ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED 16 JULY 1967

RIPPLE SALVO… #498… Vietnam: “…70,000 of 464,000 American servicemen in South Vietnam are combat troops…”…but first…

Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN of a return to the air war of the Vietnam war… it was called Rolling Thunder in the years of 1965 until November 1968… anybody remember?…

16 JULY 1967… HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a cloudy, rainy Sunday in the Empire State…

SUMMER 1967: Page 1: “Newark Riot Deaths at 21 As Negro Sniping Widens–Governor Hughes May Seek U.S. Aid–New Blazes Flare–Fire Captain is Killed–Governor Scores Insurrection”... “The Negro districts of Newark erupted again last night and early this morning. Four persons were killed during the night, bringing the total to 21 as the fighting went into its 5th day…”...Page 1: “Newark Rioting Assailed by Meeting of NAACP Convention in Boston”...”A resolution prepared by Roy H. Booth, New York City’s Commissioner for Human Rights called upon law-abiding citizens of both races to act promptly and sternly to put down such violence. The resolution was unanimously approved condemning the Newark riots.”... Editorial Page: “The Ghetto Explodes In Another City–It Was Newark’s Turn Last Week”… “As Negro Militants Challenge Moderates”…

SIX DAY WAR/Mideast: Page 1: “Israelis Report Downing 6 Planes in Suez Clashes–Cairo Also Claims 6 Enemy Aircraft Destroyed in Day of Heavy Fighting–New Cease Fire Called– U.N. Says Both Sides Have Halted Hostilities Set By General Odd Bull”... “Several Israeli and Egyptian jet fighters clashed over the Suez Canal today in the fiercest fighting in the area since the cease-fire became effective on June 9.”… Page 3: “Jerusalem Mood Takes Sober Turn–Arab Israeli Contacts More Purposeful Than Joyous”…”The Arabs and Israelis who mingled joyously two weeks ago when the wartime barriers were removed are now taking a sober second-look at each other. The two peoples who were at war just over a month ago, continue to mingle without tension, but caution and curiosity have been replaced in large measure by purposeful errands.”… Page 3: “Egypt Said to Have Scuttled Ships to Block Canal”... “Western diplomatic sources said here today that Egyptian authorities had deliberately blocked the Suez Canal by sinking some of their own ships at both ends of the 108-mile waterway…at least four vessel, loaded with sand…In 1956 it took nearly 6-months to clear the waterway of scores of scuttled ships.”…Page 3: “Jordan’s Cabinet Offers to Quit; Says Israel Violated Cease-Fire”... “The Government of Jordan announced today that it had offered its resignation to King Hussein…King to seek a cabinet that would ‘cope more aggressively with the economic and diplomatic consequences of last months war with Israel… Cease-fire involved exchanges of fire three times, the longest of 45-minutes. No casualties.

VIETNAM: “Danang Stunned In Wake of Raid–U.S. Officers See No Way to Shield From Rockets”… “Marine officers said here tonight that there was virtually no way anything could be done to prevent such rocket attacks as the one that raked this air base early today. ‘You have got to realize that the enemy can carry rockets and tubes through these hills and never get caught.'”… Page 10: “U.S. Sends Soviet 2nd Note of Regret–Admits Another Ship May Have Been Hit in Haiphong” …..expressed regret: pledged continuing effort to avoid such incidents.”

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… LIEUTENANT, JUNIOR GRADE NEIL ROLEY SPARKS, JR., UNITED STATES NAVY… the NAVY CROSS… 17 JULY 1967…

“The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to LIEUTENANT, JUNIOR GRADE NEIL ROLEY SPARKS, JR., United States Navy, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM in aerial flight on 17 July 1967 as Aircraft Commander of an armored helicopter in Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron TWO (HS-2), during a search and rescue mission over North Vietnam. Lieutenant SPARKS courageously penetrated the coastal defenses of North Vietnam to rescue a downed Naval Aviator in a heavily defended area thirty miles south of Hanoi. Although the helicopter was hit by intense and accurate enemy fire disabling the radios, automatic stabilization equipment, and airspeed indicator, he skillfully hovered for twenty-minutes until the survivor was safely hoisted aboard. Under intense anti-aircraft fire, Lieutenant SPARKS, through adept maneuvering, prevented further damage to the helicopter during the flight back to the coastline. Two and a half hours after penetrating the coastal defenses over North Vietnam, and having traveled two hundred miles over heavily fortified hostile territory, he brought his crew and the downed aviator to safety. By his courageous actions, exceptional skill and fearless devotion to duty, Lieutenant SPARKS prevented the capture by hostile forces of a fellow aviator, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the Naval Service.”           OOHRAH!!!

16 JULY 1967…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times…(This 17 July clip reports ops from 14 July) In the air war over North Vietnam two United States Navy carrier planes were shot down raising the total to 609 American planes lost in the North. A Navy A-4 Skyhawk and Navy A-1 Skyraider were downed by enemy ground fire. One pilot was rescued (Donis), the other was listed as missing in action (CDR Fuller). The losses occurred during 102 missions over North Vietnam largely limited to the southern portion. Bad weather covered the Haiphong and Hanoi areas. The rescued Navy pilot was identified as Lt John Donis of Philadelphia. Lt Donis was rescued by Navy helicopter only minutes after he bailed out two miles from the shore. North Vietnam coastal guns took the rescue operation under attack. Airman Allan Salisbury entered the water to assist Lt Donis into the rescue sling….New York Times ( This 18 July clip reports 16 July ops) “In the air war Navy jets bombed the Doson petroleum storage depot 13 miles southeast of Haiphong and the Kep railroad yard., 38 miles northeast of Hanoi. Other planes raided truck convoys and bridges. American headquarters made no mention of aircraft losses yesterday. Hanoi radio said two planes were shot down and one pilot was captured. The United States command announced that a Navy F-8 Crusader jet was shot down over the North Sunday ( LCDR D.A. VERICH). It was the 610th American plane lost over North Vietnam.”..

“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 16 July 1967…

(1) LCDR DEMETRIO A. VERICH was flying an F-8E of the VF-162 Hunters embarked in USS Oriskany and leading the flak suppression element in an air wing strike on the Phu Ly railway yard 30 miles south of Hanoi when downed by a SAM. Chris Hobson: “As the formation approached the target it came under attack from a SAM site, LCDR Verich started a split-S maneuver to evade two of the missiles but his aircraft was hit by a third SA-2 as the Crusader was diving through 5,000-feet. The aircraft began to disintegrate and LCDR VERICH ejected immediately. Considering that his position was only about 16 miles south of Hanoi when he landed, LCDR VERICH was most fortunate to be rescued by  Navy SH-3 of HS-2 from the USS Hornet at first light on the 17th after 15 hours on the ground close to an AAA position. The helicopter pilot, LT NEIL SPARK, was awarded the NAVY CROSS for his courage and skill in rescuing the pilot. The helicopter spent a total of two hours and 23 minutes over North Vietnam during the rescue, much of the time under fire. ‘Butch’ VERICH had also been shot down on 18 August 1966 during the Oriskany’s second cruise.”

This was the Oriskany’s third lost aircraft in three days on the line. By the end of July Air Wing 16 would lose a total of ten aircraft to combat and accident.

(2) CAPTAIN H.E. PYLE and CAPTAIN J.A. GORDON (USMC) were flying an F-4B of VMFA-115 and MAG-13 out of Chu Lai and suffered an engine fire requiring an ejection shortly after takeoff. They were rescued to fly and fight again.

RIPPLE SALVO… #498… Secretary McNamara and General Wheeler returned from their July 7-11 visit with General Westmoreland in Saigon to make a recommendation to the President on the troop levels required to get the “stalemate” with North Vietnam moving in the right direction. One of the words being used to describe the employment of the 464,000 troops in South Vietnam was “inefficient.” “Westy” took it personally. Here is Neil Sheehan’s story in the New York Times (NYT, 13 Jul, pg.12)…

“Officials In U.S. Irked By Report of Low Ratio of Combat Troops”... “Military officials are privately dismayed at a news report from Saigon that only 70,000 of the 464,000 American servicemen in South Vietnam are combat troops and the rest are rear echelon support elements. The reports appeared in conjunction with statements of Secretary of Defense McNamara that the effectiveness of American troops in Vietnam could be improved by reducing the ratio of support to combat troops…Military officials readily concede that in a force of 464,000 men there is undoubtedly some inefficiency in the use of manpower and that support elements probably could be reduced to some extent. But they consider the estimate that there are only 70,000 combat troops in Vietnam as both inaccurate and an oversimplification of the structure of forces there, and the ratio of support to combat units.”… The explanation... Military forces are divided into three groups: (1) Combat troop that engage the enemy up close and personal; (2) Combat support troops that provide artillery, helicopter and engineer elements as required; and, (3) Service troops that provide transport, headquarters, depot, port and heavy maintenance. In Vietnam 55% of total troop count is estimated to be involved in direct combat and combat support, or 255,200 troops. In Korea and World War II the estimate of record is 57% employed as combat or combat support.

Of course, in Vietnam there were no safe areas. The whole country was a battlefield… ..The Danang mortar/rocket disaster of the week case in point…

RTR QUOTE for 16 July: HERBERT SPENCER, First Principles : “We have unmistakable proof that throughout all past time, there has been a ceaseless devouring of the weak by the strong.”…

Lest we forget…. Bear