Fort Huachuca, AZ. – When Major “Nick” Nicholson and his driver, Staff Sergeant Jessie Schatz headed out to patrol an area in Ludwigslust, East Germany on the morning of March 24, 1985, there was nothing unusual about their mission. They were in uniform, driving a vehicle marked with the distinctive plates of the U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) and they were unarmed. As members of this unique organization, the two men were basically licensed spies, authorized by a 1947 treaty with the Soviet Union which allowed all parties of the occupation to maintain communications and exchange intelligence in the occupied zones of East and West Germany. Originally, the agreement was designed to coordinate efforts and keep tabs on German disarmament and demilitarization. As the Cold War progressed, however, the liaison teams remained in place, keeping tabs on each other rather than the Germans. The Soviets had their own liaison mission which operated on the same principles inside the American, British, and French zones of occupation.
On this particular day, however, something went very wrong. The 2-man team was following a convoy of Soviet tanks returning from target practice — a very typical activity for a USMLM team. At some point, the two Americans left the convoy and headed for a tank shed off the main road. Seeing no guards, they drove to within 200 yards of the shed. Major Nicholson left the vehicle to take some photos, leaving SSG Schatz with the vehicle to provide security. After a few minutes, Nicholson got back in and they drove closer, this time to within 10 yards. With the driver watching, he got back out and approached the shed to look in a window. That was when Schatz noticed a young Soviet sentry emerging from the woods. Nicholson was turning to get back in his vehicle when the first shot rang out, narrowly missing his driver’s head. The Soviet sentry, a young sergeant named Aleksandr Ryabtsev, aimed again and fired two more shots.
One of them hit the major, and dropped him. Rising to an elbow, he shouted: “Jessie, I’ve been shot!” Then he collapsed. Schatz reached for his first aid kit, showing the Red Cross emblem to the sentry, and attempted to assist his teammate. The sentry kept the AK-47 trained on Schatz, however, trapping him in the vehicle for over an hour. By the time anyone bothered to check for a pulse, Major Nicholson didn’t have one. The Soviets refused to accept any blame, changing their story regularly and contradicting themselves repeatedly. In the final analysis by the U.S. Army investigators, Nick’s death was “officially condoned, if not directly ordered” by the Soviet leadership.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
In the 3rd century, Roman emperor Claudius II would not allow Christians to be married. Saint Valentine ignored this edict and married them anyway.
There were probably a few county clerks who refused to hand out marriage licenses, but that didn’t stop the lovers. Today, we see similar acts of defiance and are grateful for Saint Valentine’s example. Love is love and always worthy of celebration and joy, grinches and grouches be damned.
Later, during the 14th century when courtly love was all the fashion, February 14 was celebrated by giving a lover flowers or chocolates and sending each other the little love notes we call valentines.
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. WE CELEBRATED THE MORNING WITH AN ESPECIALLY AWFUL, CHEESY NINETIES DRIVEN LONELY ISLAND BOYS ESQUE PLAYLIST.
DATE: 14FEB23
WEATHER:
QIC: JV (YHC WAS LATE TO HIS OWN PARTY.)
PAX: SCHNITZEL(R), SPAGHETTIO, HARDHAT, MINIVAN(R), SPAULDING(R)
WARM UP:
10 MICHAEL PHELPS/10 MERKINS/10 TTT
PARTNER DORA WORK
1 PARTNER PLANKS WHILE THE OTHER DOES THE EXERCISES UNTIL READY TO SWITCH
300 FLUTTER KICKS
BOTH PARTNERS RUN A BIG LAP
200 MERKINS
BOTH PARTNERS RUN A BIG LAP
100 BURPEES
BOTH PARTNERS RUN A BIG LAP
TO KEEP UP WITH OUR PULL UPS PER THE AOQ WE DID 11’S WITH DIPS AND PULL UPS
WE DIDN’T QUITE MAKE IT THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH SO WE CIRCLED UP FOR A QUICK STRETCH THEN CLOSE OUT
COT
MOLESKIN: THE SET LIST WAS TERRIBLE, BUT THERE WERE REALLY FEW COMPLAINTS. GOOD WORK TODAY MEN. YHC HOPES YOU ENJOYED YOUR SPECIAL SOMEONE AND TREATED THEM WELL.
#NEVERFORGET
SYITG,
JV
Lowcountry 