RIPPLE SALVO… #495… The Australian bush hat of CAPTAIN DON AUSTIN, 34 TFS, 388 TFW: 111 marks, 100 North, 26 of the marks in red and several with dots … but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE of the long look back to the air war with and over North Vietnam…

13 JULY 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy Thursday in New York City…

SIX DAY WAR: Page 12: Full Page Ad: “AMERICAN PROFESSORS FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST”…

“A CALL FOR REASON”… “The recent war in the Middle East is the third Arab-Israel conflict in twenty years. If the already voiced threats of a ‘fourth round’ are not to involve the Middle East and the world in further disaster, a stable peace must replace the previous condition of sterile belligerence. The first essential of such a peace must be the recognition of Israel’ right to exist as a sovereign state on equal terms with the other sovereign states in the region.

“The United Nations, instead of being utilized as a forum for futile invective, should exert its influence for the promotion of the direct negotiations which alone can lead to a fundamental solution of outstanding issues between Israel and her neighbors.

“The role of the Great Powers should be relaxed rather than exacerbate tension. in this context, the Soviet Union’s unprecedented and completely biased attack on Israel and the Nazis is to be deplored. The Soviet Union’s policy serves to encourage Arab extremism and to inflame Arab intransigence. We call upon the Soviet Union to abandon these tactics and work for a lasting peace in the Middle East.

“We support our government’s declared determination to encourage all efforts to move from ‘uncertain armistice’ to a durable peace.

“Let all those who speak in the name of peace act in the true interests of peace.” (The page included the signatures of two thousand Professors from Colleges and Universities across the nation)…

Page 1: “New Draft in UN Bid Israel Void Jerusalem Move–Pakistan asks Assembly to Get Council to Take Steps To Insure Compliance–Atmosphere is Better–Soviet delegate Denounces hypocrisy of Eban On Earlier Resolution”... “Pakistan submitted to the General Assembly today a draft resolution demanding that Israel immediately rescind her actions for unification of Jerusalem and not take any new actions. The draft asks the Security Council to insure that the resolution is carried out.”… Page 1: “Vatican Is Given Pledge by Israel–She Is Willing to Assure Extraterritorial Status in Holy Places.”… “Israel was reported tonight to have assured the Vatican that she would agree to a jurisdictional formula establishing the ‘universal status’ of the holy places in Jerusalem.”... Page 1: “Israel Reports the Sinking of 2 Egyptian PT Boats”... “Two Egyptian torpedo boats were intercepted and blown up by an Israeli naval patrol off the Sinai coast last night. It was the first report of a naval battle between Egypt and Israel since the cease-fire last month.”… Page 1: “Generals Discuss U.N. Mideast Role”... “MGEN Moshe Dayan, Israeli Defense Minister and LGEN Odd Bull, chief of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in conference in Tel Aviv.”…

Page 1: “McNamara Sees No Reserve Call-Up for Vietnam War–Meets With President”... “Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said today that ‘some more American troops would be needed in South Vietnam but not so many as to require a call-up of reserves. The Secretary said he had a maximum figure in mind but refused to divulge it…experts expected an additional 35,000 more men will be required–460,000 troops in war zone so far…”… Page 12. “Thieu Is Cautious On a Full Call-Up”... says full mobilization would do more harm than good by disrupting the South Vietnam economy. Thieu on a visit at sea observing air operations on USS Constitution…Tom Buckley was reporting the visit hosted by VADM John Hyland… Page 16: “35 Americans Die In Vietnam Clash–31 Soldiers Are Wounded Near Cambodia Border”… of the 4th Infantry Division in battle with North Vietnamese regulars in the Central Highlands…30 miles southwest of Pleiku and 10 miles from Cambodian border…Just north of Iadrang Valley…all quiet along the DMZ…small clashes in Mekong Delta…”

SUMMER ’67: Page 1: “Racial Violence Erupts In Newark–Bands of Negroes Smash Windows and Stone Police in Ghetto Areas”... “Bands of Negroes went through a heavily Negro neighborhood in South Newark last night and early today smashing windows and looting stores. Several policemen were struck with stones. Liquor stores were the main targets for the rampaging gangs… the violence was believed to have started after the arrest of a Negro cab driver on charges of assaulting a policeman. The crowd of Negroes that gathered outside the Fourth Precinct Station house protested…some shouting ‘police brutality’… the mob threw rocks and bottles… at least five policemen were hit.”… Page 1: “Black Power Parley To Seek Negro Unity”... “Plans were discussed yesterday for a national conference on black power that promises to bring together for the first time the many diverse elements of the Negro community. The four-day meeting is scheduled to convene on Thursday, July 20 in Newark…‘an assembly of Black Americans designed to set our own house in order and to work for the unity of black power and the greatest good for all Americans.’ The Reverend Doctor Nathan Wright, Jr., is chairman of the conference.” … Page 24: “Senator Robert Kennedy Puts in Bill to Produce Jobs In Slums–Criticizing U.S. Anti-Poverty Effort–He Seeks to Lure Private Plants to Ghetto”… “…a plan to create jobs for unemployed and unskilled in the slums through the use of private capital…In a 45-minute speech the New York Democrat, while emphasizing that he supported the Great Society programs and called for their expansion, said that much of the present Federal anti-poverty strategy was ‘ineffective, inefficient and degrading.’ “…

13 JULY 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (14 July 1967) Page 6: “In the air war in the north Air Force planes struck for the 11th time at Hoa Lac airfield 20 miles west of Hanoi. Pilots reported runway damage from previous raids had not been repaired and that only dummy aircraft were parked at the airfield. In all 134 missions were flown. Among the other targets were a missile site 19 miles west of Hanoi (Hoa Lac), the rail yards northeast of Hanoi, a petroleum storage area 27 miles northwest of Haiphong, and bridges and rail lines near Thanh Hoa about 100 miles down the coast from Haiphong.”…

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 13 July 1967

(1) MAJOR C.D. OSBORNE was flying an F-105D of the 357 TFS and 355 TFW out of Takhli on an Iron hand mission near the DMZ and trolling for a response from a SAM site when hit by AAA. The aircraft was damaged but flyable and MAJOR OSBORNE chose to head west for Takhli. Unfortunately, the aircraft became unflyable 35 miles northeast of Ubon and he was forced to eject. He was subsequently rescued to fly and fight again…

(2) MAJOR F.A. ARMSTRONG was flying an A-1E of the 1 ACS and 14 ACW out of Pleiku on a Steel Tiger mission when hit at 9,000-feet by automatic weapons fire. The aircraft burst into flames and MAJOR ARMSTRONG ejected eight miles west of Khe Sanh. He was rescued by a VNAF helicopter.

RIPPLE SALVO… #495… The Navy Rolling Thunder aviators operating from the aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin went to war knowing that the term of employment as a strike-fighter was two cruises of about 6-7 months duration. Fourteen months of combat was the only limit–the number of missions was whatever could be flown on two cruises. This worked out to be about 200-225 missions. The Air Force Rolling Thunder warriors going North were limited to 100-missions “up north.” Sorties flown in Steel Tiger, Barrel Roll and “down South” did not count toward the Magic 100. To earn the red, white and blue “100 Missions: North Vietnam” badge –a badge of honor– took about seven months of “hanging it out” over the heavily defended homeland of the North Vietnamese. The F-105 warriors at Korat wore Australian bush hats on which, I am told, they kept track of their counters by marking off the missions with the “stroke of a pen” on the band. To differentiate the missions into Route Package 6, where the odds of getting bagged were five times as great as in the lower Packs 1-3 and some of 4, the stroke for the mission into the Red River Valley was made with a red pen. If it was a really hairy flight in Route Pack 6, that red stroke was highlighted with a dot… The pen strokes on the hats were a visible statement of status, tracked a pilot’s progress towards his one hundred mission goal, and served as a powerful motivator.”

Why the “badge of honor” and the drama. This from the dissertation of William F. Andrews “To Fly and Fight: The Experience of American Airmen in Southeast Asia” to meet the Doctor of Philosophy requirements at George Mason University in 2011:

“It was a tangible sign that the man who wore it had mastered his fears, controlled his aircraft and self, and had used his aircraft to accomplish a mission and to support others over the course of one hundred dangerous flights to North Vietnam. Air Force fighter crews’ motivation to prove themselves as competent aviators in the eyes of their peers and their sense of obligation and duty coalesced powerfully behind the count towards the completion of a one hundred mission tour.”

In the words of Colonel Jack Broughton, “statistics proved that the average mission expectancy of a Thud driver was sixth-five missions. Thus, there ain’t no way. Their definition of supreme optimist was a Thud driver who quit smoking because he was afraid of dying from lung cancer.”

On 13 July 1967 CAPTAIN DONALD O. AUSTIN from the 34TFS and 388 TFW flew his 100th mission over North Vietnam. The following is testimony from CAPTAIN AUSTIN captured in W. HOWARD PLUNKETT‘s brilliant compilation of the 34 TFS/F-105 History (page 112): (Thanks, Howie)…

CAPTAIN AUSTIN: “I had a total of 111 missions of which 100 were over North Vietnam packages I-VI Alpha or 1-6 Alpha. I also flew 11 missions striking infiltration routes, storage areas, troops movements working with Forward Air Controllers in Laos and one mission in northeastern Cambodia. The FAC missions generally had us bombing the FAC’s phosphorus rocket smoke because very nearly every target was well hidden from US airplanes because of the jungle. A FAC discovering troops, etc. could plan on a whole lot of fighters being directed to him in the attempt to kill what he had caught in the open. The FACs were relatively safe from getting down low and searching for targets because if the bad guys opened fire on a FAC they knew a whole bunch of fighters would soon be joining the fray.

“Of the 100 missions over North Vietnam, 26 of them were directly into Pack 6 Alpha hitting targets around Hanoi including the bridge to the east past the Doumer bridge in downtown Hanoi. I flew a lot of missions striking the northeast railroads that ran from Hanoi on up into China. We passed by all kinds of trains and rolling stock parked just a few feet inside the buffer zone the ‘wonderful’ leaders of the war establishment after one of our guys strayed into China outrunning a Mig. (Mike Lanning, I believe). The ‘wonderful’ generals and admirals and especially LBJ were so afraid China might get involved. Hell, they were already arming the North Vietnamese to the teeth and that was ok as long as we didn’t upset the Chinese or Russians who were already flying some of the North Vietnamese airplanes and shooting down a few of our guys.

“I still can vividly recall the mission I flew to drop CBU (cluster bomb units) to knock out as many AAA sites as possible round the bridge just east of Doumer bridge cross a tributary of the Red River”…

For the Navy carrier based strike-fighters there was no badge. But some kind soul did come up with a fancy paper certificate for the “200th Mission Over North Vietnam,” and when it was all over there was no jeep ride or flyover, just the relief that you had completed two combat cruises and honored your commitment. Of course, since the war went on for another five years of tamer times (not counting the Linebacker Operations) after Rolling Thunder, the opportunity to add two or three hundred more missions was there for the asking…   

RTR QUOTE for 13 July: VIRGIL: “Thy honor, thy name and thy praises shall endure for ever.”…

Lest we forget…        Bear