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Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), conduct plane side honors in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Billy V. Rodgers, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, at Reagan National Airport, Virginia, September 23, 2021. Rodgers, of Panama, Oklahoma, was reported missing in action on December 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, he was accounted for April 9, 2020. Rodgers will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Gabriel Bacchus)
Sailors assigned to Commander, Task Group 56.7 transit the Arabian Gulf in a riverine command boat during a training exercise. CTG-56.7 provides a multi-mission platform for the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility by focusing on maritime security operations, maritime infrastructure protection, and theater security cooperation efforts, in addition to offensive combat operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michelle L. Turner/Released)
Soldiers assigned to 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), conduct military funeral honors in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. Billy V. Rodgers, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, September 27, 2021. Rodgers, of Panama, Oklahoma, was reported missing in action on December 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered, he was accounted for April 9, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Nicholas T. Holmes)
Troopers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, conduct a tactical convoy while participating in a mounted combined arms rehearsal with soldiers belonging to the Romanian Land Forces, during Exercise Wind Spring 2015 at Smardan Training Area, Romania, Apr. 18, 2015. This rehearsal will allow both units to learn each others vehicle capabilities while also sharing different tactics and strategies for success on the battlefield in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve-South. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner/released)
F4F-3 BuNo 3997 assigned to VMF-221 in May 1942.
“I took off as wingman on Captain Carl at approximately 0557, June 4, 1942. We joined on Captain Carey and were vectored out 310 degrees. The three of us climbed to 14,000 feet on the vector, during which I was motioned to fly number three on Captain Carey. About nine minutes out Captain Carl began to drop back. At 0612 Captain Carey made a wide 270 degree turn; then a 90 degree diving turn while reporting to Zed, ‘Talley ho, a large formation of bombers,’ a slight pause, then, ‘Accompanied by fighters.’ The bombers were at approximately 12,000 feet. I slid into a column on Captain Carey during the run, where I stayed until the engagement was over. The run was high side from the right. I fired at the No. 3 plane in the No. 3 section until it exploded and went down in flames. In the middle of the run I saw a column of fighters diving on us from the left. There was no return fire from the bombers that I could see. Captain Carey pulled out of the dive and made a high wing over for another attack when we were attacked by their fighters. He then dived at about a 40 degree angle and headed for a large cloud about five miles away. I momentarily lagged looking for planes following us and went around the cloud the opposite direction from Captain Carey to have a better look behind. I saw a large trail of smoke and the bomber burning on the ocean, but no fighters, and then joined upon him again. He headed in the general direction of the Islands on an unsteady course. Finally I observed that he was badly wounded and he turned the lead over to me. He kept dropping and falling behind and I kept throttling back so he could keep up. When I had led us to a 270 degree bearing from the Island, he called me and instructed me to join on him again. We had about forty gallons of gasoline left, including seventeen gallons of reserve. I made a normal approach but had no flaps, and when the wheels touched the ground the landing gear collapsed. The Island was under heavy attack, with fighters strafing runways and a Patrol Boat. When the plane had stopped sliding, I jumped out and ran for a trench, while a plane was strafing in the direction of my abandoned plane or the Patrol Boat.
“All during the above encounter, I flew very close to Captain Carey, making all runs and dives in column. There were 100 rounds gone from three of my guns and 90 from the other. At least one-half of these were used up during two test fires I had made that morning.”
“My plane was hit on the right elevator, left wing and flap, and just ahead of the tail wheel by 20 mm cannon. There was also a 30 caliber hole through the tail wheel and one that entered the hood on the right side about six inches up, passing just over the left rudder pedal and damaging the landing gear.
“Captain Carey’s and my engagement was of very short duration, thereby limiting my impression. However, I am positive that the bomber I shot down was an Aichi type 99, because when this bomber exploded, I was flat at about a 140 degree angle, and I am positive that the landing gear was retracted. However, the planes were painted dark and the light was bad, so I couldn’t tell the type of ship but they were larger than our dive bombers. After talking to observers from the Island who were observing through field glasses, they were of a twin engine class, because they confirmed that the plane was missing in the afore said position.
“During this encounter, I flew an F4F-3 type plane, bureau No. 3997.”
The citation for his award of the Navy Cross reads as follows:
"The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Clayton M. Canfield (0-9406), Second Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Fighting Squadron TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE (VMF-221), Marine Air Group TWENTY-TWO (MAG-22), Naval Air Station, Midway, during operations of the U.S. Naval and Marine Forces against the invading Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. Delivering a dauntless and aggressive assault against a vastly superior number of Japanese bomber and fighter planes, Second Lieutenant Canfield shot down one Navy Aichi Type dive bomber, thereby aiding in the disruption of enemy plans and lessening the effectiveness of their attack. His courageous determination, maintained at great personal risk against tremendous odds, contributed to the success of our forces and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to the 4TH Battalion, 17TH Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, observes the movement of enemy elements during Decisive Action Rotation 19-01 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Sept. 28, 2018. Decisive Action Rotations at the NTC ensure Army Brigade Combat Teams remain versatile, responsive, and consistently available for current and future contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Brooke Davis, Operations Group, National Training Center)
Army paratroopers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, proceed to the rally point during a simulated forced-entry parachute assault at Malemute Drop Zone on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 31, 2021. The Soldiers are part of the Army’s only Pacific airborne brigade with the ability to rapidly deploy worldwide and are trained to conduct military operations in austere conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)
Ada Wong | Resident Evil 4 Remake
Lit with RELit and shot on native photo mode. Edited on Lightroom.
Soldiers assigned to Company C, 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, conducted a clearing exercise at Malakhand training village in the Orogrande Range Complex, N.M., June 24.
Photo by Wendy Brown, Fort Bliss Garrison Public Affairs
Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), participate in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C., July 4, 2019. The annual parade consists of bands, floats and national dignitaries, in a celebration in honor of America's birthday. Following the parade, the Soldiers participated in the Salute to America, in front to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Nicholas T. Holmes)
Soldiers assigned to the Fort Riley’s Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard practiced Calvary drill and ceremony during multiple rodeo demonstrations, Madison County, Montana and Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Aug. 8 through Aug.18.
The Soldiers demonstrated comfort on their horses while practicing drill and ceremony, honing in on Cavalry horsemanship skills while participating in public demonstrations.
Airmen assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing of the 109th Airlift Wing assist local crews in post-storm cleanup in Cambridge, N.Y. on Saturday, May 5. Sixteen members of the wing were assigned to help local road crews following a series of storms which knocked down trees and turned off the power to more than 180,000 northern New York residents on May 4, 2018. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Brig. Gen. Patrick Center)
160805-N-UF697-486 TOKYO BAY (August 5, 2016) Lt. j.g. Tia Hatcher, assigned to the forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52), mans the rails as the ship enters port. Barry returns to Yokosuka, Japan after successfully completing a patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin V. Cunningham/Released)
Cadets assigned to Cadet Field Training Cadre took on the Bull Run Water Confidence Course, June 29, West Point N.Y. The cadre climbed the 80-foot tower and descend across the Slide for Life above Lake Popolopen by using a hand trolley, when signaled they let go of the trolley and dropped in to the lake. They then walk on a narrow I-beam, climb up and down a couple of three steps before climbing hand over hand from the wire before requesting permission to drop to the water below.. Photo by Tommy Gilligan/USMA Public Affairs
Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), perform for the students and faculty of Talawanda High School in Oxford, Ohio, Dec. 3, 2018. The Drill Team performed for Talawanda High School to showcase the U.S. Army to the students and support recruiting efforts throughout Ohio. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. George Huley)
Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Africa and 386th Transportation Detachment participate in a combat lifesavers course with additional focus on enhanced medical techniques to support travel in Africa, Jan. 30 - Feb. 3, 2017, on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. This weeklong course is designed to provide Soldiers with essential and potentially life-saving skills and provide commanders with organic and expedient medical care capabilities. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Staff Sgt. Lance Pounds)
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Dragoons assigned to Head Hunter Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment loaded their Strykers and equipment onto a local railway as they prepare for their upcoming rotation in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve at Rose Baracks, Germany, Mar. 11, 2015. During OAR, Troopers will be living and training alongside their NATO Allies and European neighbors, helping to maintain the relationships and trust that are essential for ensuring regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner)
Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) conduct Armed Forces Full Honor Arrival Ceremony training, on Spates Field, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., July 15, 2020. These ceremonies are performed for foreign dignitaries as part of their official visits to the United States. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Nicholas T. Holmes)
CEIBA, PR- Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve-PR and the National Guard successfully graduated from the Master Driver Trainer Qualification Course (MDTQC), March 6, at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Ceiba.
The 90-hours course (80 hours resident training and 10 hours online) offered by the Army's Transportation School from Fort Lee, Va., was conducted outside the Continental States for the first time, allowing the troops assigned to the largest U.S. Army command in the Caribbean, to receive the additional skill identifier (ASI) as master drivers, known in the military as the M9 ASI.
Those Soldiers who are able to earn the M9 ASI know how to organize and conduct convoy operations with required security measures. They have studied risk management, accident avoidance and vehicle recovery. Their skill set also includes writing standard operating procedures, conducting accident investigations, and operating a motorcycle mentorship program, among other tasks.
“This new course is tied directly to a position within the unit’s Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE’s). We developed a course that produces an additional skill identifier, which will help the Soldiers in their future assignments,” said Jeffrey Skinner, Director of the Army’s Driver Standardization Office, who personally over watched the training.
Brig. Gen Jose R. Burgos, senior U.S. Army officer in the Caribbean, addressed the students at the beginning of the course and again during graduation day.
“After taking this training you will be the advisors to the battalion commanders on how to properly maintain the drivers program at the unit level. We are lucky to have the subject matter experts here with us, directly from the Transportation Regiment,” said Burgos, while explaining to the troops that this course will definitively increase their possibilities of obtaining a civilian employment with the trucking industry.
The excitement was also evident among the students.
“This course is very demanding because we get a lot of material in a short period of time. But at the end, I believe this course will help us better understand the Motor Transport Operator Military Occupational Specialty. It will also make us more efficient in our jobs,” said Staff Sgt. Victor Davila from the 77th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
“This training is awesome. We have learned many new things that will allow us to implement a very aggressive drivers program in the U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico, while teaching the new troops on the correct driving procedures,” added Sgt. 1st Class Edgardo Perez, Platoon Sergeant at the 432nd Transportation Company.
Since the U.S. Army Reserve-Puerto Rico specializes in logistical support, having a solid drivers program across all formations is paramount to increase the readiness of the command.
Army organizations interested in knowing more about the Master Driver Trainer Qualification Course and can contact the Army’s Driver Standardization Office at (804) 765-1859.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Description of the various colors and symbols assigned to those in the camps.
During 1960 to 1962 the 47th performed Air Refueling Missions assigning Boeing KB-50J Tankers to the 420th Air Refueling Squadron from 15th March 1960 to 22nd June 1962, the Boeing KB-50's were specially equipped with two General Electric J47 Turbojet Engines that enabled the Tankers to match the speed of the faster Jet Fighters during refueling, however most of the KB-50's were more than fifteen years old and were too slow to refuel the faster Tactical Jets of USAFE. The 420th ARS was inactivated on 25th March 1964.
In 1962 Project Clearwater halted large scale Rotational Bomber deployments to Britain with RAF Sculthorpe, along with RAF Fairford, RAF Chelveston, and RAF Greenham Common, being turned over to USAFE for Tactical Air use. As a result, the 47th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 22nd June 1962. A number of the Aircraft were reassigned to the 42nd TRS, 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Chelveston and modified with the Electronic Counter-Measures Tail System. With the inactivation of the 47th, RAF Sculthorpe was put under the command of the 7375th Combat Support Group, the 7375th was later replaced by the Detachment 1, 48th Tactical Fighter Wing.
In 1979 Handley Page Victor Aerial Tankers from 55 & 57 Squadrons and Canberra Target Towing Aircraft of 100 Squadron operated from RAF Sculthorpe when the runway at RAF Marham was re-surfaced. In spring 1982 Units from RAF Coltishall moved to RAF Sculthorpe while the Coltishall Runway was resurfaced. During the spring and summer of 1983, Units of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing deployed to RAF Sculthorpe because their home Station, RAF Lakenheath was having its Runway resurfaced. During the summer of 1984 the F-4E and F-4G Squadrons from Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, operated from RAF Sculthorpe to allow Runway re-surfacing at Spangdahlen to take place.
During most of 1988 and part of 1989, deploying Hercules C-130 Units from the 463rd TAW (Dyess AFB, Texas), the 314th TAW (Little Rock AFB, Arkansas), and the 317th TAW (Pope AFB, North Carolina) were forced to operate from RAF Sculthorpe due to Runway resurfacing at RAF Mildenhall. In August 1989 the TR-1A Squadron from RAF Alconbury operated from RAF Sculthorpe whilst Alconbury's Runway was re-surfaced. The Airfield became inactive at the end of the Cold War, an end-of-use date of 2 October 1992 is quoted.
The Airfield, now known as the 'Sculthorpe Training Area' is retained by the Ministry of Defence and forms part of the Defence Training Estate. During 2016, it was used by the USAF 352nd SOG, based at RAF Mildenhall, to perform Training in Low Flying, Airdrops, and Rescue and Recovery Missions. These Exercises were conducted by MC-130 Hercules and CV-22 Ospreys.
During the mid-1990's the entire Technical and Domestic Site was sold to Roger Byron-Collins' Welbeck Estate Group by Defence Estates. The Domestic Married Quarters Site included a
number of single storey 'tobacco houses' The housing estate was renamed 'Wicken Village' and, after refurbishment, the houses were sold. The remaining Technical Site including Barrack Blocks, post exchange (PX), church, Guardroom, Gymnasium, Community Centres, and extensive storage and industrial units were sold to a single purchaser and there is now a fledgling industrial park. The Welbeck Estate Group went on to acquire the nearby Technical and Married Quarters estate at RAF West Raynham.
The only Military Buildings that remain are the Control Tower, the Fire Station (next to the Control Tower), and a small Half-Moon Concrete Shelter, now used by a farmer for machinery and equipment storage. RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre opened in a room at Green Park Rural Centre, Wicken Green, in August 2019. It features many Sculthorpe-related items, and has parts of a Douglas RB-66 Destroyer including its J71 Jet Engine which is the only known surviving example in the country.
Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), provide support for a Department of the Army retirement ceremony at Conmy Hall on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., March 29, 2018. The ceremony was held for 43 Soldiers assigned to the Military District of Washington who retired after more than 860 years of combined service to the U.S. Army. (U.S. Army photos by Spc. Gabriel Silva)
PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 27, 2021) - MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to the Archangels of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 carry cargo to the flight deck of USS New Orleans (LPD 18) during a replenishment-at-sea with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194). America, flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (Photo by Seaman Jonathan Berlier) 210127-N-BT681-1249
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Paratroopers assigned to the British 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 16 Air Assault Brigade evacuate a Paratrooper with simulated injuries during Combined Joint Operational Access Exercise 15-01 on Fort Bragg, N.C., April 18, 2015. In the largest bilateral training operation occurring on Fort Bragg in the last 20 years, more than 3,000 Soldiers from the U.S. and U.K. participated in the exercise in support of the CJOAX. (82nd Airborne Division photo by Sgt. Eliverto V. Larios/Released)
Troopers assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, begin to stage their vehicles as they prepare to conduct preventive maintenance, checks and services before driving the second leg of the Dragoon Crossing, a tactical road march starting out at Rose Barracks, Germany and continuing through the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic ending in Hungary on Sept. 14, 2015. The purpose of the exercise is to reassure NATO Allies of the U.S. intent during Operation Atlantic Resolve while demonstrating interoperability and freedom of movement throughout Eastern Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner/released)
Leadership assigned to 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, talk as the last Stryker Combat Vehicle gets stagged in the motor pool area after the unit finished it's tactical road march from Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase to Smardan Training Area, Romania, in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, Mar. 24, 2015. Once the unit reaches Smardan Training Area, they will conduct a forward passage of lines with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion assigned to 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, in preparation for Operation Windspring, a multinational, bilateral training event that supports Operation Atlantic Resolve. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William A. Tanner/released)
Members assigned to Charlie Squadron, Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG), conducts Pre-Mission Training (PMT) designed to enhance advisory assistants to Brigade Combat Teams and lethality at Fort A.P. Hill, Va, Mar. 11, 2019.
Pre-Mission Training ensures Operational Advisors, Technical Advisors and Enablers are trained and proficient in marksmanship; mobility; communication; medical; driver’s training; C-IED; sUAS; and heavy weapon operations in order to deploy in support of AWG’s missions.
AWG provides global operational advisory support to U.S. Army forces to rapidly transfer current threat based observations and solutions (TTPs) to tactical and operational Army commanders in order to defeat emerging asymmetric threats and enhance multi-domain effectiveness.
Bottom line, AWG advises blue forces (BLUFOR) on best practices across a range of military operations with current and relevant information while scouting threat TTPs and gaining context of operational environments to support the fielded force and help units win.
Photo: AWG
Cadets assigned to 4th Company spent the morning working with their M4 rifles on the marksmanship range as part of Cadet Field Training, July 3, West Point, N.Y. While on the range, these rising sophomores worked on
mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship, situational awareness and weapon safety. After each platoon completed the training on the range they rotated their focus to reading maps for Land Navigation. Photo by Tommy Gilligan/ USMA Public Affairs
NAVAL BASE GUAM (May 7, 2020) U.S. Navy Lt. Burnetta Fears, assigned to 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, is shadowed by a staff member from U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, while conducting a turnover of medical checks for some Sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is currently docked at Naval Base Guam where Sailors assigned to the ship are practicing social distancing and following other guidelines from the CDC, U.S. Navy and the Governor of Guam as part of COVID-19 mitigation effort during a scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jordan E. Gilbert) 200507-M-RB959-1023
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NAKAGUSUKU BAY, Japan (Feb. 4, 2016) Chief Logistics Specialist Khilashwar G. Narine, center, trains Sailors on investigator duties during a main space fire drill aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Germantown is assigned to the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and is participating in amphibious integration training (AIT) and a certification exercise (CERTEX) with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Vazquez/Released)
Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own", perform the first Twilight Tattoo of the season, on Summerall Field, Fort Myer, Va, May 31, 2023. The hour-long performance demonstrating the Army's rich history was hosted Maj. Gen. Allan M. Pepin, commanding general, Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Oscar Toscano)
Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), conduct a regimental orientation program (ROP), graduation ceremony, July. 29, 2013 on Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. The three-week program is designed train new Soldiers in the unit’s rifle movements, ceremonial marching and uniform styles unique to The Old Guard. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.)
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 4TH Battalion, 17TH Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, engage enemy elements with their M4 carbines during Decisive Action Rotation 19-01 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Oct. 1, 2018. Decisive Action Rotations at the NTC ensure Army Brigade Combat Teams remain versatile, responsive, and consistently available for current and future contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Brooke Davis, Operations Group, National Training Center)
Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division talk at Pike Field while awaiting the final OH-58D Kiowa Warrior flight over Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, N.C., April 15, 2016. Thirty-two of the helicopters, which are being retired from Army service, flew over the base and Fayetteville to thank the communites for their support over the past 25 years. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary S. Katzenberger/Released)
NAVAL BASE GUAM (April 30, 2020) - Sailors assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), who have tested negative twice for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic, arrive pierside and prepare to return to the ship following completion of their off-ship quarantine. Sailors assigned to Theodore Roosevelt were moved to local hotels in an effort to implement an aggressive mitigation strategy to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of the Sailors. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Omar Powell) 200430-N-SS432-1057
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Chitragupta is a Hindu god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of human beings on the earth. Upon their death, Chitragupta has the task of deciding heaven or the hell for the humans, depending on their actions on the earth.
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The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India. About 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi, they are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers. Of these, only about 20 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers. Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.
The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions namely Hinduism and Jainism - suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains.
LOCATION
Khajuraho group of monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres southeast of New Delhi. The temples are in a small town also known as Khajuraho, with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).
Khajuraho is served by Khajuraho Airport (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. The site is also linked by Indian Railways service, with the railway station approximately six kilometer from the monuments entrance.
The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, that is connected to Bhopal - the state capital - by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.
HISTORY
The Khajuraho group of monuments were built during the rule of Rajput Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand. Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by Lakshmana temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign.:22 The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Ganda from 1017-1029 CE. The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 to 1030 CE, with few more temples completed in decades thereafter.
The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba, the capital of Chandela dynasty, in Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been called Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.
Khajuraho were mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti. The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.
Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century, after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them “Kajarra” as follows:
...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.
— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell
Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect. In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho. The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims. Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.
In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience. Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.
NOMENCLATURE
The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm, and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).
Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use. He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.
Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.
DESCRIPTION
The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area. The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.
The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river). The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.
All temples, except one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence. The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.
Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthanks. For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.
An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design. Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara. The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution.
The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture. Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images. The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide. The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.
The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.
Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship. It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres high and 1.1 metres diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres diameter platform.
The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rise
s 116 feet.
Jain templesThe Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments. Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE TEMPLES
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala. This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.
The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.
The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other. The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.
Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires. The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts. The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas. This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples. Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions. All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.
Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire). Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.
In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity. The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina.
Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India. Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as “an organism of repeating cells”.
CONSTRUCTION
The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons. Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.
While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved. Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.
CHRONOLOGY
The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions. In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.
The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.
Kandarya Mahadeva temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.
TEMPLE NAME - DEITY - YEAR COMPLETED
Chausath Yogini - Devi, 64 Yoginis - 885
Brahma - Vishnu - 925
Lalgun Mahadev - Shiva - 900
Matangeshwar - Shiva - 1000
Varaha - Vishnu - 950
Lakshmana - Vaikuntha Vishnu - 939
Parshvanath - Parshvanath - 954
Visvanatha - Shiva - 999
Devi Jagadambi - Devi, Parvati - 1023
Chitragupta - Sun, Chitragupta - 1023
Kandariya Mahadeva - Shiva - 1029
Vamana - Vamana - 1062
Adinath Jain Temple - Rishabha - 1027
Javeri - Vishnu - 1090
Chaturbhuja - Vishnu - 1110
Duladeo (Duladeva) - Shiva - 1125
Ghantai - Jain Tirthankara - 960
Vishnu-Garuda - Vishnu - 1000
Ganesha - Shiva - 1000
Hanuman - Hanuman - 922
Mahishasuramardini - Devi - 995
ARTS AND SCULPTURE
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices. Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples. James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":
"Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles . . Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities; however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings. The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition. For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era. These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples. Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).
— Stella Kramrisch, 1976
The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa. Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples. Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples. Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.
TOURISM AND CULTURAL EVENTS
The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts : the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples of which the Western group alone has the facility of an Audio guided tour wherein the tourists are guided through the seven eight temples. There is also an audio guided tour developed by the Archaeological Survey of India which includes a narration of the temple history and architecture.
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February. It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.
The Khajuraho temple complex offers a light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex, and has received mixed reviews.
The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development has set up kiosks at the Khajuraho railway station, with tourist officers to provide information for Khajuraho visitors.
WIKIPEDIA
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