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



ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 14 JULY 1967

RIPPLE SALVO… #496… AND FEARLESS LEADER…”Never say die… “…also VADM Duke Hernandez: a day in Yugoslavia, the real story, I think… but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-SIX of a revisit to the three and a half-year air war called Rolling Thunder…

14 July 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a rainy, dark and dreary Friday in NYC…

SUMMER 1967: Page 1: Newark’s Mayor Calls in Guard As Riots Spread Downtown Is Hit–Scores Are Injured–Police Are Instructed to Return Fire”... “The National Guard was called into this city early today as Negro mobs spilled from their Central Ward ghetto into the heart of the downtown business district…rampaging Negroes who had looted, burned and smashed their way through the city in the second straight night of violence produced ‘an ominous situation’… raging fire at Broad and Market…”…

SIX DAY WAR: Page 1: “U.N. Urged to Overcome Israel Stand on Jerusalem”... “Communist, Arab and Muslim speakers urged the General Assembly today to find away to overcome Israel’s defiance of the resolution calling for the annulment of the unification of Jerusalem. The will of the United Nations has been flouted by Israel, delegates were told.”... Page 1: “Refugees Return Urged by Johnson”… “He asks that Israel allow a maximum number in Jordan to go home. President Johnson declared today there is an ‘urgent need’ for Israel to permit Arab refugees in Jordan to return to their homes in territory sized by Israel last month.”… Page 3: “King of Jordan Revamping Jordanian Army...regrouping brigades into divisions in sweeping reorganization.”... “Arab Leaders Hold Conference in Cairo”... “Communist  Leaders Meet in Budapest”“Israel Charges New Attack Across Suez”… 

VIETNAM: Page 1: “Generals Agree With President On Build-Up Issue–Wheeler and Westmoreland Support Modest Increase In Forces in Vietnam–‘Troop Balance’ Called Goal”… “President Johnson won the public endorsement of his top military commanders today for a relatively modest build-up of American forces in Vietnam…Mr. Johnson said, ‘We have had a meeting of the minds.’… 480,000 troops authorized.”… Page 6: “U.S. Again Raiding the Buffer Zone–B-52s Strike Three Times After Two Month Layoff or shortly after the discovery that the North Vietnamese had placed surface-to-air missiles on the border.”… Page 6: “The United States announced that 282 servicemen were killed and 1,170 were wounded in combat last week. It was the third largest weekly Killed In Action of the war. North Vietnam and Vietcong KIA for the week was 2,114. The South Vietnamese Army casualties for the week were 144 killed and 383 wounded.”…

Page 7: “Marines Weary Near Buffer Zone–Far Off Guns Taking Toll in Men and Morale”... “The Marines have a new saying in their outposts near the demilitarized zone. It is: ‘Go north and die.’ Each day the North Vietnamese pound the outposts with heavy mortar and artillery fire killing three, four, five Marines. The daily barrage from an unseen enemy has left many marines exhausted and bewildered.

     “From Dongha, 10 miles south of the DMZ to Conthien than a mile and a half south of the zone Marine officers are coping with high casualties and low morale. The marines near the zone are frightened by the increasingly accurate artillery barrages, frustrated over their inability to fight an enemy who is usually miles easy, and they are weary, tired and depressed from lack of sleep, showers and hot food.

    “You’re just fighting here for your life and your buddy’s life,’ said a 20-year old Californian in the hot, dusty shack that serves as Dongha’s air passenger terminal. ‘You are sure as hell not fighting for this country.’

     “Nearly 6,000 marines are stationed at or near outposts that run inland below the DMZ. the area–dubbed Leatherneck Square– runs from the marine artillery bastion to Giolinh, six miles from Conthien to Camp Carroll the artillery base to the southwest and from Conthien to Dongha.”….

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM…CAPTAIN ROBERT BYRON FULLER, UNITED STATES NAVY…the NAVY CROSS… OCTOBER 1967…

“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to CAPTAIN ROBERT BYRON FULLER, United States Navy, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM as a Prisoner of War (POW) in North Vietnam during the month of October 1967. During this period, as a prisoner at Hoa Lo POW prison, he was subjected to severe treatment at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors. As they persisted in their harsh treatment of him, he continued in his refusal to give out biographical data demanded by the North Vietnamese. He heroically resisted all attempts by his captors to break his resistance indicating his willingness to suffer any deprivation and torture to uphold the Code of Conduct. Through these means, he inspired other POW’s to resist the enemy’s efforts to demoralize and exploit them. By his gallantry and loyal devotion to duty, he reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service of the United States Armed Forces.”

FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY and INTREPIDITY… the  SILVER STAR… 31 MAY 1967…

“…CAPTAIN FULLER was the leader of a major airwing strike against the heavily defended enemy fighter airfield at Kep, North Vietnam. Approaching the target, the strike group encountered extremely heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire. The first volley completely enveloped the lead element of A-4C aircraft and the following elements were equally hard hit as the enemy gunners continued to pour our a combination of barrage and tracking fire with unerring accuracy. In addition, a number of Surface-to-Air Missiles were fired into the formations. Although his aircraft was damaged by the first shots, CAPTAIN FULLER pressed on toward the target. One aircraft after another was forced to jettison its ordnance and withdraw toward the Tonkin Gulf, leaving CAPTAIN FULLER as the only remaining attack aircraft. With F-8 fighter aircraft escorts in company, he valiantly continued his dash to the target. Despite the fact that his aircraft was hit a second time and seriously damaged, CAPTAIN FULLER plunged downward in a steep dive and fired his rockets directly into a revetment containing a parked MIG-17 fighter plane. Only after completing his lone attack did he withdraw, with no cockpit fuel-quantity indication, and made his way to the Tonkin Gulf and Safety…”

FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY and INTREPIDITY… a second SILVER STAR… 14 July 1967…

“…interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam on 14 July 1967. CAPTAIN FULLER’s captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to these brutalities, he contributed significantly toward eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting national attention….determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion…”

FOR EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT … four awards of the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS…

25 APRIL 1967… Major air wing strike on Haiphong Ammo Depot at Kien An

11 JUNE 1967… Coordinated air wing strike on Uong-Bi Thermal Power Plant near Haiphong…

12 JUNE 1967… Led coordinated air wing strike on Thanh Hoa Thermal Power Plant…

5 JULY 1967… Led an air wing strike on Do Son POL facilities near Haiphong…

REAR ADMIRAL FULLER flew Panthers in the Korean war and had flown 110 missions in Rolling thunder before he was shot down on 14 July 1967. He would serve with honor as a POW and return to continue his naval career. He commanded a nuclear carrier and a carrier battle group before retiring as a Rear Admiral in 1982…

14 July 1967…Operation Rolling Thunder… New York Times (15 July reporting 14 July ops) Page 3: “In the air war in the North the United States pilots attacked two petroleum depots near Haiphong and rail lines near Hanoi yesterday in a day of heavy air strikes against North Vietnam…Air Force and Navy pilots flew 170 missions, the fourth highest number in a day since the air war began in August 1965…Navy pilots from Bon Homme Richard blasted the Doson petroleum storage area, 13 miles northwest of Haiphong, and one at Thai Binh, 33 miles southwest of the port city. Other pilots on anti-aircraft suppression missions reported the destruction of a surface-to-air missile site with missiles, rockets and cannon fire. Pilots from the Intrepid reported that a village 12 miles southwest of Haiphong was engulfed in flames after a North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile fell into it. This is the second village in the area the pilots have said was set afire by a missile falling back to the ground… Air Force pilots attacked the Thaihop military barracks 39 miles north of Hanoi and the Backan army barracks 77 miles north of Hanoi… Air Force Thunderchief  fighter-bomber pilots also attacked nine targets along the Red River rail line running northwest from Hanoi to the Chinese border. Thunderchief pilots also struck a missile site 20 miles north of Hanoi, reporting two explosions near a guidance van. This was the second day the site was attacked.”

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 14 July 1967…

(1) LTJG I.J. CUNNINGHAM was flying an A-4E of the VA-164 Ghost Riders embarked in USS Oriskany on an armed reconnaissance mission south of Vinh. His aircraft was hit by ground fire while attacking barges on an inland waterway. The hit was in the nose of the aircraft and after ingesting a portion of the aircraft nose cone the aircraft engine was severely damaged. LTJG CUNNINGHAM was able to fly the aircraft back to the ship but the engine failed before he could attempt a landing. He ejected and was rescued by the carrier Seasprite helo. This was the first day on the line for Oriskany.

(2) LT J.N. DONIS was flying an A-4C of the VA-76 Spirits embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard on an armed reconnaissance mission south of Nam Dinh. His aircraft was hit in the port wing and a rocket pod. A rocket exploded and debris damaged the engine leading to engine failure requiring LT DONIS to eject about 125 miles off the coast where he was rescued by the Northern SAR helicopter.

(3) COMMANDER ROBERT BYRON FULLER, Commanding Officer, VA-76 Spirits embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard was flying an A-4C and leading a strike on the Cao Tri 262… “We were attacking bridge near Hung Yen, about 20 miles south of Hanoi and as he commenced his attack, his aircraft was hit by an SA-2. He delivered his bombs before he lost control of the Skyhawk forcing him to eject in the target area. COMMANDER FULLER was captured immediately and interned as a POW until released in March 1973. 

Add this from Steve Gray’s journal “Rampant Raider“… Page 262:

“We were attacking the Cao Tri bridge…when a barrage of SAMs from Hanoi streaked toward us. VA-76’s skipper, Cdr. B.I. Fuller (sic), was hit right over the target area and immediately ejected. As his parachute floated down almost directly over the target,we saw to our horror a 37-mm gun firing at him. The parachute canopy was riddled with holes, and some of it was smouldering when he hit the ground hard just yards from the revetment of the flak site that had been shooting at him.Commander Fuller lay motionless after hitting the ground, and enemy gunners swarmed out of their revetment to take him captive. SAMs hit two other VA-76 airplanes at the same time. One was heavily damaged, but the pilot was able to make it out over the gulf before ejecting and was rescued unharmed (Humble Host note: This has to be Lt. Donis, who was downed on 14 July but not on this strike: see above); the other had only minor damage and the pilot was able to return to the ship.

“All the pilots who saw Commander Fuller go down were convinced that he was dead. But confirming the wisdom of the Defense Department’s policy of listing downed pilots as ‘missing in action’ until death has been positively confirmed, Fuller’s name was released on a POW list three years later…. An A-4C bearing Commander Fuller’s name is on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.”

RIPPLE SALVO… #496… Humble Host is in receipt of “the real story” of VADM DUKE HERNANDEZ‘s trip to Yugoslavia. Red Best offered the widely understood version of the unique flight and I reported that in my post two days ago and in Ripple Salvo #494. The following is from Jim Ripple who reports that he had access to Duke’s debrief… This is version #2 of tale for the archives…

“In addition to his accomplishments, Duke was a VF-11 Crusader pilot, deployed with Air Group 1, on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, during our 1958-60 (?) Med deployment. he was ferrying a replacement F8U from Rota (Spain) to Capochino (Naples), while we were in-port Naples. Duke lost his navaids, was flying singly, over an overcast, and let down when he thought he was just east of Italy, knowing he would visually recognize where he w and could go either north of south to get to Naples and Capochino.

“Shortly after turning north, he was intercepted by an F-86D, with a red star on its fuselage. Yup, he missed Italy and was flying along the Yugoslav coast. They ordered him to land, which he did, and then treated him like a king. They tried to refuel his F-8, but the F-86 nozzle would not fit his F-8. They put him up overnight, loaned him clothes and money and took him out on the town. They machined an adapter overnight and refueled his bird.

“But then their F-86 starters did not have enough oomph to start his engine. We sent a starter unit in on the COD the next day and Duke completed his mission (to Capochino).”

Jim Ripple adds this as “the rest of the story”… “Once the F-8 was prepped and checked for carrier ops, and we put to sea another VF-11 pilot was to bring it out to the ship. However, he did a burner takeoff–with his wings folded! When he realized what he had done, he returned to Capochino, had the plane re-checked for over-stress and brought it out to the ship. When he arrived, his squadron mates had prepared a special set of wings for him. The tips of a set of Golden Wings had the tips cut off and soldered folded. He had to wear them for a while.“…    Thanks Jim…

RTR QUOTE for 14 July… SAMUEL DANIEL (To Delia. Sonnet xxx): “For who gets the wealth, that puts not from the shore? Danger hath honour; great designs, their fame; Glory doth follow, courage goes before.”…

Lest we forget….    Bear

 

 

 

 

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