John Lerew (1912–1996) was an officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II, and later a senior manager in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As commander of No. 24 Squadron, he became famous in Air Force history for his irreverent response to orders by RAAF Headquarters during the 1942 Battle of Rabaul. After being directed to assist in repelling the invading Japanese fleet with his one serviceable bomber, and to keep his bombed airfield open, Lerew signalled headquarters with the ancient Latin phrase used by gladiators honouring their Emperor: "Morituri vos salutamus" ("We who are about to die salute you"). He also defied an order to abandon his staff in Rabaul. In February 1942, Lerew led a raid on enemy shipping in New Guinea; he was shot down but evaded capture, returning to safety nine days after being reported missing. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, he later commanded the RAAF's first flying safety directorate. After leaving the Air Force in 1946 as a Group Captain, he joined the newly formed ICAO in Canada. He was responsible for administrative and technical reforms, and rose to Chief of Flight Branch. Retiring in 1972, he travelled extensively before settling in Vancouver.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lerew

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1893:

The Bechuanaland Protectorate (modern Botswana, then a protectorate of the United Kingdom) formally annexed the Tati Concessions Land, a portion of Matabeleland that had been conceded to the British South Africa Company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechuanaland_Protectorate

1948:

The Flag of Quebec, featuring a white cross and four fleurs-de-lis on a blue field, was adopted and flown for the first time over the Quebec Parliament Building in Quebec City. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Quebec

1968:

Cold War: A B-52 bomber carrying four nuclear weapons crashed onto sea ice near Thule Air Base, Greenland, causing widespread radioactive contamination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Thule_Air_Base_B-52_crash

1976:

The Concorde supersonic transports began scheduled commercial flights to London, Paris, Bahrain, and Rio de Janeiro. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde

1997:

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

phobosophy (n): The fear of abstract knowledge or philosophical thinking; anti-philosophy http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phobosophy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

That which is above comprehension we cannot perceive to be contradictory, nor on the other hand can we perceive its rationality or consistency. --Ethan Allen http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen