RIPPLE SALVO… #404… “The Incredible Stupid One,” by Dick “Beak” Stratton… but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED FOUR of a return to the skies of North Vietnam and tales from fifty years ago… good one today…
13 APRIL 1967…HEAD LINES and LEADS from The New York Times on a fair and mild Thursday in NYC…
Page 1: “Johnson Pledges Drive to Increase aid to Latin Base”... “President Johnson told the 18 other leaders of Latin America today that he would try to support their new common market (due to be in operation by 1970) with more financial aid, but hedged his promises on other forms of economic help. Proclaiming sympathy for the needs of the Western Hemisphere nations, Mr. Johnson said he would ‘undertake consultations’ on whether to lift the requirement that United States loans be spent on United States goods.”… Page 1: “Soviet Will Help U.N. Meet Deficit”…”The Soviet Union announced today that it was preparing to make a long-awaited voluntary contribution to help cover United Nations deficit that almost crippled the world organization.”… Page 1: “U.S. Won’t Renew Arms Aid to India and Pakistan”… “The United States in an attempt to slow the arms race on the Indian sub-continent removed itself today as a major arms supplier to Pakistan and India. The State Department announced that the U.S. was terminating the sale or grant of weapons to the two countries. In the future the U.S. will limit itself to the sale of spare parts for weapons already possessed by the two countries.”…
Page 2: “General Mark Clark Assails Draft Evaders”… “General Mark E. Clark, retired, called today for stricter action against draft evaders and card burners in urging Congress to extend and improve the Selective Service act. He urges severe and prompt punishment. General Clark opposed the use of any lottery system other than birth dates for induction. He also disagreed with other recommendations of the President’s special advisory commission. He also told the Senate Arms Services Committee that an advisory panel he headed had unanimously agreed that a draft law will be required for national security purposes for the indefinite future.”… Page 1: “Grechko Appointed Soviet Defense Minister”... “Marshall Andrei Grechko was appointed Soviet Defense Minister in addition to other major elevations of commanders and deputies in the Soviet defense organization due to the advancing age of the nation’s military leadership.”… Page 1: “French Fighting Tanker Oil on Brittany Coast”... “The French Government mobilized military and civilian forces today on the coast of Brittany to fight incoming tides of oil coming in from the tanker Torrey Canyon.”
Page 2:…”Saigon Is Considering Evacuating Quangtri”... “South Vietnamese leaders are considering a plan to remove the country’s northernmost province, Quangtri because of the enemy menace the suggestion arose a week ago after enemy troops attacked the capital of Quangtri 20 miles south of the demilitarized zone. Under the plan, most of the 273,000 residents of the area just below the DMZ would be given the option of moving into North Vietnam or being resettled under government supervision farther south. Then anyone caught in the area would be considered an enemy.”… Page 5: “Vietnam Bombing Error to Pilots and Device”... “A USAF board of inquiry determined today that the bombing of a village in which 105 people died and 200 were wounded was the result of human and mechanical errors. A pilot and two navigators received official reprimands from the board which also ordered an undisclosed amount of pay. Two F-4C Phantoms involved in the bombing of Langvei a pro-government village near the Laotian border on March 2, 1967. The mechanical error was said to involve the failure of a radio device designed to give pin point accuracy bombing.”… Page 5: “3200 Of Foe Held In 4 Camps”...roughly 4-per cent of all the Vietcong captured in the war. Newsmen were allowed to visit the POW camp.”…
13 April 1967…The President’s Daily Brief…CIA (TS sanitized) SOVIET UNION: Our surmise that Moscow might get a civilian minister of defense turned out to be wrong. Marshal Grechko was named Soviet minister of defense yesterday. He is a 63-year-old professional soldier with a knack for trimming his sails to the prevailing winds from the Kremlin. Grechko was, for instance, a great Khrushchev supporter, even when it meant selling out old army comrades.(Large portion remains classified after 50 years). Grechko will do what he is told and is not likely to make any early changes…
13 APRIL 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times…Devoid of coverage of air operations over North Vietnam…
“Vietnam: Air Losses”(Hobson) One fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 13 April 1967…
(1) A C-141A of the 4th MAS and 62nd MAW out of McChord AFB crashed a few seconds after take-off from Cam Ranh Bay and went down in the bay killing seven of nine of the flight crew. MAJOR HARRY MILTON BRENN, CAPTAIN MORRIS BOWDOIN WITT, SMS ROY EARL SHULTS, MAGT HERMAN EUGENE MILLER, TSGT MARSHAL EDWARD BROWN, and TSGT HAROLD EUGENE MAHY perished in the service of our country fifty years ago this day. They rest in peace and are remembered…
RIPPLE SALVO… #404… Fifty years ago this week Seaman Doug Hegdahl, United States Naval Reserve, found himself in the Gulf of Tonkin in the darkest part of a night tasting salt water and watching his ship, USS Canberra sailing away to leave him alone with the sharks, sea snakes and lots of very deep water. Thus began a tale that is best told by former VA-192 Golden Dragon Dick “Beak” Stratton, who spent a lot of time with Seaman Doug Hegdahl in the Hanoi Hilton. Humble Host was reminded of this timely 50-year old story by Joe Crecca, who had a crucial role in this story of a young man thought to be “The Incredible Stupid One” by our enemies, but was in reality “dumb like a fox,” and came home a genuine American hero… Please make time to enjoy Beak’s piece titled “The Incredible Stupid One.”… on-line at…
https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/h/h135.htm
Or if that doesn’t work for you, Google Douglas Brent Hegdahl and zero in on the POW NETWORK entry…
Lest we forget… Bear