HOMER LEROY SMITH… This one is for you on the 50th Anniversary of your Last Flight …oohrah….

RIPPLE SALVO… #441… NINE MIGS IN TWO DAYS, CO VA-212 DOWN, AND FIFTEEN AVIATORS GONE: some for a while and many forever…

20 May 1967… “Despite the heavy losses of the previous day the Navy was out in force again on the 20th. An alpha strike on the Bac Giang thermal power plant resulted in only one aircraft lost. It was, however, the Commanding Officer of the Attack Squadron 212 Rampant Raiders…. (Chris Hobson, “Vietnam: Air Losses”)

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-ONE of a return to the air war over North Vietnam fought fifty years ago… it was called ROLLING THUNDER…

21 May 1967…Head lines from The New York Times…reporting Rolling Thunder ops for 20 May… page 1:

“5 MIGs Downed in Raid on North–Enemy Loses 9 in 2 Days–U.S. Jet Toll Rises to Seven”... “United States Air Force pilots shot down five of the MIG fighters that rose to meet them during a bombing run yesterday against a truck repair shop eight miles north of Hanoi. In raids Friday that included the first attack on downtown Hanoi by Navy bombers, four North Vietnamese planes were brought down and one was probably damaged (by Navy fighter pilots).”

{This from NYT on 20 May: “Navy fighter-bombers, using air-to-air missiles shot down four enemy MIG-17 jets during battles high above the capital. A fifth MIG was reported damaged. Jets from the carrier Bon Homme Richard in the Gulf of Tonkin struck early in the afternoon at a 32,000-kilowatt power plant, the largest in  North Vietnam. In another raid Air Force Thunderchiefs from the 355th TFW in Thailand dropped 750-pound bombs on the MIG airfields at Hoalac, 20 miles west of Hanoi. The Hoalac strip was reported to be put out of action last week after repeated strikes. The new strike was intended ‘to keep the airfield unusable.’ Other planes of the 355th struck an area just south of the field where aerial photographs had shown three MIG-17s hidden under camouflage. Two nearby structures were said to have been destroyed. The power plant which supplies about 20% of North Vietnam’s electricity is 1.1 miles from the center of the city and a built-up area of the city….A second air strike was carried out by pilots from the carriers Enterprise and Kitty hawk on the Army depot at Vandien, five miles south of the capital. The depot was struck twice during the day. The Bon Homme Richard, whose pilots were assigned the “hot target” is one of the oldest aircraft carriers in commission.”}    (bear#82Mk82HaTouNavalsup)

“The total of nine planes in two days brought to 69 the number of MIGs claimed by American pilots over the North since the bombing program begn i February 1965. Twenty-four of these have been brought down since May 1. In late April the North Vietnamese was estimated to have an air force of 100 to 150 fighter aircraft.

“At the same time a spokesman announced an increase in the number of American aircraft lost Friday from 5 to 7. Nine of the crewmen were listed as missing in action. The tenth was seen to crash with plane near the border between the two Vietnams. Hanoi radio said eight United States planes had been shot down over North Vietnam Saturday. The five planes whose loss was announced earlier were all carrier based Navy bombers. The others were an Air Force Phantom and a Marine F-8…The spokesman said that no assessment of damage in Friday’s raid against Hanoi’s main power plant had yet been made…

“In all 131 missions were flown against the North yesterday…Navy pilots from the Kitty Hawk struck the Vandien army supply depot five miles south of Hanoi. Other Kitty Hawk pilots hit a vehicle repair facility fifty miles northeast of Hanoi… “

20 May 1967…Also in the news…

Page 1: “Allies Rushing Into Zone; action called defensive against a considerable build-up of North Vietnamese forces in the buffer zone. North Vietnam is reporting the American move as a violation of the 1954 Geneva agreement that prohibits troops from entering the buffer zone. The U.S reports: ‘this is not an invasion of North Vietnam.’ “… Page 1: “UN Troops End 10-Year Mission in Middle East”… “The United Nations Emergency Force ended today its 10-year mission to keep the peace between Israel and the UAR.”… Page 1: “New York Welfare Recipients to Get Incentives”… “City to let them keep more of their earnings if they work while they are on welfare.”… Page 1: “Thieu Will Oppose Ky for Presidency”...”Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thieu, South Vietnam’s Chief of State said today he has decided to oppose Premier Nguyen Cao Ky for the Presidency of South Vietnam.”… Page 2: “World Red Cross Appeals for Vietnam POWs”… “The leaders of the International Red Cross appealed today to all sides in the war in Vietnam to assure ‘proper and human treatment of prisoners and to conclude a cease-fire to end the civilian population burden of human misery.”

20 May 1967…The President’ TS CIA Daily Briefing: 1. ARAB STATES-ISRAEL: Nasir continues his gigantic gamble. If he is lucky and there is no major outbreak, he will be crowing about how he deterred Israel aggression. He does not control all the players, however, and the chance of an explosion has grown during the past 24 hours. United Nations forces are quickly withdrawing from positions along the Egyptian border and Nasir’s troops are moving in. This includes the sensitive post on the Gulf of Aqaba which could be used to interdict the route tankers from the Middle East reach the port of Eilat. any Egyptian action against shipping here would almost surely provoke a strong Israeli military counter-action. The Israeli have begun a ‘partial mobilization.’ US defense attaches’ noted a considerable increase yesterday in Israeli military movement toward both the northern and southern borders. Israeli authorities assure the US Embassy, however, that all their move are purely precautionary…

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… COMMANDER PAUL HAROLD SPEER, UNITED STATES NAVY… NAVY CROSS… 19 MAY 1967…

“The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to COMMANDER PAUL HAROLD SPEER, United States Navy, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM on 19 May 1967 as a pilot in Fighter Squadron TWO HUNDRED ELEVEN (VF-211) embarked in USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-31). As the flight leader of six F-8 aircraft assigned to escort and provide target cover combat air patrol for two A-4 aircraft during a strike against a thermal power plant in North Vietnam, Commander SPEER demonstrated outstanding leadership and airmanship in the planning and execution of the defense of the strike group. Encountering an intense barrage of about twenty-five surface-to-air missiles, and under attack from enemy MIGs, he pressed on toward the target, maintaining flight discipline and integrity. Despite increasingly heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire, his flight successfully defended the bombers who scored direct hits on the target, causing extensive damage. During retirement from the target area, Commander SPEER sighted a MIG closing dangerously to attack the A-4s. through his skillful execution of tactical maneuvers, he was able to fire two sidewinders at the MIG causing it to dive into the ground and explode on impact. Continuing the retirement, his flight downed two other enemy aircraft with sidewinders and damaged another by 20-mm cannon fire. By his superior airmanship, leadership and sound tactical judgement, Commander SPEER contributed greatly to the successful execution of this mission, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… CAPTAIN HOMER LEROY SMITH, UNITED STATES NAVY… the NAVY CROSS… 19 and 20 MAY 1967…

“The President of the United States takes pride iN presenting the NAVY CROSS (Posthumously) to CAPTAIN (then Commander) HOMER LEROY SMITH, United States Navy, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM on 19 and 20 May 1967, while serving as Commanding Officer of Attack Squadron TWO HUNDRED TWELVE (VA-212) embarked in USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-31) during aerial attacks on two strategically important and heavily defended thermal power plants in Hanoi and Bac Giang, North Vietnam. As strike leader in each of these actions against the enemy, Captain SMITH was faced with adverse weather and difficult terrain, formidable opposition from the enemy, and the necessity for violent evasive maneuvering. Despite these obstacles, he expertly led his strike group in executing brilliantly successful attacks which subsequently hindered the enemy efforts to make war. By his heroic actions, superb airmanship, and inspiring devotion to duty throughout, Captain SMITH reflected great credit upon himself and his squadron, and upheld th highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”…

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 20 May 1967…

(1) COMMANDER HOMER LEROY SMITH was flying an A-4E as Commanding Officer of the VA-212 Rampant Raiders embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard and leading a Walleye strike on the thermal power plant at Bac Giang 25 miles northeast of Hanoi. After delivering his weapon into the target he was downed by intense ground fire. He ejected successfully and was seen on the ground close to the target as he was taken prisoner. He perished while a POW on 21 May 1967. His remains came home in March 1974.

(2) MAJOR JACK LEE VAN LOAN and 1LT JOSEPH EDWARD MILLIGAN were flying an F-4C of the 433rd TFS and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a MIGCAP mission as one of eight F-4s led by Colonel Robin Olds supporting a strike near Kep. The flight of F-4s was jumped by two flights of MIG-17s and in the melee that followed MAJOR VAN LOAN and 1LT MILLIGAN were hit by MIG cannon fire and subsequently forced to eject near Kep. They were captured, imprisoned as POWs, and held until released in 1973. Five MIGs were downed in the melee.

(3) MAJOR NOTLEY GWYNN MADDOX was flying an F-101C of the 20th TRS and 433rd TRW out of Udorn on a photo mission in the area of Kep. He became separated from his wingman in thunderstorms but penetrated the weather to accomplish the mission south of Kep against intense ground fire. He was hit and notified his wingman, but was never seen or heard from again. Best information available is that he went down about 60 miles east of Kep and a few miles from the coast. However, no crash site has been reported and MAJOR MADDOX’s remains rest where he fell fifty years ago this day… He is presumed Killed in Action…left behind, but remembered with respect and  admiration… and if JTF-FA gets a good steer, they will be there…..

RIPPLE SALVO… #441… When the Skipper of VA-212 went down on 20 May 1967 he was putting the lid on a great command and combat tour. He had delayed his Change of Command to get this one last shot. This last of several Walleye strikes was the cap on his combat evaluation of the new weapon. When President Johnson visited Guam earlier in the year Commander Homer Smith was there to brief the President on the Walleye and convince the President that a new precision guided weapon was now available to “surgically remove” targets in close proximity to clusters of civilians. Commander Homer Smith was Mr. Walleye (along with Tom Taylor)… With the deliveries on 19 and 20 May the project was ready for fleet ops on a regular basis. Walleye was in. Unfortunately, Skipper Smith was not. They call that DEVOTION.

Among Homer Smith’s other awards: the Silver Star for leading a group strike on the Bac Giang petroleum storage area on 30 June 1966; A DFC for leading a strike on the Hon Gai ammo storage area on 10 March 1966; a DFC for taking out a petroleum target at Phuc Loi on 4 April 1966; a DFC for leading a strike on the railyard at Ninh Binh; a DFC for a strike lead on the Hon Gai marshaling yard on 24 April 1967, and, the Legion of Merit with the Combat “V” for his combat leadership and extraordinary contributions to the operational employment of the Walleye….  A warrior’s warrior… Glory gained, duty done….

CAG’s QUOTES for May 20: LORD FISHER: “Shoot pessimists at sight.”… PATTON: “We live in deeds, not years.”

Lest we forget…      Bear