. so we created a system where we pushed sorties over the battlefield every minute of the hour and we were able to divert those sorties during close air support. or if there was no need from the

army, we would then send them on and do an interdiction target. >> i briefed all of those division commanders and calvary commanders before the war started and i said we will destroy a minimum of 50% of the armor and artillery before you cross the boundary, before you start the ground war. based on what they found, i think there's no doubt in their mind or anyone else's that we exceeded 50% very significantly. one of them related to me, i've got to admit, the majority of the tanks i shot in a radiator, which means the tank is running. the iraqis were routed. >> he was asked how come you

didn't use your artillery, he said my artillery was destroyed 100%. i called for artillery for the division next to mine and their artillery was destroyed 12100%. >> my private conviction is this is the first time in history that a field army has been defeated by air power.

>> air power truly was the wind that carried operation desert storm. >> if there's one thing this war really validated, it's the excellence of our training and the quality of our people. i say that not as any kind of advertisement, it's absolutely true, the people that put these whole things together are absolutely brilliant. from aircraft mechanics to communication. >> we had to go back up and start again. that's dedication beyond belief. and they deserve all the credit in the world and my hat's off to them.

>> as a director oaf the university of toledo here in ohio, many veterans have come into my office talking about who they want to vote for, regardless of democratic or republican, it's your civic duty to get out and vote. many things are at stake with this erection, i encourage you to get out and vote for the candidate that best supports your causes in the future of this nation. >> hi, my name is todd and i'm here supporting bernie sanders. i feel as though he's one of the most important candidates in

this field right now. he's the most viable alternative to mainstream politicians. and he has the most progressive ideas that are most important to the country and i would encourage everyone to go out and support bernie if possible. >> the most important issue that the university of toledo college democrats feels important in this election is going to be college tuition, as well as jobs. when college kids go to school, they need to know how they're going to pay for it and afford it, as well as leaving college, what their future is going to look like. who is trying to bring jobs back into the u.s. and things like that. as president of the college democrats, i feel those the two biggest issues for the election cycle. >> i was originally going to vote for bernie sanders, however, i ended up voting for hillary because she seems more knowledge lk and she's been in

speeches will begin after polling places close live on c-span. >> each week, american history tv's real america brings you ar k archival films. beginning in april in 1965 with an intervention to help americans during the civil war in the dominican republic. it also feature action in vietnam, including a look at the challenges of terrain in the country, the importance of the helicopter and air power. and efforts to assist rural

vietnamese people with security and health care. >> i got a lot of pain in that left ankle. it's that sharp pain that you get when you've got nerves, you know. it's that sharp nerve pain. burning, burning. >> i will do all i can to save that leg. i know. i know there's not much left. i was carrying that damn things in my hands on the way back.

i was afraid the whole thing was going to come off. >> for these a means, 1965 was a year like no other in history. fleet marine forces with were committed to combat in both hemispheres at once. ♪ in the dominican republic violence flared endangering the security of the hemisphere. the marines were sent in.

and in vietnam, growing communist aggression with the commitment of battle-ready marines with the pacific fleet. ♪ all in all, it was quite a year. this is the story of it. the caribbean in april, blue water, gentle surf, sun-lit leisurely beaches. warmth and laughter and fun. but in april of 1965, the

dominican republic becomes a scene of violence, unrest and upheaval endangering the security of the hemisphere. it's a threat which is immediately recognized. >> the american nation cannot, must not and will not permit the establishment of another communist government in the western hemisphere. [ alarm sounds ] >> on april 28th, word comes to the carrier boxer that help is needed in santo domingo. in moments marines already in a battalion are stationed into a caravan.

♪ like two other such ready battalions on board ships in the mediterranean and the far east, the unit from the boxer is able to react, literally, on a minute's notice. 20 minutes after the call for help is received, a spearhead platoon with full combat gear is on the ground in the dominican republic. quickly the platoon sets up a defense perimeter to ensure the safety of the american embassy and of civilians who have taken refuge in the ambassador hotel. ♪

immediately united states citizens are evacuated from the danger area. as the situation in domingo grows worse, the company follows the platoon ashore. and the company is soon joined by the rest of the battalion. ♪ >> one of the first jobs is to clear a corridor for necessary movement and communications and to provide a buffer zone, a neutral area between rebel forces and dominican government troops. [ gunfire ] ♪

within the neutral corridor, once it is established, the situation becomes fairly stable. but to wander out of it even by mistake can mean trouble. of four marines whose jeep wandered out of the corridor, two are on their way to medical aid. the other two are in less friendly hands, but an angry marine who has just seen a

couple of his buddies hurt does not make the most cooperative prisoner. >> they took the wrong way. they were seven blocks away if the international line. they were on their way to the airport seven blocks away from the line. >> they made a wrong turn. they got halfway up the street, your people started shooting at us. you hit one of our men. you almost destroyed one of our vehicles. '. >> we will treat you as a prisoner. we will give you all the guarantee tiers, but you better take it easy. don't be so arrogant. we will not tolerate it. >> welcome to the united states. you can go your way just like that? >> we have already radioed to announce that we are sorry that by careless of the american forces, this situation took place and loofs have been loos from their side and our side. we hope that they keep their line to avoid trouble.

>> there was this one guy, he couldn't hit anything. every afternoon he'd fire a few rounds down our way and, you know, we'd stay and cover more or less, but he never came close to anybody. i mean, if we cleaned him out, they might have put somebody in there that could shoot. >> other times the sniper problem requires action. ♪ ♪ >> as things settle down, the job becomes one of maintaining security. this means, among other things,

a constant and careful search of all civilian traffic through the neutral corridor. no hiding place is overlooked, which might conceal weapons. the means of renewing violence in the corridor. so the marines remain in santo domingo, ready to stay until the danger is passed and order fully restored. >> kelly, you infiltrating the people down. >> what's that, sir? >> start infiltrating your people down. [ gunfire ]

>> whoever's firing this machine gun. >> gulf one, gulf one, it's gulf six, over. that was good. he put it in. i want more over there. >> vietnam, a wounded marine is rescued under heavy enemy fire. his buddy is questioned. >> whatever possessed you to go running off into the paddy like that? >> i'm a marine. >> how do you mean? >> i'm a marine. i'll take care of him. >> do you take your weapon with you? i. >> i took my .45. >> weren't you scared? >> a little bit after i got out there. >> combat is never easy, but in vietnam it is especially hard. one big reason, the terrain. rice paddies with mud boottop

deep or worse, streams crisscrossing the paddies and valleys. hills steep and unfriendly as those in korea. ♪ ♪ desert-like areas where temperatures hit 130 in the shade. and there isn't any shade. and tropic jungle, hot, steaming, hostile as any the marines faced in the pacific during world war ii. a prime answer to the near impassability of vietnamese terrain is the helicopter. beneath the staccato slap of rotor blades, marines can move swiftly to wherever the vietcong are reported and arrive fresh and ready to function. of course, to marines, this is no new concept.

it was in the early 1950s that for a first time a copter assault was used to take ground in a combat zone. the place a hilltop in korea. combat troops were landed. so were full supplies for their assault. though it had never been tried before, it had been worked out in advance. the operation was successful. the people who did it were united states marines. in the mid-1960s navy seabees clear the way for another marine corps innovation which sees its first use in vietnam, the expeditionary landing field, it's called, e.l.f. for short.

everything is air transportable including the preformed sections of lightweight metal which interlock to form a smooth all-weather landing surface. once again the seabees make the difficult look easy. they put down 8,000 foot of runway and set up the accessory gear. lightweight landing control console, carrier-type landing lights, arresting gear, air portable control tower. the seabees have, in fact, taken a carrier deck and moved it ashore. ♪ ♪ >> the first skyhawk jets to arrive are quickly readied for action.

♪ ♪ just four hours after the first jets land, they are taking off again to fly their first mission in close support of ground troops in the field. the forward air controller with the ground forces is a combat pilot himself. talking directly to the jets, he pinpoints targets for them. ♪ ♪

the result of this direct voice link with airborne jets is this -- an absolute minimum of delay between the time ground troops need air support and the time they get it laid in close. ♪ the combat success of the expeditionary landing field is another index of marine corps mobility. in a matter of days a landing strip, control tower, arresting gear, the whole works could be taken apart and airlifted to another location. for now, however, it's working just fine here at ku lai. elsewhere on high ground above the huge air base at danang. marines man the dead ly hawks.

army air has not been a problem yet in vietnam. but should it come, the hawks are waiting. on the field at danang itself, the business of delivering destruction to vietcong in the paddies and the jungles, is a round the clock job. marine phantom jets are doing a big part of that job. and it is this kind of weapons system, this complexity and sophistication of striking power which leads observers to use the term "the new breed" in speaking of today's marine. ♪ ♪ the phantom can break the sound barrier while climbing out from takeoff and move into action at better than twice the speed of sound. the armament that they can deliver offers wide flexibility, too, ranging from bombs and 20 millimeter cannon to rockets and bull pup missiles.

the flame and shrapnel of the marine jets is not delivered casually. to be sure of targets, minimize danger for the innocents, is always agonizingly present. ♪ ♪ for some the price of humane hesitancy comes high. like this marine colonel, hit while controlling jet air support from a low flying copter. >> i've got a lot of pain in that left ankle. i sense it's a good sign. that sharp pain that you get when you got nerves, you know. it's that sharp nerve pain. burning, burning. >> i'll do all i can to save

that leg. >> i know. i know there's not much left because -- i was carrying that damn thing in my hands all the way back. i was afraid the whole thing was going to come off. i say, hell, they can't be right around in here. so i didn't call bombs and nape in on these people but that's where they were. i'm sure now that that's where they were. god damn it. i hate to put nape and on the women and children. i just didn't do it. i just said they can't be there. though we held the planes, we held the fixed wings up, we held them up there, just figured we could call them if we need them. as far as i know, i'm the first to hit it. i flew down at 100, 200 feet over this village, this hamlet area. i thought i saw some people in a hole, and i just hung around there too long. and i was too low. but i was way back out over the

friendly troops that we landed. i was over those troops when i went -- oh -- when we caught this round. there was no indication that we'd been fired at until then. >> since all their operations are in coastal areas, the support of naval gunfire is something the marines in vietnam can always count on. ♪ during 1965, marine forces launch a number of large scale offensive operations. names like operation starlight, harvest moon and piranha are written into history. in such operations as these, the young marines of the new breed engaged the vietcong guerrillas and take on vietnamese regulars as well in numbers up to

regimental strength and greater. using all the advanced weaponry and mobility at their command, the marines seek out the enemy. and wherever they find him, they beat him decisively. not just tactical defeat, disaster. virtual elimination of organized combat capability is the way the official reports put it. ♪ ♪ >> half-load. fire! ♪ ♪

♪ >> in their first major trial by fire, youngsters who were too young even to read about korea worked with a cool professional skill that leaves one old-timer to remark -- >> well, they're young marines, they're just as good marines today as they were 15 years ago and possibly a lot better as far as intelligence and their capabilities are concerned. they're real fine as far as i'm concerned. >> some of the troops went in through here. >> yeah. >> right in through there? >> we got a 360 here that we're pulling out as soon as we get under way.

>> this is six. this is six. roger, we've got it now. i want you to set up that hasty defense in there real quick. but check it out. >> okay. set him down in a minute. >> stay like that. >> ready? >> is the pain a lot, manny? >> i need some help over here. >> i'll give you a hand. >> don't throw any water on my face. >> you don't want any more water

on your face? he's awake now. >> all the way up. >> lay still, man. okay? >> evacuate the man to the rear to where we can get him out on a chopper. do you understand? over. >> the chopper saves a lot of lives in vietnam. in minutes a man can be air lifted direct from combat to an aid station where the compassionate skill of navy surgeons is ready and waiting. marine casualties have been light in vietnam, but there is no warfare without its pain -- both felt and shared. ♪ ♪ marines in vietnam learn fast to take nothing at face value.

far too often beneath the outer appearance of a harmless civilian, there is the familiar black garb of the vietcong guerrilla. ♪ ♪ the vietcong is a tough, ruthless jungle fighter, experienced in being hard to find. but in places like okinawa, iwo jima, the marines have learned, too. ♪ ♪ without their weapons, they look so insignificant. but the vc is hard. his thin wiry body can take great physical hardship and his mind will not shrink from burying a village chief alive or

executing all village elders if it might further his aims. ♪ ♪ hard as he is, however, and the vietcong is no superman. he can be beaten on his own ground and beaten badly. in operations like starlight and harvest moon and piranha, the marines have demonstrated this beyond anyone's doubting, including the vietcong. the vietcong are not the only problem. in dark little villages, the same ones the vietcong have hidden in and operated from, marines find the people they have come to help. people who have lived for too long in fear. >> well, the vietnamese are a

wonderful people as far as i'm concerned. and they need help and we're a strong nation and we can give them help, and they've asked for that help, so we're here. >> i've always had the feeling if we could get the feeling across to the people of vietnam, that the people of the united states were behind them and wanted them to be free to have the things that they've been denied for so many years that we could possibly bring peace to these people. >> ten years from now these people will forget the bulls and the shot and the shell and everything else. but they're going to remember this if they don't remember anything else. i think if we're going to win this war, that we're going to do it here before we'll do it on the battlefield. that's the only way we can win it. >> the people who live out in the rice country, their standard of living is very low by our standards. they have very few comforts. they live from rice crop to rice crop. >> this is the other war in

vietnam, the one in which american fighting men are working with vietnamese civilians to build hope and strength for the future. it takes many forms. standing guard, for example, over the harvesting of rice for a village which for years has paid a big part of the crop for -- to the vietcong. helping them bring it in and store it, letting them see that they and their crops are going to be safe from now on, it's simple and it's practical. it's appreciated and it works. ♪ ♪ in another village, navy doctors and corpsmen serving with the marine corps will be found helping the people fight a war against sickness.

teaching the fundamentals of sanitation, waging combat against infection. ♪ ♪ bringing smiles to faces that for too long have reflected only fear and despair. >> we was out in the village giving out christmas things that people from the states sent over. and we want to let everyone know back home that the kids are -- they really need it a lot and, believe me, they really enjoy everything they get. ♪ ♪

♪ >> tuesday night american history tv focuses on the struggle for african american equality from the jim crow eraf the late 19th century to, the civil rights movement. tune in tuesday night and every night this week here on c-span3. >> this week on q & a, robert gordon, professor of economics at northwestern university discusses his book, the rise and fall of american growth, in which he looks at the greath and the american standard of living between 1870 and 1970 and questions if we'll ever see anything like it again. watch this sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> each week, american history

tv brings you archival films that provide context for today's public affairs issues. terrorism, a personal threat, is a 1986 u.s. air force film that documents several terror attacks, including the october 1983 suicide truck bombings in beirut lebanon that killed 241 american servicemen and 58 frerch paratroopers. including interviews with survivors of attacks in other countries, the film encourages service members to be more aware of their surroundings and the potential for terror attacks when stationed overseas. >> in athens, greece, if you've ever been, the motorcycles, they never stop. they zoom in between the cars,

and you might have 15, 20 of them zoom up in front of traffic. on this particular afternoon, about 4:20 in the afternoon, i heard a motorcycle coming in, slowed down, and it slowed down too quickly. me being the third car from the front. so i turned to watch it and they slowed down and they came right next to my car and there i was, sitting watching them, and the guy in the back, reached in his belt and pulled out a metallic object and right away, i saw it was a pistol of some kind, and i said, oh, shit, this is it. >> it sounded like a fire cracker. i remember thinking, oh listen to all these people screaming and it's nothing but a fire cracker, but then as my eyes opened, you saw nothing but black and smoke everywhere.

>> about 17 minutes later is when i woke up. and that's when i realized that the embassy had been hit very, very hard. >> the next thing i can remember is a loud bang, it was like the m-80 simulator we use in combat defense training. very loud. and of course by the time i realized what i was hearing, i was flying backwards. it scared the hell out of me is what it did. i because i saw all this blood and i was worried about my friends that were with me. because i was the ones that asked them out that night. and all i could think of was, well, you went and done it now. you're going to die down here, instead of back home nice and quiet. >> terrorism. it's a real and personal threat.

♪ >> what must the folks back home be thinking? that's the question on the mind of every marine in lebanon today. do they know whether i'm alive or do they think i'm dead? it's an anxiety that plagues them even as they sift through the rubble trying to find bodies. the force was close to a one-ton bomb. they'll search for firm evidence was who was behind the disaster. >> the suicide bombing in beirut that took so many umarine lives was without equal, making headlines around the world. a vicious premeditated attack, of such magnitude that it changed forever the way this country and many other nations view the threat of terrorism and how to deal with it. but the beirut massacre also focuses on the individual, on your vulnerability as a single member of the armed forces.

it serves to introduce the concept of how personal a terrorist attack can really be. >> you always remember that the guy was smiling. >> as the being sho of just what happened is wearing off, bitterness and anger are rising to the surface, but basically it just plain hurts. >> when it's all compiled and we get the names, i think it will hit everybody harder, that you could tell by actions, that it's hurting the people now. they had a lot of friends. we had a lot of friends over too. you can tell in a man's actions, the way they feel about the situation. >> former green beret, bryan pagliano jenkins, a top expert on terrorism, has spent a lot of time studying the way it feels. >> everyone we had interviewed has always made the point that i know there was a problem with terrorism. of course there was a concern in this particular city where i was, or this particular country, but i always thought that would happen to the other people, that

would happen to the other guy, that this would not happen to me. and even when it was happening to them, they could not believe that it was happening to them. >> several months before the marine headquarters was bombed, this marine survived a bombing of the u.s. embassy. >> after i woke up and realized what had happened, and started hearing the sirens and screaming voices, people pleading for help, i could hear children and women crying. i started picking my way around and trying to find out where i was at. and though i'd lived in that place for eight months, i couldn't tell where i was at. it was just that tore up, that blown away. >> in defiance of the atrocity, embassy staff flew their flag as the search went on. u.s. marines of the multi national force were brought into the area as an extra security measure and to keep away the curious. lebanese police say more bodies were found in the rubble overnight.

the recovery work is going slowly. there's the danger that heavy machinery being used in the clearing operation could bring down the upper floors, killing anyone still trapped inside. but no one is optimistic about finding survivors. >> my information from the rescue workers on the site is that it is very unlikely that anybody will be found alive who was in the building. >> but there are those who wait and hope. the islamic holy war, a muslim fundamentalalist group is still believed to be responsible for the attack. the group was organized in the shi'ite suburb of beirut. they follow the teachings of ayatollah chomeny. embassy officials say it was a suicide mission. >> to sergeant light, it was

like reliving the horrors of war all over again. >> it was as if they put me right back in vietnam. because just that quick, i started reacting the same as i did when i was in combat. and not that i wasn't worried, i was worried. not scared. but like i say, when the place is on fire and there's debris falling all around you and you see parts of people laying everywhere, it tends to upset you. >> large scale terrorist attacks, and the individual human stories that go with them, aren't limited to the middle east. look anywhere that u.s. military personnel are stationed. >> the terrorists struck at midnight. they moved along the flightline, setting two time bombs in each of the air national guard fighter jets. by light of day, investigators found eight of the planes were totally destroyed. two were second half damaged. the price tag is put at $45 million. a leftist group claims responsibility for the bombing.

their immediate target of criticism, the renewal of the military draft reg slation. but officials see this as the latest incident in a long list of political violence in puerto rico, and the guard commander says it was a very professional one at that. >> they've done a good job, yes, sir. police figured they set the bombs at midnight when the guards change. so they had a good vibe on what was going on here. >> the terrorists involved are connected with the ambush of the u.s. navy bus in puerto rico a year ago. two seamen were killed, ten wounded. in this attack on the national guard base, no one was hurt, but officials say that was nothing but luck. sometimes luck is what it takes to survive a well planned terrorist attack, as navy boiler technician third class randal keith found out. >> well, the ship pulled in at san juan, puerto rico, because it was supposed to be a really good liberty port and we were down there anyway. and one night, asked a few

friends, let's go out and get a couple beers, enjoy our last night of liberty. as we were walking across the bridge, right by the yacht club, a car came around the corner, late model sedan, i remember that after it stopped and i looked at it. it pulled alongside the curb and opened up on us and gunfire from one automatic weapon as far as i could tell, and a pistol. and i didn't even realize i'd been shot. just felt like someone had hit me really hard in the stomach. and i told larry, go ahead back to the ship and get some help, and he did. he was luckier than tim or me, because i had to have stuff removed from me, my intestines and got my arm broke out of the deal and tim lost his leg because of it. >> the three marines were on their way to the u.s. embassy early this morning when their truck suddenly exploded. all three were injured, as was there costa rican driver. officials here don't know what

caused the explosion, but they believe it was a homemade bomb or grenade. the explosion was so powerful it blew out the back window of the car riding in front of the marines' truck. they have no suspects but believe it was a well organized extremist group. >> extremists don't have boundaries. terrorists can travel anywhere for any cause. in london, a letter bomb blew up in a navyman's hands. and he survived. they often use disguises including official and official-looking uniforms. they count on speed and surprise, hoping their victim won't be alert enough to anticipate the attack or escape it. they're innovative, learning from their mistakes and capable of ingenius planning and they often have better weapons than the authorities. >> the blast was apparently caused by a time bomb placed next to ail pillar inside the bar. the force ever the explosion shattered windows. many of the nearly 80 victim his pieces of glass and metal

embedded in their bodies. 13 of the 59 americans have been flown to west germany. a u.s. spokesman here said they were suffering from burns and puncture wounds. two or three of them are in critical condition, but there were no deaths reported. investigators sifting through the wreckage have found traces of a clock and some wire, which a greek police source indicated the device was homemade. the 1500 american service personnel stationed here have been told to avoid the area while the investigation is going on. the bar is several dozen in a seaside resort frequented by offduty american people from the nearby airbase. >> up with of those people was air force chief master sergeant robert agey. >> there was not a lot of panic, what i would consider panic, but there was screaming and yelling, an awful lot of married couples or couples in the bar, and there were husbands trying to find wives and boyfriends trying to

find girlfriends and that kind of thing. everybody was going towards the door of the bar. there was quite a jam-up at the door to go out onto the street. i've never been in that place before, so i wasn't that familiar with which way was the door. i looked straight ahead and there was a hole in the wall, which seemed to me the best place to get out really quickly. >> and it was really black in there, and something was pushing me. like the force of the bomb was pushing me, and i remember the force pushed me into somebody is he fell and i just kinda stood as he fell, i remember reaching for something and i felt like the wall. so i stood there and i remember yelling to everybody, you know, don't run, don't run. >> whether americans are on or off duty hasn't made much difference in athens. and terrorist attacks there have also focused on more than one

service. >> there was strict security at the u.s. air force base in athens tonight. and military officials were not available to talk about the attack. greek police say two gunmen riding a motorcycle ambushed an american postal officer as he was driving from the american military mission to the airbase. sergeant robert judd was shot in the shoulder and hand before accelerating his vehicle away from the attackers. he reached the safety of the base before being rushed to the hospital. his condition is described as good. >> i was hit in the arm, hit in the back. it's been almost 20 months and i still really haven't recovered totally physically. i remember looking at the windows all shattered and hoping that they hadn't hit something that would caused me to bleed to death. the mental scars will always be there. it's something totally

unexpected, something that you just -- you think happens to the other guy, you -- you see it on television, you hear it on the radio and you say, boy, that's nasty, that's a terrible thing to have happen to anybody, but you never really think that it's going to happen to you. i just -- you don't -- it's something that happens to the other guy. >> a terrorist's attitude toward an attack is usually impersonal, but the results sure aren't. just before christmas, members of the u.s. military were aboard this italian train when a bomb exploded in a tunnel. one of them of the seriously injured. then there was the infamous oktoberfest bombing in munich. >> the enormous blast at the main entrance to the miles square oktoberfest ground was heard for miles. the explosion tossed bodies into the street in front of the still crowded park, killing seven people instantly, including three young children. hundreds of festival goers were in the immediate area when the bomb went off ten minutes before closing time. eyewitnesses said the deafening

blast was preceded by a ball of flame which was 15 feet in the air. many of the dead were burned beyond recognition and doctors said most of the injured were treated for burns, concussion, and shrapnel wounds. taxis and private cars were pressed into service as panicky survivors fought to escape the scene of terror. as city water trucks hosed away the debris and workers washed off the mud splattered sign, concessioners assessed the damage from an expertly made pipe bomb detonated by a professional. one witness said she was less than 15 feet from the blast. she said she was stunned by the noise and still can't believe she escaped injury. >> while some american service people were casualties at the oktoberfest in munich, many more had a good time, as you can do almost any place in the world by

using common sense. avoid the personal threat of terrorism by not being predictable. maintain low visibility to keep from calling attention to yourself as an american, and remember to be alert. >> i think the most important thing is to be aware that it could happen. that the threat is very, very real. you don't have to be in a bombing to recognize and appreciate the fact that terrorism works. >> they were just totally astounded that anybody would have the audacity to do this to americans. >> there's ways to avoid it and i wish i would have known it then. >> i think we have to try to blend in more with the local populous of that country, whether it's greece or germany, and maintain a lower profile. learn the customs and traditions of the local country, so we're aware of how those people in

that country react and behave. so when something is out of the ordinary, we can recognize it. >> i never thought i'd be a victim. but you never really know. it could happengain tomorrow >> i am a history buff.treet. i do enjoy seeing the fabric of our country and how things -- how they work and how they are made. >> i love american history tv. >> i had no idea they did history. that's probably something i would really enjoy. >> with american history tv, it gives you that perspective. >> i may c-span

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again, i'm really looking forward to this hearing. looking forward to the testimony. i want to thank the witnesses for coming and your thoughtful testimony. for that, we'll turn it over to senator carper. >> thank, chairman. thanks for bringing us all together. i think most of us in the room probably had a dog or two in our lives and chairman mentioned he once had a beagle, a plump beagle i think he said. reminds me when i was a little boy, 5, 6, 7 years old, actually i was about 12 or 13, we had jack and jill. husband and wife team of beagles and they were great rabbit dogs. they chased a lot of rabbits. they were not plump. and they were in great shape. it sort of, like, reminds me of the joy we had with all of them using their noses to find not currency, not weapons, but to look for rabbits and to find a bunch of them as well. i just want to say during multiple visits i've been fortunate to take down to our southern borders and up to our northern borders. i've always been impressed by