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Maggie’s Motivational Pic Thread v2.0 - - New Rules - See Post #1

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Someone mentioned Photoshop and I had to laugh. Here is my own, very humble offering. This is IC2118 commonly referred to as the Witchhead Nebula which is in Eridanus. But very close to Orion.

Takahashi FSQ106N Refractor. Mounted on an Astrophysics AP900GTO. Detector was an SBIGSTL11K with LRGB Filters. This is a Monochrome Camera so sub-exposures are taken with Luminance, Red, Blue, and Green Filters. Exposure data is 4x900 sec for each Filter. Data was captured over three nights.

This is extremely dim, as in not bright, so dealing with residual noise in the image required a lot of work at the computer.
 

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Someone mentioned Photoshop and I had to laugh. Here is my own, very humble offering. This is IC2118 commonly referred to as the Witchhead Nebula which is in Eridanus. But very close to Orion.

Takahashi FSQ106N Refractor. Mounted on an Astrophysics AP900GTO. Detector was an SBIGSTL11K with LRGB Filters. This is a Monochrome Camera so sub-exposures are taken with Luminance, Red, Blue, and Green Filters. Exposure data is 4x900 sec for each Filter. Data was captured over three nights.

This is extremely dim, as in not bright, so dealing with residual noise in the image required a lot of work at the computer.
Takahashi !, Impressive, most impressive!
 
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Battlesight Zero

Sergeant Robert Hughes served as the Dive NCO for First Force Recon Company during 1967 to 1968. Leading dive teams and maintaining the unit's scuba equipment were his primary duties. Called a "gentle giant" by Marines who served with him, Hughes was large and powerful, towering over many of his peers. The "gentle" side of his personality disappeared, however, in the face of innumerable threats as he donned his scuba gear and submerged in the water.
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On one dive mission, Hughes was tasked with locating an underwater tunnel. Searching through the murky dark, Hughes felt his way along a bank with one hand, Kabar ready in the other. He located the tunnel entrance and suddenly, an enemy diver shot out of the hole. As the combatants locked onto each other, Hughes caught a glint of light off the blade of the enemy's dagger. He reached out and grabbed the diver's wrist, while stabbing with his own Kabar. The NVA diver mirrored Hughes, latching onto the Marine's knife hand while trying to drive his own blade home. Submerged and grappling with limited visibility, Hughes fought for an advantage. He wrapped his legs around his enemy and pulled him in close. Spitting out his regulator, Hughes lunged forward and bit into the diver's throat. The diver released his grip and Hughes finished him off with the Kabar.
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Hughes became the subject of several dive mission horror stories. Company leadership at the time reported he had at least 2 confirmed kills under water. Many other Recon divers braved the waters of Vietnam as well. To arm themselves, divers kept their Kabars close. Some Marines even carried privately-purchased revolvers, preferring their lethality in close quarters submerged combat. Stories surfaced of underwater gun battles, knife fights, and other horrors awaiting Marines as they dove.
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With the help of other former Recon veterans, we have confirmed that Sgt Hughes is now deceased. He survived the war, and passed away at the age of 43 in his home town in PA in 1990.
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“There was no one I would rather have as security underwater than Sgt Hughes,” remembered one Marine who served with him. To learn more about Robert Hughes, combat diving, and the Force Recon Marines who endured it, read “First to Fight” here:
https://bzohistory.com/first-to-fight/
 
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WW II uncovered

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Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble Hero of Guadalcanal
An athletic man, Master Sergeant Keeble was being recruited by the Chicago White Sox when he was called to duty in WWII. Woodrow Wilson Keeble was a U.S. Army National Guard combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. He was a full-blooded member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse North Dakota.

In World War II, Keeble served with I Company of the famed North Dakota 164th Infantry Regiment. The 164th Infantry landed on Guadalcanal on October 13, 1942, to help the First Marine Division, which had suffered heavy losses while clearing the South Pacific island of Japanese.
Keeble's regiment of Dakotans was the first United States Army unit to conduct an offensive operation against the enemy in any theater. Despite its ad hoc formation, the Americal Division fought well at Guadalcanal, the 164th Infantry taking on a key role in the defeat of a major Japanese offensive in October 1942. Uniquely, the North Dakotans performed so heroically on Guadalcanal in support of the Marines that they received a Navy Presidential Unit Citation.

After the war Keeble continued his military career serving in the Korean War for which he was recognize with the Medal of Honor. For actions in combat, Keeble received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star two Purple Hearts and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Keeble became the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony, March 3, 2008.
After the Korean War, Master Sergeant Keeble returned to North Dakota and worked at the Wahpeton Indian School. Woodrow passed away on January 28, 1982 at the age of 64.

The Woodrow Wilson Keeble Memorial Health Care Center in Sisseton, South Dakota stands in his honor.