Remember the story of the US Aviator who was shot down over Bosnia in the middle of 1995? The pilot who ate bugs to survive six days in hostile territory? Well, after he was rescued one of his rescuers sent an email "describing the event. On the Internet, the interesting part of the story was incredibly convoluted path as it was passed from reader to reader. Check out the email headers and the story.
This isn't really humor, but I couldn't find a better place to put it. US pilot Scott O'Grady was today extracted from the Bosnian countryside, where for the past six days he'd been performing Escape and Evasion (E&E). That's only half the story. One of his rescuers sent email to a small group of friends almost immediately after the rescue. But that's not the story either. The email was passed on from person to person, with many of the mail headers intact. The email travelled farther (and faster) than Aviator Grady ever did :-) (That the rescuer sent email which provided better (and faster) coverage than did the military early on (they wanted a well-staged dog-and-pony show) caused a bit of flak.)
Here, then, for your enjoyment, are the headers (with the story of the rescue at the bottom).
Mail*Link(r) SMTP FW: (long) You've gotta see this...#001#
Move over tv news, email has arrived.#001#
--------------------------------------
Date: 7/11/95 10:22 AM
From: Laura John
Check out the forwarding, and the message at the very end - it's a very well
travelled message.
--------------------------------------
Date: 7/10/95 9:01 PM
From: Cynthia Armstrong
Check out the forwarding...
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Subject: FW: (long) You've gotta see this... -Forwarded -Forwarded
-Forwarded -Forwarded
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Subject: FW: (long) You've gotta see this... -Forwarded
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Subject: FW: (long) You've gotta see this...
X-Msxmtid: red-43-msg950623171426MTP[01.00.00]00000098-7345
----------
From: Ted Smith
To: Eric Vasilik; Terry Lucas
Subject: FW: (long) You've gotta see this...
Date: Friday, June 23, 1995 9:30AM
X-MsXMTID: red-36-msg950623163006MTP[01.00.00]0000008f-13005
----------
From: Paul Atkinson (Rho)
To: Daniel Nelson (Rho); Fajen Caien (Rho); John Knierim (Rho); Joni
Newell (Rho); Randall Slape (Volt); aatkinso@atk.com; Chris Gunnerson;
Denys Howard; Erik Torgerson; kkoenen@seattleu.edu; nora@seattleu.edu;
ozmo@bmi.com; roger1594@aol.com; scotth@hubble.asymetrix.com;
sgillick@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us; SOC MS Tuesday Night Movie;
twilight_eyes@amethyst.com; weasel@u.washington.edu
Subject: FW: (long) You've gotta see this...
Date: Friday, June 23, 1995 8:55AM
X-MsXMTID: red-37-msg950623155510MTP[01.00.00]000000b9-4397
>Return-Path:
>From: "Jeff Rollosson Halbhuber (Star"
>To: Paul Atkinson , Christine Mood ,
Melissa Rollosson , Richard Malsch
, Scott Hysmith , Chuck
, "'Tim LeshSubject: FW: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady
Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Date: Thu, 22 Jun 95 09:02:00 PDT
>Encoding: 336 TEXT
>
>
>Forwards NOT removed. That's half the story...
>
> --JLRH
> ----------
>From: Darrin House
>To: jeffrh; /G=HOLLI/S=COLEMAN; Dutchin Wong; Brent Gilbert; 'Mike Stacie';
>timl
>Subject: FW: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Date: Thursday, June 22, 1995 8:34AM
>
>After wading thru and INCREDIBLE thread - there is a pretty cool message at
>the bottom.
>
>darrin.
> ----------
>From: Chris Van Noy (Starwave)
>To: Steve "The Animal" Strom; 'Darwin House'; Pouche; '"Emmitt" Money';
>Amie Baldwin; CHRIS LINDBERG; Jason Davis; Tracy Recker; Trent Nevills
>Subject: FW: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Date: Wednesday, June 21, 1995 1:38PM
>
>This is really a cool story. It's an e-mail from one of the F-16 pilots
>that was involved in the rescue of Scott O'Grady, the downed US pilot in
>Bosnia. I left all the forwards on here (and there are a lot of them)
>because it is pretty interesting to see the path it took from Bosnia (half a
>
>
>world away) to here in Seattle. And I totally agree with the Jeff, the guy
>
>
>who sent it to me, ... It's one of the coolest pieces of e-mail I have ever
>seen.
>
>Chris
> ----------
>From: Jeff Day (Starwave)
>To: JUNKMAIL (Starwave)
>Subject: FW: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Date: Wednesday, June 21, 1995 12:59PM
>
>One of the coolest pieces of e-mail I've ever seen...
>
> ----------
>From: jerryp
>To: jeffd; davidwe; brianv; jparrish; peterh; rich; greene
>Subject: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Date: Wednesday, June 21, 1995 10:51AM
>
>Return-Path:
>Date: Wed, 21 Jun 1995 10:51:42 -0700
>Message-Id: <199506211751.AA16086@halcyon.com>
>X-Sender: jerryp@mail.halcyon.com
>X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 1.4.4
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>To: davidwe@microsoft.com, brianv@microsoft.com, jeffd@starwave.com,
> jparrish@ssl.umd.edu, peterh@intermind.com, rich@ee.washington.edu,
> greene@cadvision.com (E.F. (Ted) Green)
>From: jerryp@halcyon.com (Jerry Parrish)
>Subject: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Straight (sorta) from the horse's mouth...
>
>#: 838434 S16/Hangar Flying
> 20-Jun-95 22:19:48
>Sb: #More Juvat Rescue Info
>Fm: Les Bell [YSBK] 71210,104
>To: M.F.Kirby 74163,3314 (X)
>
>Kirby, I figured you'd appreciate this one. Amazing the way this message
>has snaked its way around the world!
>
> --- Forwarded message ---
>
> #: 1511 S0/CompuServe Mail [MAIL]
> 21-Jun-95 14:05 UTC+10
> Sb: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
> Fm: INTERNET:ash@home.melbpc.org.au
>
>Sender: home!ash@home.melbpc.org.au Received: from koala.melbpc.org.au by
>arl-img-1.compuserve.com (8.6.10/5.950515)
> id XAA23056; Tue, 20 Jun 1995 23:54:38 -0400 Received: from
>home.UUCP (Uhome@localhost) by koala.melbpc.org.au (8.6.10/8.6.10) with
>UUCP id NAA28105; Wed, 21 Jun 1995 13:28:43 +1000 Received: by
>home.melbpc.org.au (1.65/waf)
> via UUCP; Wed, 21 Jun 95 10:30:03 +1000 From:
>ash@home.melbpc.org.au (Ash Nallawalla) Date: Wed, 21 Jun 95 10:29:56
>+1000 Message-ID: <0n15vAKCBh108h@home.melbpc.org.au> Reply-To:
>ash@melbpc.org.au To: geubanks@symantec.com, 71210.104@compuserve.com
>Subject: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue -- The Rest of the Story (fwd)
>Organization: Melbourne PC User Group, Australia X-Mailer: Helldiver 1.08
>(Waffle 1.65) Lines: 273
>
>Gordon, Les,
>
>You folks are into things aeronautic and aquatic, so you will get a buzz
>out of this one. Pass it on -- Ash
>
>PS - Gordon, Les Bell is a noted journalist and an international OS/2
>trainer when he is not flying out of Sydney. Les, Gordon is a pretty
>important guy at Symantec and was in the Navy :-)
>
>Forwarded message: From gsh Tue Jun 20 14:30:46 1995 Date: Tue, 20 Jun
>1995 13:05:09 -0400 From: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
>Message-Id: <199506201705.NAA21876@python.bostic.com> To:
>/dev/null@python.bostic.com Subject: The Scott "Zulu" O'Grady Rescue --
>The Rest of the Story Sender: gsh@iti.org
>
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= To:
>fj@bedford.progress.com
> Jeff,
> Don't know if you have seen this yet. Thought you'd enjoy
> it. Bob
>
> PS. Half of the story is the route this has taken to get
> here from the Bosnia. We now have given warriors the
> technology to report directly from the battlefield rather
> than leaving it to the news anchors to garble the story.
> Could be a defining moment in news history.
>
>Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Author: TDOLAN at PTPLAN2
>Date: 6/14/95 2:18 PM
>
>FYI Tom Dolan __________________________________ Subject: FW: RESCUED! --
>The Rest of the Story Author: matos@ccmailpc.ctron.com at INTERNET Date:
>6/14/95 1:05 PM
>
>I thought you guys may find this interesting.
>
>Tony P.S. BEAT NAVY!!
>
>Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Author:
>wp-forum@pencom.com at !INTERNET Date: 06/14/95 10:12 AM
>
>=*= =*= AOG-NET Message Router, Majordomo (1.93), wp-forum =!= PENCOM
>(PSW) does NOT guarantee the technical accuracy nor any =!= claims made
>nor does PENCOM necessarily agree with the =!= issues/topics discussed in
>this list. =*=
>
>Check out the forwarding history on this one! Original E-mail from the
>F-16 squadron at Aviano.
>
>Mike Cochrane '79
>
>Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Author: Timothy Clapp at
>~tea06 Date: 6/14/95 9:38 AM
>
>Best story I've read in a long time. Enjoy!
>
>Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Author: ,"Avery, Mike MAJ
>(USACAP)" at DDN/Internet Date: 6/13/95
>1:18 PM
>
>Originated-by: "Avery, Mike MAJ (USACAP)"
>To: Timothy Clapp Subject: FW: RESCUED! --
>The Rest of the Story Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 13:18:00 PDT
>
>Hey Tim,
>
>Here's a true story for you.
>
>Mike
> ---------- Originated-by: Woltz, Al LTC To: VanDyke, L. MAJ (Div Chem);
>Boaldin, Bob; Davis, Walter C. MSG (DCSOPS); Neal, Barry MAJ; Toyama,
>Jann; Tune, John MW4; Wolozyn, Michael D. LTC; Avery, Mike MAJ (USACAP);
>'MAJ Tom Woloszyn' Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Date:
>Monday, June 12, 1995 4:50PM
>
>
> ---------- Originated-by: Scott, Thomas D. COL (DCSOPS) To: Patykula, T.
>LTC; Aguigui, Henry SGM; Bailey, Kenneth R. (ADCSOPS); Ball, Stephen C.
>LTC; Belleperche, Keyko CPT; Carr, Audrey LTC; Durante, Kirk L. LTC;
>Gibson, Joe LTC; Krammer, Frank LTC; Sorensen, Clark LTC; Welch, Douglas
>LTC; Woltz, Al LTC Subject: FW: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story Date:
>Monday, June 12, 1995 4:35PM
>
>FYI
> ---------- Originated-by: Pernell, Mark COL (DCSINT) To: Hale, David R.
>E. MG (DCG); Ord, Robert L. III LTG (CG); Wintrich, Frederick COL(DCofS);
>Scott, Thomas D. COL (DCSOPS) Subject: RESCUED! -- The Rest of the Story
>Date: Friday, 09 June, 1995 12:25
>
>Sir, FYI.
> ---------- Originated-by: Boyd, Kenneth K. CPT To: Pernell, Mark S. COL
>(DCSINT) Subject: FW: Fwd: RESCUED! Date: Friday, June 09, 1995 11:45AM
>
>For your reading pleasure,
>
> Capt Boyd
> ---------- Originated-by: DOTW_Westberry To: ALL/DO Subject: RE: Fwd:
>RESCUED! Date: Friday, June 09, 1995 8:02AM
>
>Lets here it for the good guys!!!
>
>Westy
>__________________________________________________________________________
>_ ___ _ Originated-by: LVCrab@aol.com on Fri, Jun 9, 1995 3:57 AM Subject:
>Fwd: RESCUED! To: jlengyel@txskf.ang.af.mil; t.tousignant@genie.geis.com;
>EnosF16@aol.com; EdianeW@aol.com; F16Schwack@aol.com; JohnBarney@aol.com;
>DSimonsen@aol.com; PKLASVEGAS@aol.com; 73501.146@compuserve.com;
>JoeyF4G@aol.com; DJL1@aol.com; MCFLYFAM4@aol.com; TGKrazy@aol.com;
>Hitopf1@aol.com
>
>An awesome story...
>
>Crab
> --------------------- Forwarded message: Originated-by:
>71713.506@compuserve.com (Scott Zobrist) To: 72212.2224@compuserve.com
>(STEPHEN G BOJACK), 72734.1711@compuserve.com (EDWARD W BROCKHAUS),
>lvcrab@aol.com (Manning, Crab), 74717.353@compuserve.com (JAMES C FOGLE),
>cca@hq.centaf.af.mil (Jane/CCA), 74717.241@compuserve.com (BRIAN J
>MCCULLOUGH), millertj@emh.misawa.af.mil (T.J. Miller),
>71700.2735@compuserve.com (GREGORY A MOORE), 72612.2375@compuserve.com
>(PARKER J PENNINGS), 74717.30@compuserve.com (MARC SASSEVILLE),
>4534.357@compuserve.com (TODD K SHEEHY), cweggema@emh.kunsan.af.mil (Chris
>Weggeman), 35FSDOW@emh.kunsan.af.mil (Kunsan Weapons)
>
>Date: 95-06-08 19:32:48 EDT
>
>(8 Jun 95) To all my Viper buds and other Shit Hot Fighter Gods on the net
> -
>
> It was a good day at Aviano! As you guys have no doubt heard, we
>rescued Scott "Zulu" O'Grady today after 6 days of E&Eing in the Bosnian
>countryside. We had an idea that he was still out there but hadn't had
>positive radio contact until about 0000Z this morning when Capt T.O.
>Hanford had some extra gas so he stayed in his CAP a little longer and
>tried to reach Zulu on the SAR A (PRC-112) freq from the day of the shoot
>down.
> After about 40 minutes of calls in the blind, T.O. started getting some
>suspect clicks on the mike. Finally, Zulu came up voice. T.O. didn't
>have all the info from Zulu's ISOPREP so he came up with a quick way to
>verify it was indeed Zulu, although it sounded like Zulu recognized T.O.'s
>voice and called him by name (although the comm was weak since T.O.
>(Basher 11) was about 70 miles away). The comm went something like this.
>
>"Basher 52 this is Basher 11" click "Basher 52, this is Basher 11, are you
>up on this freq" "This is Basher 52" "Say again, understand this is Basher
>52" "This is Basher 52...I'm alive" "Say again, Basher 52, you are weak
>and unreadable, this is Basher 11" "This is Basher 52!"
>
>pause
>
>"Basher 52, what squadron were you in at Kunsan?" "Juvats! Juvats! I'm
>alive!" "Copy that, you're alive! Basher 52, sit tight and come back up
>at 15 past the hour"
>
> T.O. then started coordinating with Magic to pass words to the
>Deny Flight CAOC (command center) that he had positive radio contact with
>Basher 52. They replied that T.O. should pass the word "manana" to Basher
>52.
> When he did, Zulu replied "I want to get picked up tonight!" (imagine
>that). So T.O. passed that to the CAOC and the decision was made to press
>with a rescue. We were 2 hours before sunrise so it would be daylight but
>there was concern (rightly so) that word would get out to the press and
>every SA-6 in the AOR would be mobile and spiking us and the rest of the
>rescue package. So they went ASAP.
>
> T.O. stayed airborne (now at about the 4 hour point in his sortie
> - one note here: T.O. got high marks for wingman consideration for
>advising his wingman that it was a good time to take a piss on the way to
>the tanker!
> That video clip probably won't make CNN ) and the 510 FS Buzzards
>scrambled our alert guys (I was #2). Unfortunately, Vaughn "Slot"
>Littlejohn and I had just gone from 60 minute alert to 180 minute alert
>and I had headed home to get some sleep. The phone rang at about 0255L
>(after about 10 minutes of sleep) telling me to get in there ASAP. I was
>back at the SQ in 15 minutes.
> Before I was even in the door, our ADO, Phil "Psycho" Sever told me we
>had positive radio contact, get dressed, step, crank, and taxi ASAP - I
>would meet SLOT in EOR whenever he made it in. We were in the air at
>about 0400L (1+05 from a dead sleep at home) loaded with 2xGBU-12s, 2
>slammers, 2 9Ms, a 131 pod, and 2 tanks (Standard DF SCL). We swapped out
>with T.O. manning the cap and staying in touch with Zulu every 15 minutes.
>A SEAD package was getting airborne as T.O. started his RTB. We had a
>plan with the F-18Ds (Harm shooters (kind of), with NVGs and a WSO), EFs,
>and EA-6Bs to try to establish contact. But since we already had contact,
>the F-18s just did a recce run to get a good fix on him and to check the
>weather.
>
> Meanwhile, Zobe the hero, callsign Rock 42, was hanging on Slot's
>wing 70 miles away listening to the whole thing, ensuring my tape was on.
>I can't wait to tell my grandkids about the day I put all my Weapons
>School training to use - "No shit, kids, there I was - tape on, tape off,
>tape on, tape off. The pressure was incredible!" Seriously, although I
>didn't do shit, it was shit hot to listen to the entire mission unfolding.
>The helos were inbound, authenicating Zulu (they asked him what he was
>called in high school when he got drunk!) With a good ID they moved in,
>had Zulu pop some smoke, and picked him up. The whole thing from the
>authentication to the pick-up was about 10 minutes (seemed like an
>eternity). To hear comm like, "Basher 52, got you in sight", was pretty
>moving, especially after thinking for most of the week that Zulu was a
>mort ("Wilbur" Wright didn't see a chute, no radio contact, etc.) I've
>never been choked up in the jet before, but I was this morning.
>
> Unfortunately, they weren't out of danger yet. We hit the tanker
>and when we came back up to Magic freq the helos were about 13 miles from
>feet wet. Then I heard the escort chopper, c/s Bull, say, "Bud, impacts
>underneath you. SAMS IN THE AIR! SAMS IN THE AIR!" FUCK!! Luckily,
>they missed, although they took some small arms fire and apparently the
>gunner from Bull silenced that. About 10 minutes later, we heard the call
>that they were feet wet, then shortly after that that they had "mother in
>sight" (the ship), two more bits of comm that I will never forget.
>
> So we got one of our own back. What a day. I wish we could have
>done more in the rescue but it was almost entirely a Navy and Marine show
>(we and the mud-eagles were in the cap) and they kicked ass. So don't bad
>mouth the squids and jarheads too loudly - they put on a good act today
>and we've got a Viper driver back because of it.
>
> I thought you might enjoy hearing the story straight from the CSAR
>Commander of VTR Ops! Hope it wasn't too mushy, but after all, I did cry
>when I watched Old Yeller. That's just the emotional type of guy I am!
> Hope all is well with you guys at your various bases. Drop me a line and
>let me know what's up. Fly safe, check six, and pray for the UN
>leadership to get a clue and let us blow these bastards back into the
>stone age!
>
>Zobe
>
>End of forwarded message.
>
> --
>
>~~~~ Editor, PC Update, Melbourne PC User Group -- A member of APCUG ~~~~
> CIS: 72662,377 Fidonet: 3:635/508 mailto:ash@melbpc.org.au VK3CIT
> ~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.melbpc.org.au ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
> --- End of Forwarded message ---
>
>
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