Across the Wing-Stories of Navy Carrier Combat Squadrons in the Vietnam Theatre



ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 20 AUGUST 1967

RIPPLE SALVO… #532… USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-31) and ATTACK CARRIER AIR WING TWENTY-ONE…but first…

Good Morning: Day FIVE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO refreshing the heroics, remembering the combat operations, and those operators at the “tip of the spear” in the air war over North Vietnam…

20 AUGUST 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on cloudy, stormy Sunday in NYC…

SUMMER IN AMERICA 1967: “Rockefeller Asks U.S. Not To draft Police and Firemen–Critical Shortage In Nation Shown By Summer Riots–President Warned”… “In a letter to the President the Governor of New York said he had pointed out the critical and growing shortage of trained police and fire fighting personnel…the spokesman for the Selective Service System said that local boards have and may exercise their discretion and may exercise their own judgement in conferring occupational deferments for police and firemen.”… Page 1: “Court System Blamed In Crime Rise”... “A study of professional crime in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and St. Louis has found that the operating procedures of the courts tend to increase rather than decrease the overall amount of crime that professional criminals commit…the bail costs, lawyer’s fees and other expenses…increase the pressure for him to engage in crime while free…he is unemployable so crime is his alternative source of funds to pay his bail, lawyer and court costs.”…Page 1: “Schools Change History Teaching–Diaries And Teaching Texts Will Be Used to Enliven Courses”... “The program is designed to stimulate more emphasis on discussion, thought and individual research rather than the traditional system of memorizing dates, names and facts.”… Page 1: “Johnson Appeals For Swift Action On 3 Urban Bills–He Singles Out Model Cities, Rent Aid and Study Project As The Key Commitments–Graduate Plan Signed–President Extends Program to Help Train Specialists In Problems of Cities”… “We must move forward on these commitments…signed bill to train city planners and other urban specialists.”…

MIDEAST: Page 2: “Johnson Vows Mideast Peace Goal”… “President Johnson promised the head of the Jewish War Veterans today that the United States intended to stand firm behind a program for a Middle East settlement. That program is for safeguarding the political independence and territorial integrity of all countries in the Mideast.”… Page 1: “Israelis and Arabs Wink as trucks ford The Jordan River”… “The trucks wind down the hill, each enveloped in a cloud of dust, until they reach the sloping river bank. Most pause for a moment, drop into a lower ger and plunge into the swift, green water. There is a gravel bed in the middle of the river then another stretch of axel-deep water before the trucks splash onto the eastern bank and into the Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan. Nine weeks after the Cease-fire, the cease-fire line is breached daily by hundreds of trucks loaded with melons, furniture and occasionally people. The traffic is ignored since the exchange is mutually beneficial to both governments. Empty trucks return to Jordan from Israel.”… Page 1: “Cairo Said To Offer Deal To Open Suez Canal…in return for Israel returning the Sinai Peninsula.”…

VIETNAM: Page 1: “In ground action allied forces reported killing 150 of the enemy today in scattered fighting in the South from the Demilitarized Zone to the Mekong Delta. About 30-miles from Danang two battalions of U.S. marines and a battalion of South Vietnamese infantrymen made assaults by helicopter into a suspected mountain hide-out of the Second North Vietnamese Division. Only sporadic sniper fire was reported in that drive…The assault was the second phase of Operation Cochise in which U.S. marines and Vietnamese rangers killed 304 of the enemy in operations to the east. USMC casualties were 8 killed and 71 wounded….” NYT, 21 Aug, Page 5: “In South Vietnam four helicopter were shot down on Saturday and Sunday and an Air Force B-57 Canberra twin jet bomber crashed due to unknown causes. Five Army men were killed and five wounded in the helicopters and two Air Force pilots were killed in the Canberra crash 30 miles northwest of Saigon.”…

20 AUGUST 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (21 August reporting 20 Aug Ops)… Page 1: U.S. JETS ATTACK NEAR HANOI AFTER WEEK LULL–CLEARING SKIES BRING RAIDS ON RAIL LINE AND BRIDGES–FOE’S FIRE DOWNS MIG–MISSION RECORD IS SET–209 FLOWN, MOST IN SINGLE DAY”... “Clearing weather in North Vietnam permitted American pilots to attack targets near Hanoi yesterday for the first time in a week. Air Force pilots swept in to hit the Hagia railroad and highway bridge and a rail transshipment point 20 miles north of Hanoi and the Huongvi railroad yard 40 miles to the northeast of the capital. MIG fighters challenged F-105 Thunderchiefs during the attack on the Hagia targets touching off  dog-fight with no reports of damage on either side.

“The Air Force Phantom pilots dropped their bombs in the center and western end of the railroad yard while Thunderchief pilots reported heavy damage to the bridge. Other Thunderchief pilots reported having destroyed and damaged 24 boxcars and having cut all three tracks in the Huongvi railroad yard.

“This was the first strike North of Hanoi since Air Force fighter-bombers attacked a rail target 10 miles from the China border last Monday.

“On Saturday, during the sixth day of poor weather over the country, American pilots concentrating on coastal shipping and road and railroad traffic below Hanoi flew 209 missions, a record for a single day. A spokesman said the high number had no particular significance. The poor weather normally limits the pilots to minor targets that did not require a large number of attack planes. Accordingly, bad weather usually brought higher numbers of missions each with fewer aircraft as pilots sought targets of opportunity on armed reconnaissance missions..

“United States carrier pilots hit targets along the coast from around Haiphong to Vinh, 150-miles to the south. Air Force fighter-bombers concentrated on roads and rail farther south to the demilitarized zone. Navy jets swept the off-shore waters destroying or damaging 136 barges and sampans. Carrier pilots also reported having destroyed one locomotive and damaging two. Seven railway cars were knocked out in strikes at rail lines near Vinh. Other carrier pilots hit the Ben Thuy storage caves two miles southeast of Vinh with 500-pound bombs reporting heavy damage.

“The Seventh Fleet cruiser Boston fired her eight-inch guns at the Ben Thuy storage caves complex on Friday, but darkness prevented damage assessment.

“In all, Navy pilots reported having destroyed six bridges and damaging 14. Air Force pilots said they had destroyed or damaged 9 bridges and 12 trucks and cut roads in 15 places.”…

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 20 August 1967…

RIPPLE SALVO… #532… Bonnie Dick and CAG-21 were awarded The Presidential Unit Citation by President Richard Nixon a five years after the 1967 period covered by the honor. Better late than never… RTR is pleased to add the recognition to the RTR archives… 

“USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CVA-31) and ATTACK CARRIER AIR WING TWENTY-ONE,

UNITED STATES NAVY, VIETNAM WAR 1972

“By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have today awarded…

“The Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) for Extraordinary Heroism to USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and Attack Carrier Air Wing Twenty-one…

“For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in action against enemy forces in Southeast Asia from 26 February to 30 July 1967 in support of United States national policy. During this period of intensive combat operations, USS Bon Homme Richard’s aircraft carried out numerous day and night strikes against a wide variety of targets in North Vietnam and succeeded in inflicting extensive damage to those targets. Bon Homme Richard and her embarked air wing continuously overcame determined enemy defenses and hazardous weather to project aggressive and effective naval air power against the enemy. All assigned tasks were accomplished expeditiously and contributed significantly to the combat air effort of the United States Southeast Asia. The courage, professional competence and devotion to duty displayed by the officers and men of Bon Homme Richard and embarked Carrier Air Wing Twenty-One reflected great credit upon themselves and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”…    Signed/ Richard M. Nixon

Humble Host had a choice seat for the Bonnie Dick 1967 cruise-Enterprise on Yankee Station. They were unstoppable and deserving of the recognition accorded by the PUC… oohrah… from CAG Monger on down… oohrah…

RTR QUOTE for 20 August: FOCH (His favorite maxim): “Victory is a thing of the will.”…

Lest we forget…       Bear

 

 

Be the first to comment

You must be registered to comment. all comments are held pending admin approval.)

↓