Naked Comes The Waffle House Shooter

On Monday, April 23, 2018, Travis Reinking, was taken in custody at 1:07 p.m.

Please note that this happened at "Old Hickory" and 

"Hobson" ("son of the devil," "Hobb" = Devil).

See August 23, 2015's "Trees Again" and August 11, 2015's "Hickory Again".

Four people were killed and at least two others were shot at a Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike, Antioch, Tennessee, on Sunday morning, April 22, 2018, reportedly at 3:23 am local time, Metro Nashville Police said. The suspect is 29-year-old Travis Reinking of Morton, Illinois (although he allegedly may have been living in Tremont, Illinois most recently).

A customer, James Shaw Jr. wrestled the weapon (AK-15) from Reinking.

Police say the gunman was naked except for a green jacket when he opened fire at about 3:25 a.m. (4:25 a.m. ET) in Antioch, part of the Nashville area in Tennessee.

The assailant later shed his green jacket, which police found two AR-15 magazines in the pocket. Reinking later put on a pair of black pants, with no shirt. He is still at large with two guns, a hunting style rifle and a handgun.

It appears Reinking targeted African Americans at the Waffle House.

All the initial dead are people of color.

Taurean C. Sanderlin
Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, of Goodlettsville, was an employee of the restaurant who was fatally wounded as he stood outside, police said.

Joe R. Perez
Joe R. Perez, 20, of Nashville, was a restaurant patron who was fatally wounded as he stood outside, police said.

DeEbony Groves
DeEbony Groves, 21, of Gallatin, was fatally wounded inside the restaurant.

DeEbony Groves was killed inside the restaurant.
She was out with her Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters before going to Waffle House.
Groves was a senior majoring in social work at Belmont University.

Akilah DaSilva
Akilah DaSilva, 23, of Antioch, was critically wounded inside the restaurant and later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
He had been at the restaurant with his older brother and girlfriend, Shanita Waggoner, 21. Waggoner was also injured in the shooting.
DaSilva, known by his stage name "Natrix," was passionate about music.
He was a student pursuing a career in musical engineering at Middle Tennessee State University.
Reinking's last message on Facebook, allegedly, is from March 30, 2017, and mentions the Illuminati.

In July 2017, the U.S. Secret Service arrested Reinking for being in a "restricted area" near the White House, according to the Secret Service. After the arrest, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked and local Illinois police seized four weapons.

"Among the weapons seized by those authorities was the AR-15 rifle used at the Waffle House today," said a Nashville police spokesman at a Sunday afternoon news conference.

On Sunday afternoon, law enforcement in Tazewell County, Illinois, held a press conference explaining their history with Reinking and his family.

They said there were concerns in the past about his mental health. In May 2016, he told Illinois police he thought Taylor Swift was stalking him and hacking into his phone. He also appeared to be suicidal at one time, according to a police report.

There were other instances of strange behavior in 2017. Reinking reportedly wore a pink dress to work while carrying an AR-15 and started yelling at someone. He also told police last year that 30 to 40 people were trying to hack into his phone.
Police believe Reinking's father, who works in the crane and construction business, received the weapons after their confiscation, and returned them to his son.

Reinking may still have two weapons as police continue their manhunt. Police believe those weapons are a hunting rifle and a handgun.

Reinking is a patronymic name, a type of surname that derived from the given name of the father of the original bearer. Reinking was derived from the Old Germanic personal name Raginhari, which is composed of the Old German elements ragin, which means counsel, and hard, which means hardy.

Other Waffle House incidents:

On March 11, 2002, robbers left two employees dead and one injured. The victims, one man and one woman, were found in a freezer area of the Waffle House. Gerhard "Chip" Hojan, 28, and Jimmy Mickel, 34, had robbed the Waffle House of $1,888, and did not wish to leave any eyewitnesses. They did shoot Christina Delarosa, 17, a waitress, Willy Absolu, 29, the cook, and Barbara Nunn, 38, also a waitress. Nunn, however, survived the bullet to the back of her head, and identified the killers.

Read the 2012 article, "15 Strange Crimes That Took Place At A Waffle House."

In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 31, 2014, Kevin Jordan, a 43-year-old Griffin police officer and father of seven was shot and killed outside of the Waffle House at 1702 North Expressway, in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He was working as an off-duty security officer, in full uniform.

Griffin police said three drunken white individuals accosted Jordan, an African-American, with racial slurs before one of them, Michael D. Bowman, 30, shot Officer Jordan multiple times in the back.

A rather infamous multiple killing occurred at a Waffle House that is east of Interstate 75 in Davie, Florida, about 10 miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale. One site says that due to these "Waffle House Murders," this location is now haunted.

Also, in May 2014, a "Man Robbed A Waffle House With A Pitchfork."

Then there's the Friday, June 13, 2014 shooting at a Waffle House, near Atlanta, Georgia.

On Saturday, February 14, 2015, there were the shootings at a Waffle House in Aurora, Colorado. 

Then, before today's incident, the last known Waffle House sync was related to Jessica Ford. On February 23, 2018, Ford was arrested and charged after she intentionally crashed her 2008 Chevrolet Uplander minivan into a security barrier​ at the White House, Washington D.C., while armed with a pistol, at about 2:45 pm​​.​​ Jessica Ford's last known employment was at a Waffle House, and Demos' Restaurant in Smyrna, Tennessee.

+++

Antioch Again

For more on Antioch, Tennessee, it's previous history of syncs, the name's meaning, and links to the moniker, see, "Antioch: A Prediction Comes to Pass," from August 14, 2015.

On September 24, 2017, a gunman wearing "a neoprene ski mask" opened fire at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee, part of the Greater Nashville Area, killing one person and injuring seven others. All involved were over 60 years old.

The suspect was identified as 25-year-old native of Sudan, Emanuel Kidega Samson, who was arrested after pistol whipping a bystander, and charged with first-degree murder. Around one week after the mass shooting the suspect said that the attack was revenge for the 2015 Charleston church shooting.

Ford Rams Chevy at White House Barrier

Jessica Rhea Ford is a woman residing in La Vergne, Tennessee​. On February 23, 2018, she was arrested and charged after she intentionally crashed her 2008 Chevrolet Uplander minivan into a security barrier​ at the White House while armed with a pistol, at about 2:45 pm​​.​​ In April 2017, Jessica Ford was arrested and charged after she tried to climb over a crowd control barrier​ in front of the White House.

+++

Several lexilinks, syncs, and more, reveal themselves in this event.

Immediately, it reminds several of the Miriam Carey incident, where she tried to force her car through a White House security fence on Thursday afternoon, October 3, 2013. She did not have a gun with her, but her 1-year-old child. Carey was shot and killed. Termed the "Black Madonna" in some discussions. More here.

La Vergne is the home of a printing plant for Lightning Source and serves as the company's headquarters. The company is the printer/distributor of almost every print-on-demand book & ebook in America & the world.

Note the woman’s name is Jessica Rhea Ford. Rhea was the mother of Zeus. Lightning bolts were the signature weapon and symbol of Zeus.

Rhea, as overviewed by Wikipedia, is a character in Greek mythology, the Titaness daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus as well as sister and wife to Cronus. In early traditions, she is known as "the mother of gods" and therefore is strongly associated with Gaia and Cybele, who have similar functions. The classical Greeks saw her as the mother of the Olympian gods and goddesses, but not as an Olympian goddess in her own right. The Romans identified her with Magna Mater (their form of Cybele), and the Goddess Ops.

According to Hesiod, Cronus sired six children by Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus in that order.

Most ancient etymologists derived Rhea (Ῥέα) by metathesis from ἔρα "ground", although a tradition embodied in Plato and in Chrysippus connected the word with ῥέω (rheo), "flow," "discharge," which is what LSJ supports. Alternatively, the name Rhea may be connected with words for the pomegranate, ῥόα, later ῥοιά.

Jessica (originally Iessica, also Jesica, Jesika, Jessicah, Jessika, or Jessikah) is a female given name.

The oldest written record of the name with its current spelling is found as the name of the Shakespearean character Jessica, from the play The Merchant of Venice. The name may have been an Anglicisation of the biblical Iscah (from the Hebrew: יִסְכָּה : yisekāh), the name of a daughter of Haran briefly mentioned in the Book of Genesis 11:29. Iscah was rendered "Iesca" (Jeska) in the Matthew Bible version available in Shakespeare's day.

The original Hebrew name Yiskāh, means "foresight," or being able to see the potential in the future. The Hebrew root sakhah (ס.כ.ה) means "to see", so the name Yiskah, with the added future-tense yod, implies foresight. Iscah is the niece of Abraham.

Ford is a "shallow place in a river or stream allowing one to pass across" or the "person or vehicle that can cross at a shallow place."

Ferrer is an occupational surname for a blacksmith or ironworker - derived from the Latin ferrarius - and thus shares a common occupational derivation with the most common English surname, Smith. Ferrer is one of the most common Catalan surnames, ranked 36th in Catalonia. (See also, "October 13: Ferrer, Fatima and Fatimah.")

The February 23, 2018 incident followed Jessica Ford's April 16, 2017, attempt to climb the White House fence across from Lafayette Square. (See "Fayette Factor.")

Jessica Ford's last known employment was at the Waffle House, and Demos' Restaurant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Waffle Houses have had an intriguing history of syncs. See, "Waffle House Murders," (2002); "Friday the 13th at Waffle House," (2014); "Man Robbed Waffle House With Pitchfork," (2014); "Valentine's Day, Aurora, and Waffle Houses Again," (2015); and "15 Strange Crimes That Took Place At A Waffle House."

+++

According to officials, her last known residence in Tennessee was in March of 2012 at a home on McAlpine Avenue in East Nashville​. Other addresses have been La Vergne, Tennessee.

Prior police reports from D.C. also show Ford was arrested three times last year in the area of the White House.

On Sunday, April 16, 2017, Jessica Ford was arrested and charged after she tried to climb over a climb over a crowd control barrier​ in front of the White House. ​

Jessica Ford was charged with a misdemeanor​ count of unlawful entry​. At a D.C. Superior Court hearing Monday, a judge ordered Ford to stay away from the White House grounds and nearby area.

Courts documents said a Secret Service officer approached Jessica Ford and tried to have a conversation with her when he noticed her across the street from the White House in Lafayette Square on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16, 2017. Jessica Ford declined to speak with the agent and replied “No, I’m going to jump the fence,” then ran toward the White House fence and placed both hands atop the security barrier before she was grabbed by officers.

Jessica Ford was arrested about 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, 2017 just two hours after she arrived in Washington, according to court documents.

A month later in May 2017 she was arrested for trying to scale the White House fence and violating the stay-away order.

Then in July 2017, she was arrested again for violating the order. She pleaded guilty to a contempt of court​ charge and as part of a plea agreement​, charges for the May incident were dismissed.

A judge sentenced Ford to 120 days in jail, but it was a suspended sentence​ on the condition that she complete a year of supervised probation​.

Ford has lengthy criminal history in Davidson County, Tennessee​ and Rutherford County, Tennessee​.

In July 2003, Smyrna, Tennessee​ Police charged Jessica Ford with public intoxication​, misuse of 9-1-1​ and resisting stop-and-frisk​ halt.

In September 2003, she faced more charges from Tennessee Department of Safety​ officials, including Driving Under the Influence​, refusing a blood-alcohol test and violating open container​ laws.

Later in 2003, Jessica Ford was cited on two occasions for felony​ prescription fraud. The first incident occurred in Murfreesboro, Tennessee​ in November, and the second in December in Smyrna.

Jessica Ford faced several more charges related to the string of incidents from 2004 to 2006, including multiple counts of violation of probation​, resisting arrest​ and failure to appear​ by Smyrna Police, Murfreesboro Police and Rutherford County Sheriff's Office​. She was jailed intermittently during that period, as well.

Ford registered as an ex-con felony drug offender​ in Davidson County in November 2011.

Soon after, she was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass​ by Metro Police in Dec. 2011 and failure to appear in court on those charges in Feb. 2012. Both incidents listed her under the name Jessica Ferrer.

According to the affidavit from her 2011 arrest in Nashville, police say:

The defendant, Jessica Ferrer, was at Southern Hills hospital being disruptive while doctors and nurses was giving treatment to other patients. The defendant was not a patient of the hospital, but came in with someone who needed treatment. The defendant was asked to leave the examining room because she was preventing nurses and doctors to give treatment to patients. Defendant however refused to leave the room. The defendant was then escorted outside by security personnel. Once outside, security asked the defendant to leave the premise. Defendant once again refused to leave, and stated she was not going anywhere. 

At this time, it is unclear if Ford remained in Tennessee between her 2012 arrest in Nashville and her April 2017 offense in Washington.

Charged With

Unlawful entry (Feb. 2018)

Misdemeanor​ Unlawful Entry​ (Apr. 2017)

Failure to appear​ (Feb. 2012)

Misdemeanor​ criminal trespass​ (Dec. 2011)

Failure to appear​ (Feb. 2012)

Multiple counts of violation of probation​, resisting arrest​ and failure to appear​ (2004-2006)

Felony​ prescription fraud (Dec. 2003)

Felony​ prescription fraud (Nov. 2003)

Driving Under the Influence​, refusing a blood-alcohol test and violating open container​ laws (Sep. 2003)

Carrying a pistol without a license (Feb. 2018)

Possession of unregistered firearm (Feb. 2018)

Aggravated assault​ on police officer (Feb. 2018)

Assault with a dangerous weapon​-car (Feb. 2018)

Destruction of government property​ (Feb. 2018)

Contempt of court​ (Fen. 2018)

Contempt of court​ (Feb. 2018)

Violating the stay-away order (May 2018)

h/t Rhea via Sibyl Hunter

Antioch Again: Church Shooting 2017

There's been a church shooting in Antioch.

The shooter was wearing a clown mask, according to some, or a "a neoprene ski mask," in another report. A 911 caller said it was a "clown mask." Police said rumors the gunman was wearing a clown mask do not appear to be true; the mask was “more like what you would see on a skier.”

At least one person, a woman, was killed and seven others have been injured at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting in Antioch, Tennessee. The shooter shot himself and is being treated at the hospital. Another person was pistol whipped and has been taken to the hospital.

All of the wounded have been taken to area hospitals, the fire department says. The majority are older adults. "All of the wounded except for one is over the age of 60," the Nashville Fire Department said.

The suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, immigrated from Sudan two decades ago, police said. He's suspected of bringing two pistols and a mask to the predominantly white Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, southeast of Nashville, before opening fire just after 11 a.m.

The church, which has a weekly service at 10 a.m., is located at 3890 Pin Hook Road.

It is not clear what kind of mask he wore. All kinds of "neoprene" masks exist.

The shooting in Rockford, Washington State, on September 13, 2017, at the Freedom High School was allegedly done by Caleb Sharpe, who portrayed himself on Facebook as The Joker.

___

It will be recalled that church shootings left ten injured in one bloody weekend in July 2008, in Toronto and Tennessee. See here.

___

Antioch has come to the fore in past incidents.

On Monday, March 28, 2016, at about 2:39 p.m. ET, an armed man was fired upon by U.S. Capitol Police when he arrived at the Capitol Visitor Center carrying a weapon, which reportedly discharged, wounding one female bystander. That female civilian was injured by shrapnel. No U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured, despite early reports they were. The suspect has been identified as Larry Russell Dawson from Antioch, Tennessee, who called himself a pastor but who was identified at the time as a licensed funeral director and embalmer.

Antioch, Tennessee was the site of a predicted theater incident that occurred on August 5, 2015, exactly two weeks after a shooting at a showing of Trainwreck in Lafayette, Louisiana.

[Please recall that the Lafayette shooter shares the same middle name as the D.C. suspect. The Capitol gunmen is allegedly Larry Russell Dawson. Lafayette's was John Russell Houser. Origin of the name Russell is from the transferred use of the surname derived from the Old French roussell (red-haired), from rous (red). The name, which arose as a nickname for someone with red hair, or even "little red one," was brought to England by the Normans.]

The Antioch hatchet attack and air pistol shooting resulted in the death of the attacker, Vincente David Montano, and the injury of three patrons of the theater.

The 2015 event took place at the Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema in Antioch, Tennessee, around 1:15 p.m. The gunman at the Hickory Hollow Cinema, Montano was allegedly armed with a hatchet, pepper spray, an Airsoft gun, and a fake bomb. He reportedly was wearing a surgical mask. He was shot dead by a SWAT team as he exited through the theater's rear door. The Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema and Hickory Hollow Cinema are references to Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson. See more here.

The movie playing at the Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema was Mad Max: Fury Road. The Dark Knight Rises' Bane (Tom Hardy) plays Mad Max's Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy).


=====


Antioch is a community in southeast Nashville, Tennessee.

The community takes its name from Antioch, Turkey, an ancient city in Anatolia. As recently as the 1960s Antioch was a small community catering to the needs of area farmers with amenities such as a feed mill. Adjacent to Bakertown (a similar small community) it was located on the banks of Mill Creek, a minor tributary of the Cumberland River that rises near Nolensville, several miles to the southeast. This area has become less important over time as zoning restrictions forbidding further development on a floodplain have limited the construction of more businesses in this area, which had started to become congested.

Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient Greek city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. Its ruins lie near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey, and lends the modern city its name.

Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch's geographic, military and economic location, particularly the spice trade, the Silk Road, the Persian Royal Road, benefited its occupants, and eventually it rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East and as the main center of Hellenistic Judaism at the end of the Second Temple period. This and more historical notes can be found via the summary on Wikipedia.

Especially noteworthy is that Seleucus founded Antioch on a site chosen through ritual means. An eagle, the bird of Zeus, had been given a piece of sacrificial meat and the city was founded on the site to which the eagle carried the offering. Seleucus did this on the 22nd day of the month of Artemisios in the twelfth year of his reign (equivalent to May 300 BC). Antioch soon rose above Seleucia Pieria to become the Syrian capital.

Agrippa and Tiberius enlarged the theatre, and Trajan finished their work. Antoninus Pius paved the great east to west artery with granite. A circus, other colonnades and great numbers of baths were built, and new aqueducts to supply them bore the names of Caesars, the finest being the work of Hadrian. The Roman client, King Herod (most likely the great builder Herod the Great), erected a long stoa on the east, and Agrippa (c.63 BC – 12 BC) encouraged the growth of a new suburb south of this.

The Greek hippodrome was the basic model for both the Roman stadium and the Roman circus. It will be recalled that the term "stadium seating" comes from the Ancient Greek "circuses" (like Antioch) and evolved into theater seating (like in modern movie theaters and sports stadiums).

Correspondent Travis Vaughn made the observation that in 256, Antioch was suddenly raided by the Persians, who slew many in the theatre.

Outside Antioch, Greece, on October 22, 362, a mysterious fire destroyed the Temple of Apollo at Daphne.

There have been other modern incidents of violence at Antiochs. See here.

Memphis Pyramid Site of Spree

Memphis, Tennessee, was named after Memphis, Egypt. Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Mit Rahina, 20 km (12 mi) south of Giza.

Memphis was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah, the patron of craftsmen. Its great temple, Hut-ka-Ptah (meaning "Enclosure of the ka of Ptah"), was one of the most prominent structures in the city. The name of this temple, rendered in Greek as Aί γυ πτoς (Ai-gy-ptos) by the historian Manetho, is believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English name Egypt.

Memphis is closely associated with the ancient Egypt's capital city site, 25 km south of Cairo. This is where the cemeteries, or necropolises, of Memphis, and the famous pyramids of Egypt and the Great Sphinx are located.

(For more on the use of Egyptian names in this part of the country, see "#9 The Little Egypt Triangle," here.)

Memphis, Tennessee, was the focus of a shooting spree on 6.4.2016. The outcome was the death of a policeman.

Some of the highlights of the story are noted here:

An 18-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department died Saturday night, [June 4, 2016,] after being struck downtown by the vehicle of a fleeing shooting suspect.
Verdell Smith, 46, died at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis....no charges have been filed yet against the suspect who felled Smith, who left a father, fiance and children.
Smith was struck after the unidentified suspect, who was taken into custody and transported to the Regional Medical Center in noncritical condition, shot three people during a spree that began in the Pinch District at Westy's Restaurant and Bar and spilled over to Bass Pro Shops before ending near Beale and Third streets.

...Police at Main and Exchange heard shots at 9:55 p.m. and found two male victims at Westy's. They were transported to Regional Medical Center and remained in critical condition.
At 10:02 p.m.,...police got a call to the nearby Bass Pro, where a male employee had been shot. He was taken to Regional Medical Center in noncritical condition.
The suspect fled in a silver vehicle and was spotted on Riverside Drive before officers lost sight near the interstate.
...Police weren't sure what route the suspect took next, but he ended up at Beale and Third as officers were working to clear the area. That's where Smith was struck.
The suspect was taken into custody after a foot chase.
Martin Norris and Jake Schorr IV, employees of Westy’s, said a man walked up from the south on Main Street, talking loudly to himself, pulled a handgun and shot two customers who were sitting at a picnic table in front of the restaurant.
Norris and Schorr chased the man down the block, but he crossed Front Street and jumped a fence, heading toward the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.

There, truck driver Luis Cortez of Laredo, Texas, was exiting Bass Pro with his family when he heard gunshots in the parking lot. Cortez said the victim appeared to be a store employee who had been collecting shopping carts.
Cortez said he saw a car near the victim, but couldn’t see inside it because of dark-tinted windows. The car sped away and the victim ran to the store entrance, Cortez said.
Memphis resident Tina Jamison said she was on Beale when the crash occurred, and she approached officers on the street.
"We heard on the scanner, 'officer down,'" Jamison said.
She said when she heard commotion, she initially thought there had been a fight on Beale.
"They told us to go inside one of the restaurants," she said. ~ Commercial Appeal.

In 2015, Bass Pro Shops opened its very own monument. At 32 stories tall, this superstore is the sixth largest pyramid in the world.

+++

June 4: This Date in History

June 4, 1862 – American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.

Thunderbirds & Blue Angels Crash Separately; Ft. Hood Soldiers Die

On June 2, 2016, fighter jets from the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels  crashed in separate incidents.

The Thunderbirds F-16 crashed south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony attended by President Barack Obama. Spokesman for the academy said the plane went down far from the ceremony and the pilot safely ejected. Obama later met with the pilot.

Hours later, a U.S. Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed in Smyrna, Tennessee, during practice for an upcoming air show, Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld said.
Groeneveld said the military doesn't have any immediate reports of injuries but is still waiting on news about the fate of the pilot. But Rutherford County Emergency Management Director Tharrel Kast told CNN one person died as a result of a plane crash.

Smyrna, Tennessee, was named after the ancient city of Smyrna, Turkey. Several explanations have been offered for Smyrna's name. A Greek myth derived the name from an eponymous Amazon named "Σμύρνα" (Smyrna), which was also the name of a quarter of Ephesus. This is the basis of Myrina, a city of Aeolis.

In inscriptions and coins, the name often was written as "Ζμύρνα" (Zmyrna), "Ζμυρναῖος" (Zmyrneos), "of Smyrna".

The name Smyrna may also have been taken from the ancient Greek word for myrrh, "smyrna," which was the chief export of the city in ancient times.

++

Meanwhile, also on Thursday, June 2, 2016, word out of Texas is that several Army personnel have died in a flood-related accident.

At least three soldiers were killed Thursday at Foot Hood in Texas when their truck overturned in a creek, according to the Army.

Rescue crews remained on the scene late Thursday afternoon. Six soldiers remained unaccounted for. Three other soldiers were rescued and taken to a local hospital where they were reported in stable condition.


++

Blue Angels Accidents and Deaths:
During its history, 26 Blue Angels pilots have been killed in air show or training accidents. Through the 2006 season there have been 262 pilots in the squadron's history, giving the job a 10% fatality rate.
29 September 1946 – Lt. Ross "Robby" Robinson was killed during a performance when a wingtip broke off his Bearcat, sending him into an unrecoverable spin.
1952 – Two Panthers collided during a demonstration in Corpus Christi, Texas and one pilot was killed. The team resumed performances two weeks later.
2 August 1958 - Lt. John R. Dewenter landed, wheels up at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after experiencing engine troubles during a show in Clarence, NY. The Grumman F-11 Tiger landed on Runway 23 but exited airport property coming to rest in the intersection of Genesee Street and Dick Road, nearly hitting a gas station. Lt. Dewenter was uninjured, but the plane was a total loss.
14 October 1958 – Cmdr. Robert Nicholls Glasgow died during an orientation flight just days after reporting for duty as the new Blue Angels leader.
15 March 1964 – Lt. George L. Neale, 29, was killed during an attempted emergency landing at Apalach Airport near Apalachicola, Florida. Lt. Neale's F-11A Tiger had experienced mechanical difficulties during a flight from West Palm Beach, Florida to NAS Pensacola, causing him to attempt the emergency landing. Failing to reach the airport, he ejected from the aircraft on final approach, but his parachute did not have sufficient time to fully deploy.
2 September 1966 – Lt. Cmdr. Dick Oliver crashed his Tiger and was killed at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto.
1 February 1967 – Lt Frank Gallagher was killed when his Tiger stalled during a practice Half Cuban 8 maneuver and spun into the ground.
18 February 1967 – Capt. Ronald Thompson was killed when his Tiger struck the ground during a practice formation loop.
14 January 1968 – Opposing solo Lt. Bill Worley was killed when his Tiger crashed during a practice double immelman.
30 August 1970 – Lt. Ernie Christensen belly-landed his F-4J Phantom at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids with one engine stuck in afterburner. He ejected safely, while the aircraft ran off the runway.
4 June 1971 – CDR Harley Hall safely ejected after his Phantom caught fire and crashed during practice over Narragansett Bay near the ex-NAS Quonset Point in Rhode Island.
14 February 1972 – Lt. Larry Watters was killed when his F-4J Phantom II struck the ground, upright, while practicing inverted flight, during winter training at NAF El Centro.
8 March 1973 – Capt. John Fogg, Lt. Marlin Wiita and LCDR Don Bentley survived a multi-aircraft mid-air collision during practice over the Superstition Mountains in California.
26 July 1973 – 2 pilots and a crew chief were killed in a mid-air collision between 2 Phantoms over Lakehurst, NJ during an arrival practice. Team Leader LCDR Skip Umstead, Capt. Mike Murphy and ADJ1 Ron Thomas perished. The rest of the season was cancelled after this incident.
22 February 1977 – Opposing solo Lt. Nile Kraft was killed when his Skyhawk struck the ground during practice.
8 November 1978 – One of the solo Skyhawks struck the ground after low roll during arrival maneuvers at NAS Miramar. Navy Lieutenant Michael Curtin was killed.
April 1980 – Lead Solo Lt. Jim Ross was unhurt when his Skyhawk suffered a fuel line fire during a show at NS Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. LT Ross stayed with and landed the plane which left the end of the runway and taxied into the woods after a total hydraulic failure upon landing.
22 February 1982 – Lt. Cmdr Stu Powrie, Lead Solo was killed when his Skyhawk struck the ground during winter training at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California just after a dirty loop.
13 July 1985 – Lead and Opposing Solo Skyhawks collided during a show at Niagara Falls, killing opposing solo Lt. Cmdr. Mike Gershon. Lt. Andy Caputi ejected and parachuted to safety.
12 February 1987 – Lead solo Lt. Dave Anderson ejected from his Hornet after a dual engine flameout during practice near El Centro, CA.
23 January 1990 – Two Blue Angel Hornets suffered a mid-air collision during a practice at El Centro. Marine Corps Maj. Charles Moseley ejected safely. Cmdr. Pat Moneymaker was able to land his airplane, which then required a complete right wing replacement.
28 October 1999 – Lt. Cmdr. Kieron O'Connor, flying in the front seat of a two-seat Hornet, and recently selected demonstration pilot Lt. Kevin Colling (in the back seat) struck the ground during circle and arrival maneuvers in Valdosta, Georgia. Neither pilot survived.
1 December 2004 – Lt. Ted Steelman ejected from his F/A-18 approximately one mile off Perdido Key after his aircraft struck the water, suffering catastrophic engine and structural damage. He suffered minor injuries.
21 April 2007 – Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis crashed his Hornet near the end of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort airshow in Beaufort, South Carolina, and was killed.
2 June 2016 – A Blue Angel F/A-18 crashed in Smyrna, TN.
Other incidents involving former Blue Angels
8 March 1951 – LCDR Johnny Magda, while flying in Korea, was the first former Blue Angel killed in combat.
27 January 1973 – CDR Haley Hall (1970 team leader) was shot down flying an F-4J over Vietnam, and was officially listed as missing in action.

Thunderbird Accidents

The Thunderbirds have performed at over 4,000 airshows worldwide, accumulating millions of miles in hundreds of different airframes over the course of their more than fifty-four years of service. Flying high-performance fighter jets is inherently dangerous; when flying in extremely close formation, the danger is compounded. The team has suffered three fatal crashes during air shows, two of them in jets:

The first was the death of Major Joe Howard, flying Thunderbird No. 3 (F-4E s/n 66-0321) on 4 June 1972 at Dulles Airport, during Transpo 72. His Phantom experienced a structural failure of the horizontal stabilizer, and Major Howard ejected as the aircraft fell back to earth tail first from about 1,500 feet and descended under a good canopy, but he landed in the aircraft fireball and did not survive.

The second death occurred 9 May 1981 at Hill AFB, Utah, when Captain David "Nick" Hauck flying Thunderbird No. 6 (T-38A) crashed while performing the hi-lo Maneuver. Capt Hauck crashed while attempting to land his ailing T-38 after an engine malfunctioned and caught fire. With black smoke billowing from the exhaust and the aircraft losing altitude in a high nose-up attitude, the safety officer on the ground radioed Capt Hauck: "You’re on fire, punch out!" To that, he responded: “Hang on... we have a bunch of people down there.” The aircraft continued to fight to stay airborne for about half a mile before hitting a large oak tree and a barn, then sliding across a field and flipping as it traversed an irrigation canal—ultimately erupting into a fireball just a few hundred feet from the runway's end. No one on the ground was injured, even though the accident occurred adjacent to a roadway packed with onlookers.

Air shows

Captain Chris Stricklin ejects from his F-16 at the Mountain Home AFB airshow on 14 September 2003.
24 September 1961: TSgt John Lesso of the Thunderbirds C-123 crew was killed when an Air Force C-123 carrying the Army Golden Knights, on which he was flight engineer, crashed during take-off at an airshow in Wilmington, North Carolina.
4 June 1972: Major Joe Howard, flying Thunderbird No. 3 (F-4 s/n 66-0321), was killed during the Transpo '72 airshow at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
9 May 1981: Capt Nick Hauck was killed in the crash of Thunderbird No. 6 (Northrop T-38) during a low approach during an air show at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
14 September 2003: Captain Chris Stricklin, flying Thunderbird No. 6 (F-16), crashed during an airshow at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. Immediately after takeoff, Stricklin attempted a "Split S" maneuver (which he had successfully performed over 200 times) based on an incorrect mean-sea-level elevation of the airfield, 1100 feet (335 m) higher than the home base at Nellis. Climbing to only 1670 feet (509 m) above ground level instead of 2500 feet (762 m), Stricklin had insufficient altitude to complete the maneuver, but guided the F-16C aircraft down the runway away from the spectators and ejected less than one second before impact. He survived with only minor injuries and no one on the ground was injured, but the $20 million aircraft was completely destroyed. Official procedure for demonstration "split S" maneuvers was changed, and the USAF now requires Thunderbird pilots and airshow ground controllers to both work in above-MSL(mean-sea-level) altitudes, as opposed to ground control working in AGL (above-ground-level) and pilots in MSL, which led to two sets of numbers that had to be reconciled by the pilot. Thunderbird pilots now also climb an extra 1000 feet (305 m) before performing the Split S maneuver.
20 August 2005: The Thunderbirds temporarily grounded themselves pending an investigation into a minor mid-air incident during the Chicago Air & Water Show. During the diamond pass in review, the tip of the missile rail on the right wing of the slot (#4) aircraft contacted the left stabilator of the right (#3) aircraft. A four-foot section of the missile rail snapped off, while the No. 3 aircraft sustained damage described by one of the Thunderbirds pilots as a "medium deep scratch" to the red paint of the stabilator. This is why the USAF Thunderbirds have taken extra precaution when flying their diamond, changing from about one and a half feet wingtip to canopy separation to around three feet. Still very close while going 450+ mph. They now fly as close as 18-inch Fuselage to Canopy separation during the arrowhead loop and roll. Amateur video showed the missile rail falling into the "safety box" on Lake Michigan away from boaters. While there were no injuries and the aircraft remained flight worthy, the demonstration was immediately terminated, all aircraft returned to Gary International Airport, and the Thunderbirds did not perform on the second day of the Chicago show. The right wing pilot (#3) was Major D. Chris Callahan, and the slot position (#4) was flown by Major Steve Horton.
2 June 2016: Colorado Springs, CO.
Other fatalities
11 December 1954: Capt George Kevil was killed during solo training at Luke in an F-84G.
26 September 1957: 1st Lt Bob Rutte was killed in solo training at Nellis.
9 October 1958: 19 men aboard the Thunderbirds' support C-123 were killed in a crash about 50 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho, while en route to McChord AFB, reportedly when the transport struck a flock of geese.
12 March 1959: Capt C. D. "Fish" Salmon was killed in solo training at Nellis.
27 July 1960: Capt J.R. Crane, advance pilot and narrator for the team, was killed during a solo proficiency flight at Nellis.
6 April 1961: Maj Robert S. Fitzgerald, Commander of the team, and Capt George Nial, advance pilot and narrator, were killed during a training flight at Nellis.
9 May 1964: Capt Eugene J. "Gene" Devlin was killed when his Republic F-105B broke apart as it pitched up for landing from a three-plane formation pass over Hamilton Air Force Base, California.
12 October 1966: Maj Frank Liethen and Capt Robert Morgan were killed in a collision of two F-100s during opposing Cuban Eights, their F-100F crashing, at Indian Springs Auxiliary Field in Nevada. The F-100D managed to land at Nellis AFB, despite wing damage.
9 January 1969: Capt Jack Thurman was killed in solo training at Nellis.
21 December 1972: Capt Jerry Bolt and TSgt Charles Lynn were killed during a flight test at Nellis.
25 July 1977: Capt Charlie Carter, Thunderbird pilot and narrator, was fatally injured during maneuvers at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.
8 September 1981: Lt Col David L. Smith, commander of the Thunderbirds, was killed when his aircraft ingested seagulls while taking off from Cleveland, Ohio. Lt Col Smith's T-38 crashed into Lake Erie, and although Lt Col Smith ejected from the a/c, his ejection seat malfunctioned and did not deploy his parachute (his crew chief successfully ejected from the rear cockpit).
18 January 1982: The "Diamond Crash", the worst training crash in Thunderbird history, occurred when Maj Norman L. Lowry, Capt Willie Mays, Capt Joseph N. Peterson, and Capt Mark Melancon were killed while practicing a diamond loop during training at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field in T-38s.

Larry Russell Dawson, Antioch and Capitol Violence

On Monday, March 28, 2016, at about 2:39 p.m. ET, an armed man was fired upon by U.S. Capitol Police when he arrived at the Capitol Visitor Center carrying a weapon, which reportedly discharged, wounding one female bystander. That female civilian was injured by shrapnel. No U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured, despite early reports they were.

There was reportedly some confusion as the day began with a scheduled lockdown drill. "THIS IS A DRILL," an early morning memo notified Capitol staffers. "EXERCISE EXERCISE."

The suspect has been identified as Larry Russell Dawson from Antioch, Tennessee, according to multiple media reports.

The incident caused the Capitol and the White House to be shutdown or placed under a shelter-in-place order for a short amount of time. The Capitol lockdown was lifted. The incident occurred during the peak of the Cherry Blossom Festival, as the March spring break vacation brought thousands of tourists to D.C.

Larry Russell Dawson (pictured), who views himself as a pastor, was known to the Capitol Police.

ABC News and NBC News report police have identified Larry Dawson of Antioch, Tennessee as the gunman who allegedly drew a [pellet] gun at the visitors center on Monday. U.S. Capitol Police would not confirm or deny it was Dawson, 66, at a press conference but said he was previously known to them. In October, Dawson was caught yelling he was a "Prophet of God" from the balcony of the House of Representatives.

On October 22, 2015, Dawson was arrested on charges of assault on a police officer and unlawful conduct at the Capitol, according to a police report obtained exclusively by The Daily Beast. Dawson also allegedly resisted arrest and ran from police, according to the report.

(According to MSNBC, Larry Russell Dawson died at the hospital on Monday evening. This appears to be a false report.)

++++

++++ 

Who is the suspect?

LARRY RUSSELL DAWSON is a Funeral Director and Embalmer licensed to practice in Tennessee. The address on file for LARRY RUSSELL DAWSON is ANTIOCH, TN 37013-3932. This licensed professional license is not current. The license was granted 04/17/1972 and expired on 06/30/2004. Source.

The name Dawson originates with the nickname of Dave, Daw. Dawson means David's son.

Dawson is not a name we hear too often, regarding violence. It will be recalled, nevertheless, that on September 13, 2006, a college shooting occurred when 25-year-old Kimveer Gill stormed Montreal's Dawson College's cafeteria, and sprayed students with bullets, killing 18-year-old Anastassia De Sousa and wounding 11 others, before turning the gun on himself.

Capitol Violence:

January 30, 1835: There was an attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson at the Capitol. President Andrew Jackson survived an assassination attempt after leaving a funeral at the Capitol. The gunman's weapon misfired, sparing the president who then confronted the perpetrator, clubbing him with a walking cane. The attacker told his interrogators that he was a deposed English King—specifically, Richard III, dead since 1485—and that Jackson was his clerk. He was deemed insane. The assassin, an unemployed house painter named Richard Lawrence from England, was confined to a mental institution.

March 1, 1954: Four Puerto Rican nationalists (Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodríguez) fired 30 rounds from a balcony over looking the House chambers, as an immigration bill was being debated, injuring five congressman. The four assailants were imprisoned. One was released in 1978 and the remaining three in 1979. The lawmakers all recovered.

March 1, 1971: The Weather Underground exploded a bomb in the United States Capitol, in a Senate bathroom—no one was injured. The Weather Underground issued a communiqué saying that the bombing was "in protest of the U.S. invasion of Laos". No one was arrested directly related to this bombing.

July 24, 1998: Russell Eugene Weston, Jr. (a paranoid schizophrenia) killed Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut of the Capitol police, when Weston stormed the Capitol building. Weston was originally from Valmeyer, Illinois, and then moved to Rimini, Montana, after his high school graduation. Weston had once thought that a Rimini neighbor was using his television satellite dish to spy on his actions and believed Navy SEALs were hiding in his cornfield. Weston, who did not stand trial, was sent to a psychiatric unit at a federal prison in North Carolina.

October 3, 2013: Miriam Carey, 34, a Stamford, Connecticut dental hygienist who had been treated for postpartum depression, attempted at 2:13 p.m. to drive through a White House security checkpoint in her black Infiniti G37 coupe, striking a Secret Service agent in the process, and leading police on a chase to the Capitol, where she was fatally shot. Her 13-month-old daughter was discovered unharmed in the back seat of the vehicle after it had been stopped. Federal officials said she may have suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and believed President Barack Obama was communicating with her.

April 11, 2015: Leo Thornton, 22, from Lincolnwood, Illinois, died by suicide when he killed himself on the Capitol grounds, with a single shot, causing the Capitol to go under lockdown. He was protesting taxation. Thornton’s parents said he had Asperger's syndrome. The suicide came during Washington's annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

====

We have heard the name Antioch before.

Antioch, Tennessee is the site of a predicted theater incident that occurred on August 5, 2015, exactly two weeks after a shooting at a showing of Trainwreck in Lafayette, Louisiana. 

[Please recall that the Lafayette shooter shares the same middle name as the D.C. suspect. The Capitol gunmen is allegedly Larry Russell Dawson. Lafayette's was John Russell Houser.  Origin of the name Russell is from the transferred use of the surname derived from the Old French roussell (red-haired), from rous (red). The name, which arose as a nickname for someone with red hair, or even "little red one," was brought to England by the Normans.]

The Antioch hatchet attack and air pistol shooting resulted in the death of the attacker, Vincente David Montano, and the injury of three patrons of the theater.

The 2015 event took place at the Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema in Antioch, Tennessee, around 1:15 p.m. The gunman at the Hickory Hollow Cinema, Montano (above) was allegedly armed with a hatchet, pepper spray, an Airsoft gun, and a fake bomb. He reportedly was wearing a surgical mask. He was shot dead by a SWAT team as he exited through the theater's rear door.  The Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema and Hickory Hollow Cinema are references to Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson. See more here. 

The movie playing at the Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema was Mad Max: Fury Road. The Dark Knight Rises' Bane (Tom Hardy) plays Mad Max's Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy).

=====

Antioch is a community in southeast Nashville, Tennessee.

The community takes its name from Antioch, Turkey, an ancient city in Anatolia. As recently as the 1960s Antioch was a small community catering to the needs of area farmers with amenities such as a feed mill. Adjacent to Bakertown (a similar small community) it was located on the banks of Mill Creek, a minor tributary of the Cumberland River that rises near Nolensville, several miles to the southeast. This area has become less important over time as zoning restrictions forbidding further development on a floodplain have limited the construction of more businesses in this area, which had started to become congested.

Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient Greek city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. Its ruins lie near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey, and lends the modern city its name.

Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch's geographic, military and economic location, particularly the spice trade, the Silk Road, the Persian Royal Road, benefited its occupants, and eventually it rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East and as the main center of Hellenistic Judaism at the end of the Second Temple period. This and more historical notes can be found via the summary on Wikipedia.

Especially noteworthy is that Seleucus founded Antioch on a site chosen through ritual means. An eagle, the bird of Zeus, had been given a piece of sacrificial meat and the city was founded on the site to which the eagle carried the offering. Seleucus did this on the 22nd day of the month of Artemisios in the twelfth year of his reign (equivalent to May 300 BC). Antioch soon rose above Seleucia Pieria to become the Syrian capital.

Agrippa and Tiberius enlarged the theatre, and Trajan finished their work. Antoninus Pius paved the great east to west artery with granite. A circus, other colonnades and great numbers of baths were built, and new aqueducts to supply them bore the names of Caesars, the finest being the work of Hadrian. The Roman client, King Herod (most likely the great builder Herod the Great), erected a long stoa on the east, and Agrippa (c.63 BC – 12 BC) encouraged the growth of a new suburb south of this.

The Greek hippodrome was the basic model for both the Roman stadium and the Roman circus. It will be recalled that the term "stadium seating" comes from the Ancient Greek "circuses" (like Antioch) and evolved into theater seating (like in modern movie theaters and sports stadiums).

Correspondent Travis Vaughn made the observation that in 256, Antioch was suddenly raided by the Persians, who slew many in the theatre.

Outside Antioch, Greece, on October 22, 362, a mysterious fire destroyed the Temple of Apollo at Daphne.

There have been other modern incidents of violence at Antiochs. See here.

Thanks to Travis Vaughn and Robert Sullivan for various news items.

Decatur Again In Weird News

Stephen Decatur.

The Commodore's power moniker is appearing lately in conjunction with some disturbing stories.

Friday, September 19, 2014. Decatur, Georgia. Friday afternoon around 2:00, Decatur (Georgia) Police got several phone calls that a man acting in a "bizarre" matter, running into traffic near B&B Trailer Park. One caller reported the man, later identified as Jose Dorsett, said "someone" was trying to kill him. He reportedly ran into traffic, and several cars had to swerve to avoid him. He was said to be foaming at the mouth. Dorsett charged the officer who responded to the scene, and the officer used his K-9 to detain him. The K-9 bit Dorsett in his thigh, and the officer was able to get him down. Another officer arrived to help handcuff Dorsett. He was taken to the Decatur Morgan Parkway Campus Emergency Room. According to hospital staff, Dorsett was under the influence of cocaine and was likely experiencing a drug overdose. On Saturday, Dorsett was declared brain dead. Source.

Sunday, September 21, 2014. Decatur, Indiana. Stephen Cox, 30, of Decatur, Indiana, died Sunday at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroner. The crash in which he sustained his injuries occurred September 14 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ohio. the crash occurred during an event called the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience. During the event, which is offered at the speedway on most weekends, people can pay to ride in or drive race cars. Source.

Monday, September 22, 2014. Decaturville, Decatur County, Tennessee. The latest suspect, John “Dylan” Adams, 26-year old younger brother of earlier suspect Zachary, in the Holly Bobo case was arraigned in Decatur County Court. Holly Bobo, a 20-year-old nursing student, was abducted from her home outside Parsons, Tennessee, about 100 miles west of Nashville, on the morning of April 13, 2011. Her remains were found by two farmers in a rural area outside Holladay, Tennessee, in Decatur County on September 7, 2014. The timeline of the events can be found here and here.

Monday, September 22, 2014. Decatur, Alabama. A toddler found submerged in a tank of baptismal water in an Alabama church died of accidental drowning. Brayden King, who was two months shy of his second birthday, was under the supervision of a sister in her early teens when he fell into the tank on Friday at the Pentecostal House of Prayer in Decatur, about 75 miles north of Birmingham. The toddler was found in 33 inches of water and declared dead after unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate him. Source.

The Rebirth of Pan (1st edition, Firebird Press, 1983)

Mysterious America (1st edition cover, Faber & Faber, 1983)

Decatur again. Yes. We are aware that Decatur interacts with bizarre news. Jim Brandon pointed out "Decatur" as a "power name" in his The Rebirth of Pan in 1983, and I wrote about it as part of the "Name Game" in Mysterious America, also first in 1983.

Decatur, Illinois's iconic Transfer Station use to be located in Lincoln Square, named after the assassinated Illinois president, Abraham Lincoln.

My old hometown’s name, Decatur, (of Decatur, Illinois) has a Fortean mystique and synchromysticism about it that has created all kinds of synchromojo.

Several locations are named "Decatur" across the United States of America. Such sites are named after the War of 1812′s Navy hero, Stephen Decatur, who also fought against the Barbary pirates. Stephen Decatur at one time conducted tests in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey in 1804, and allegedly fired on the Jersey Devil. The records say that Stephen Decatur identified the winged creature as a “devil” – pale in color, with leathery bat-like wings. Decatur perforated one of the thing’s wings with a fired cannonball, but it seemed unfazed, which disturbed everybody who was there at the time. It flew off.

The word decatur (French in origin) is loosely translated as “dweller at the sign of the cat.”

Stephen Decatur, a Masonic figure of some noteworthiness, is responsible, as well, for the Stephen Decatur House in Washington D.C., which is located on Lafayette Square.

The USS Bainbridge, which organized the 2009 US Navy rescue of an American ship captain (Captain Richard Phillips) from Somali pirates, was named for Commodore William Bainbridge, who was held prisoner by North African Barbary pirates from 1803 to 1806.

Commodore Bainbridge commanded several famous naval ships, including the USS Constitution and saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Bainbridge was also in command of the USS Philadelphia when it grounded off the shores of Tripoli in North Africa, resulting in his capture and imprisonment for many months. In the latter part of his career he became the U.S. Naval Commissioner.

Lieutenant Stephen Decatur commanding the USS Intrepid executed a night raid into Tripoli harbor on February 16, 1804 to destroy the Philadelphia. Admiral Horatio Nelson is said to have called this "the most bold and daring act of the Age."

It is worthy of pointing out that James Shelby Downard's research in King Kill 33 notes that Bain relates to Bane (fatal cause of mischief), and in Scottish legend, the Bain Fairy is a death fairy who is the keeper of the Bain Bridge. King Kill 33 noted the American battleship Bainbridge, which was dedicated by Lyndon Baines Johnson, is a harbinger of death, according to Downard.

On March 22, 1820, Commodore Bainbridge served as the second for Commodore Stephen Decatur (a Brother Mason) in the duel with fellow Navy officer James Barron that cost Decatur his life at the age of 41. His wife Susan called the seconds Decatur's assassins. The Decatur name game is a book unto itself.

Decatur's name dots the landscape of America.

U.S. Naval Academy

117 Decatur Road

Annapolis, Maryland

The chorus: "That Decatur old Neptune's proud trident shall bear, And the laurels of Vict'ry triumphantly wear" appears in the song Stephen Decatur, as noted in The Life and Character of Stephen Decatur; Late Commodore and Post-Captain in the Navy of the United States, and Navy-Commissioner by Samuel Putnam Waldo (1822).

(Thanks to Robert Schneck for pointing out the Decatur, Alabama story to me.)