Despite the hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs that were dropped on Mu Gia and other strategic sections of the Ho Chi Minh trail, the Rolling Thunder campaign begun in March 1965 failed in its interdiction objectives for reasons that are still debated by military historians. As early as the summer of 1966, internal review and mounting congressional and public pressure to find coercive leverage over North Vietnam led to a reevaluation of the bombing strategy.

It was against this backdrop of frustration over the inability to interdict the Trail that the possibility of employing nuclear weapons was discussed in Pentagon circles. The JASON study was a response to this loose talk and, although it did not specifically focus on Mu Gia pass, it did analyze interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh trail, including nuclear attacks on bottlenecks such as Mu Gia pass. Continue reading →

The U.S. Flag Code formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used.

The following is a list of do’s and don’ts associated with Old Glory, the U.S. Flag. Continue reading →

Anyone who’s ever sat down at a Blackjack table or passed a friendly and endless game of War has seen a deck of cards. 54 cards, with 4 suits and 2 optional Jokers is the standard makeup, and it includes all the usual playing card celebrities like the Suicide King and the One-Eyed Jacks (or the knaves if you prefer). However, perhaps the most famous playing card in the entire deck is the Ace of Spades. However, the infamy presented by this card is a relatively recent phenomenon, as the history of playing cards goes. Continue reading →