RIPPLE SALVO… #617… AND 55% SAY INCREASE OUR MILITARY INVOLVEMENT… but first…
Good Morning: Day SIX HUNDRED SEVENTEEN of another look at Operation Rolling Thunder on the 50th anniversary of a 40-month campaign of power projection…
13 November 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy and windy Monday in New York..
Page 1: “GAVIN SEES TROOPS IN VIETNAM IN 1970S–SAYS JOHNSON POLICY MEANS A STAY OF 5 TO 10 YEARS, WITH OR WITHOUT A VICTORY”... Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, retired, potential candidate for President, returned home last night from an inspection tour of South Vietnam and criticized the Administration policy makers for not coming out with the truth of the matter–the nation is in for a long war.”… Page 1: “New Pension Bill Gives Big Raises To High Salaried–Senate Pondering Adequate Social Security Benefits for Relatively Affluent–Debate Due this Week–In future, A Monthly Grant for Man and Wife Could Go Up As Much As 60%”... Page 1: “With Johnson in the Front Pew, Minister Questions War Policy”… “An Episcopal minister in Williamsburg, VA. looked down from his pulpit at President Johnson this morning (12th) and asked him for ‘some logical, straight forward explanation’ of United States involvement in Vietnam. The President and several members of his family were in the front pew of the Bruton Parish Church where the Reverend Cotesworth Pinckney Lewis, the rector, interrupted his sermon on world problems to raise the issue of Vietnam. ‘The political complexities of our involvement in an undeclared war are so baffling,’ he said, ‘that I feel presumptuous even in asking questions. But since there is a rather general consensus that something is wrong in Vietnam–a conviction voiced by leaders of nations traditionally our friends, leading military experts, and the rank and file of American citizens–we wonder if some logical, straight forward explanation might be given without endangering whatever military of political advantages we now enjoy.’… As Mr. Johnson left the church he gave the rector a brief smile and murmured ‘Thank you.’ Mrs. Johnson was heard to remark, ‘Wonderful choir.'”… Page 6: “Rabbi Links War In Vietnam With Urban Blight–Head of Reform Group Finds Perverted Sense of Values”… Page 9: “523 Union Chiefs Assail U.S. On War–Differ With George Meany In Calling Involvement ‘Immoral“… ‘…continued involvement of United States was ‘contrary to the best interests of our country.’ “…
13 November 1967…The President’s Daily Brief… VIETNAM: The American soldiers released Saturday by the Viet Cong are expected to arrive in the US by commercial flight this evening. Two of the men are in fair shape; the third is weak, but has already shown improvement… The Viet Cong’s interest in getting as much propaganda mileage as possible from the release is underlined in a recently received official Cambodian document. according to the document, the Viet Cong representative in Phom Penh told the Cambodian foreign minister in late September that the prisoners would be released for “humanitarian reasons,” but with the ultimate aim of encouraging US antiwar groups and demonstrators that the Viet Cong had always treated prisoners well… Viet Cong Thank Americans Who Participated in Antiwar Demonstrations. …The Viet Cong’s Committee for Solidarity with the American People has sent a message thanking the Americans who participated in last week’s antiwar week in the US The asserted that the protests–especially the demonstrations on 21 October at the Pentagon–“greatly impressed” the South Vietnamese people. The Viet Cong also expressed appreciation to the “thousands upon thousands of American youths who destroyed their draft cards or encircled the military induction centers for many days.” The message closed with a prediction that Americans in “yet greater numbers” would take part in the antiwar movement….
13 November 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times…devoid of coverage of the air war in the North… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 13 November 1967…
On 9 November 1LT Lance Sijan was downed in an F-4C Phantom (see RTR for 9 Nov) and began his 46 days of evasion before being captured, escaping, and being recaptured to die under brutal torture in Hilton Hanoi. 1LT Sijan was awarded the Medal of Honor. There is another chapter in this story–the incredible effort to rescue the young Phantom aviator included the downing of one of the SAR Commando A1-E Skyraiders looking for 1LT Sijan on 11 November. The rescue of that downed aviator, Major William Griffith on 11 November 1967, led to this… .
AMONG THE BRAVE…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… LIEUTENANT COLONEL RALPH S. HOGGATT, United States Air Force…AIR FORCE CROSS… SOUTHEAST ASIA… 11 NOVEMBER 1967…
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS to RALPH S. HOGGATT, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM in military operations against an opposing force as an A-1E Skyraider pilot of the 602nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (Commando), Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, SEVENTH Air Force, in action in Southeast Asia on 11 November 1967. On that date, COLONEL HOGGATT led a search and rescue force over a heavily defended troop concentration and supply area on the Ho Chi Minh trail in an effort to rescue a downed pilot. Despite intense and accurate hostile fire which destroyed his wingman’s aircraft and crippled his own, COLONEL HOGGATT, with undaunted determination, indomitable courage and professional skill, remained in this hostile area alone and unaided to provide site support and cover necessary to permit the recovery of his wingman from hostile territory in the face of antiaircraft artillery. disregarding his personal safety and his heavily damaged aircraft he remained in the area for nearly two hours after the recovery of his wingman in order to direct follow-on rescue forces to the scene. Through his EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM, superb airmanship and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Lieutenant Colonel HOGGATT reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.” oohrah…
Colonel Hoggatt flew B-24 Liberators in WWII, served at Osan, Japan in support of the Korean war and flew more than 200 rescue missions in SE Asia as a Sandy, including more than 100 missions over North Vietnam…In addition to the Air Force Cross, Col. Hoggatt was awarded a box full of DFCs… but there is more…
GALLANTRY IN ACTION…AIRMAN FIRST CLASS ROY A. TAYLOR, United States Air Force…the SILVER STAR MEDAL… SOUTH EAST ASIA… 11 NOVEMBER 1967…
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR MEDAL to ROY A. TAYLOR, Airman First Class, U.S. Air Force, for GALLANTRY in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a Pararescue Specialist of an HH-3E rescue helicopter in Southeast Asia on 11 November 1967. On that date, Airman TAYLOR volunteered to descend on the forest penetrator into a jungle heavily infested with hostile ground forces. Suspended in the air, he maintained the exposed position for nearly twenty minutes as he worked to free a downed USAF pilot from entangling vines and bring him to safety on board the helicopter. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Airman TAYLOR has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”…
RIPPLE SALVO… #617… NYT, 11 November 1967… Page 2: “A GALLOP POLL FINDS 59% OF AMERICANS WOULD CONTINUE WAR”… “A special Gallup Poll, conducted for the National Broadcasting Company, indicated that 59 per cent of the American people favor continuing the United States military effort in Vietnam. A breakdown of this group showed only 4% would go on fighting at the ‘present level,’ while 55% would ‘increase our military effort and involvement’ in Vietnam and 7% of those would go as far as to use nuclear weapons.
“On the other side of the issue, 34% of those polled would decrease the military effort and 19% of those said they would like us to pull out of Vietnam immediately…. A spokesman for the network said that the poll had been conducted in all parts of the country and that nearly 1,800 persons had been interviewed. The poll also found that the level of confidence in Mr. Johnson’s ability to deal with the Vietnam question was at least twice as high as that expressed for any potential Republican presidential candidate.”…
RTR Quote for 13 November: CICERO: “History indeed is the witness of the times, the light of truth.”
Lest we forget… Bear