RIPPLE SALVO… #257… BODY NOT RECOVERED…but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN of a three year review of the air war in North Vietnam fought fifty years ago…
14 NOVEMBER 1966… HOME TOWN HEADLINES of the New York Times on a sunny Monday at the United Nations Headquarters where the pendulum never stops swinging…
Page 1: “President Signs Foreign Tax Bill with objections to several of the provisions of investment inducing plan. Vetoes crime measure opposing police questioning in capital cases for 10 hours before arraignment.”… Page 1: “President to have surgery at Bethesda on Wednesday.”… Page 1: “Astronaut Beats Fatique Problem On a Space Walk. Aldrin easily outside Gemini 12 for 2-hours achieving the last of main goals on the mission.”… Page 1: “Prestige of Red China Plummets as fellow Communists in Asia are upset at upheavals. Reputation in West marred by Purge and Red Guards.”… Page 1: “Retaliatory Raid By Israelis Spurs Battle In Jordan. Fight joined after 40 Arab homes are destroyed. U.N. obtains cease fire while each side reports the other sustained heavy loss during four hour action.” … Page 1: “GIs Dug in on hill survive a 500-round mortar attack.” … Page1: “Treasury Studies a Bond to Pay 5%.” … “Page 1: “Robert F. Kennedy: 2 years after his election to Senate waits for right year to run for President.” … Page 11: “138 U.S. Leaders Chide War Foes. Eisenhower among Signers of Freedom House who say war foes fail to draw the line between what is responsible and what is irresponsible.”… Page 17 “Vietcong Asserts Allies Lost More Than 1,600 Troops in 3 November fight.”…
14 NOVEMBER 1966… The President’s Daily Brief… CIA (TS sanitized)…Jordan: The Jordanians feel they are caught in the cross fire between Israel and Arab extremists. King Husayn believes that Israel deliberately chose to attack Jordan because it was militarily easier than attacking Syria–the real instigator of terrorist attacks on Israel. The Jordanians are particularly piqued because they believe they have done everything possible to prevent terrorists on their soil from entering Israel, while Israel had not made comparable effort to police its side of the border. Ambassador Burns in Amman still feels the Jordanians will not resort to further military action. He notes, however, that Jordan’s army took a bad mauling Sunday and strong pressures for a reprisal could develop….
14 NOVEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… Not reported in New York Times… “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were no fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 14 November 1966… oohrah!
RIPPLE SALVO… #257… In lieu of watching pro football this afternoon, a life-long addiction I am working on beating, I went Googling. On one stop I called up “U.S Unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.” As of June 2016 there were 1,618 Vietnam warriors who remain unaccounted for. “Killed in action, body not recovered total 841 and another 727 are presumed to have died in combat, body not recovered. Another 34 who were captured remain unaccounted for. The big numbers are followed by 32 pages of names, dates and home towns. The work of the Joint Recovery folks will never be done…
Over the 1965 to 1975 period covering the Vietnam War 17 carriers made a total of 86 combat deployments to the South Chins Sea. USS Hancock’s 1966 deployment is typical of that made by the other CTF-77 “Carrier Striking Force” carriers. Hancock’s second combat cruise dates were 6 December 1965 to 21 July 1966 and included 165 days on the line conducting combat operations in support of Operation Rolling Thunder with Carrier Air Wing 21 embarked. On the 1966 cruise, CAG-21 lost 4 A-1H Skyraiders: 5 A-4C Skyhawks; 4 A-4E Skyhawks; 1 EA-1F Fudd; 1 F-8C Crusader; 6 RF-8C Crusaders; 6 F-8E Crusaders; 3 RF-8A Photo Crusaders: and 1 UH-2A, a total of 21 aircraft. Ten Air Wing warriors were left behind:
(1) COMMANDER CHARLES HESSOM Commanding VA-215 (A-1H) was killed in action on 5 March 1966. Crashed into hills after being hit by ground fire about 35 miles south of Vinh. Body not recovered.
(2) LT RICHARD L. LAWS of VF-24 (F-8C) was killed on a 3 April 1966 strike on a POL site at Bai Thoung 30 miles northwest of Thanh Hoa. Aircraft flew into hills and exploded. No ejection. Body not recovered.
(3) LT DENNIS P. COOK of VA-212 (A-4E) was killed on a catapult shot on 6 April 1966. No ejection. Body not recovered from South China Sea.
(4) LTJG THOMAS G. WALSTER of VFP-63 (RF-8G) was hit by AAA over Vinh on a photo recce mission on 9 April 1966. He was able to fly the aircraft to DaNang but unable to land the damaged aircraft. He then flew it out to sea and ejected. He subsequently drowned when the rescue swimmer could not keep the parachute and Ltjg Walster from going under. Body not recovered.
(5) LIEUTENANT WILLIAM P. EGAN of VA-215 (A-1H) died on 19 April 1966 and Hancock records state that he is “still at sea.”
(6) LTJG THOMAS E. BROWN of VF-211 (F-8E) was killed in action on 29 April 1966 recovering from a strafing attack on water borne logistic craft 30 miles east of Haiphong and he inexplicably flew into a karst formation. Body not recovered.
(7),(8), and (9) LCDR JOHN T. GLANVILLE, LTJG GEORGE E. GIERAK, and PTC BENNIE R. LAMBTON of VAP-61 (RA-3B) were killed in action on 13 June 1966 while flying a Black Bart night photo mission southeast of Vinh and failed to return from the mission. Bodies not recovered. No trace of the aircraft or crew members was ever found.
(10) LT JOHN R. MCDONOUGH of VAW-13 (EA-1E) died on 20 June 1966 and Hancock records state that he is “still at Sea.”
There are still more than 1,600 true patriots –patriots who take the fight to the enemy (Reagan)– unaccounted for. Thirty-two pages of names. Each with a story that goes with their respective ultimate sacrifice for our country. “Body not found” (BB) and “Presumptive finding of death” (XX) as a bottom line on a “true patriot’s” life and death for his country is a poor final entry to a life of courage and service. We can do better. We have left 1,600 comrades behind and no case should ever be closed. The continued search for our missing and unaccounted for is a must. It is a cause of first order…
Lest we forget… Bear -30-