RIPPLE SALVO… #109… ADVERSARIES…but first….
Good Morning : Day ONE HUNDRED NINE of the long look back of fifty years to return to the air war over North Vietnam…
17 JUNE 1966…ON THE HOME FRONT…(NYT)… A cloudy, rainy Thursday in New York City…
Page 1:”21 Killed and 40 Hurt In Fiery Collision of 2 Tankers Near Bayonne Bridge”…”Two tankers collided in bright sunlight in the waters between Staten Island and Bayonne–a thunderous explosion–and 21 seamen perished.” Many more missing and 84 escaped. The Alva Cape carrying 4.2 million gallons or highly inflammable naptha moving westward and about to turn right into Newark Bay. Texas-Massachusetts was moving southward out of the bay and turning left into the Kull. Both ships were under tug control and Texaco hit Alva Cape… ooops… Page 1: “20 Marines Thwart A Six Hour Attack By 400 Against Hill”…At the end of the battle only 2 of the 20 Marines were not killed or wounded. Thirty-two enemy bodies were counted around the Marine position–a hill used for an observation post base 12 miles northwest of Chu Lai, 350 miles from Saigon. The Marine Recon platoon was attacked from all sides and had eight rounds of ammunition remaining when relieved by 22 Marines. “The surrounded Marines used bayonets, grenades and even hurled rocks against the guerrilla force.” OOHRAH… Page 2: “Ky’s Forces Hold A Quarter of Hue'”…”Government troops seized control of a quarter of Hue’ today after series of skirmishes with Buddhists led dissidents. Some soldiers were supporting the dissidents forces”… Page 3: “Package Liquor Ration In Vietnam Cut By U.S.”…for military and civilian personnel. Purchases by the drink are not affected and a man can still buy three cases of beer per month. Effective last month, the amount of alcohol beverages that may be bought in package-retail outlets was reduced from unlimited wine, to three fifths per man, including wine. The reasons for the changes: to curb black market sales and to reduce logistic requirements. More troops equals more booze. 70% of all sales in Vietnam are by the drink…
Page 4: “Parts of Ho Chi Minh Trail Turned Into All-Weather Routes”…to keep heavy trucks moving during the rainy season. “Military observers said that men and supplies were moving on the trail through southeastern Laos despite the on set of the monsoon rains which disrupted truck traffic last year from mid-June to September. Tree branches have been laid across many sections of the complex of routes that make up the trail. Drainage ditches have been dug, bridges strengthened, and bypasses constructed along the ridges above inundated land.” A 60-mile spur has been created that links Cambodia to Southern Laos and has been titled the “Sihanouk Trail.”…Page 4:”Inflation Severe In South Vietnam”… an increasing threat to Ky regime’ seen in rising prices. “while attention has been riveted on south Vietnam’s political crisis, it’s economic crisis has begun to reach such alarming proportions that American officials are deeply concerned.” The cost of living increased by 50% in 1965 and has increased another 20% in 5 months of 1966…
Page 1:”Mississippi Reduces Police Protection For Marchers”…”Governor Paul Johnson reversed today his policy of providing heavy police protection for the civil rights march through Mississippi and resistance to the march stiffened immediately. The Greenwood police jailed three march leaders, a white man used a gun to order supply trucks for the column off the roadside, and marchers experienced more heckling than in any other day in the ten day march. Stokely Carmichael was charged with trespassing when attempting to set up tents on public school property.”
17 JUNE 1966…PRESIDENT’s DAILY BRIEFING…CIA (TS sanitized)…South Vietnam: Government forces continued today the major effort to reassert Saigon’s authority in Hue’. There have been no pitched battles between the opposing forces, though government troops did feel obliged on several occasions today and yesterday to open fire on Buddhist led mobs. There have been several fatalities. The situation is still explosive. It is estimated that about 1,000 soldiers of the First Division in Hue’ are still openly siding with the struggle forces. Many are without weapons, however, and most are passively holed up in the ancient Hue’ citadel, the walled section of the city. Troops in Hue’ loyal to Saigon were further reinforced today and now total some 2,000. Tri Quang, who says he is continuing his hunger strike, is calling for new nonviolent resistance tactics, including a boycott to US personnel and installations. Back in Saigon, the struggle between moderates and militants for control of Buddhist Institute came clearly into the open today. Tam Chau publicized an open letter taking strong issue with the militants, including Tri Quang. In an energetic bid to regain control of the institute, he declared that he will not resign and will not be treated as a mere clerk. The three-day general strike called by the institute, now set to begin tomorrow, is not expected to cause severe disruption. It is opposed by major labor unions….Singapore: This week Prime Minister Lee publicly took issue with the local leftist campaign to discredit the US in Vietnam. In the most unequivocal statement he has yet made on this issue, he told a student groups at the university that the US cannot be blamed for what is happening in Vietnam. The war in Vietnam, he said, is to ensure that the same thing is not repeated elsewhere. He pointed out that Singapore is not the only nonaligned country in South Asia with an important stake in the outcome….
17 JUNE 1966…ROLLING THUNDER OPERATIONS… NYT page 2: “U.S. Jets Evading Three Missiles Wreck Radar In North Vietnam”…”United States Navy and Air Force planes flew a total of 90 multi-plane bombing missions over North Vietnam. Navy pilots reported having destroyed one bridge and damaging eight others, destroying 14 barges and damaging 18 others and hit roads, trucks, and cargo junks. Air Force pilots said they had destroyed two bridges and a variety of other targets. Near the Mugia Pass Air Force pilots hit a petroleum storage area and raised a column of smoke seen for 20 miles. “A Navy jet was shot down 40 miles north of Vinh this afternoon. Other pilots reported that they had seen the downed pilot alive on the ground and had voice contact with him on his rescue radio. But the pilot (LTJG GALANTI…see below) reported he was surrounded by North Vietnamese and was destroying his radio so it could not be used to decoy SAR forces.” “Vetnam: Air Losses,’ page 62: Three losses to report”’
(1) LTJG PAUL EDWARD GALANTI was flying an A-4C of the VA-216 squadron embarked in Hancock on a strike on the rail yards at Qui Vinh, about 30 miles south of Than Hoa when hit by ground fire. The aircraft caught fire and was flyable almost to the coast. Unfortunately, LTJG GALANTI came up short and was forced to eject when the aircraft was no longer controllable. LTJG GALANTI was seen on the ground and was in radio contact. When surrounded he destroyed his radio and was captured. He was paraded in Hanoi with other POWS before going to prison for the duration. LTJG GALANTI returned on 12 February 1973…
(2) Major Disaster… A Navy C-130E of VR-7 based at Moffett Field, California, exploded and crashed 30 minutes after take-off from Can Ranh Bay en route to Kadena on Okinawa. Sabotage was suspected. One body was recovered from the debris field. On this day 17 June 2016 we remember the loss of the following fourteen brave hearts who died in the service of their country Fifty Years Ago today. They rest in peace where they fell.
UNITED STATES NAVY: LCDR RALPH BURTON COBBS…LTJG DONALD EDWIN STEGWORTH…LTJG CLEMENT OLIN STEVENSON…LTJG EDWARD LEON ROMIG…AN M.J. SAVOY…YN2 JACK ISHAM DEMPSEY…ADJ2 CURTIS DAVID COLLETTE…and ADR2 STANLEY JON FRENG…
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE: CAPTAIN CONNIE MACK GRAVITTE…1LT CLAIBORNE PARKS McCall…SSGT OLEY NEAL ADAMS…SSGT ROBERT ALEXANDER CAIRNS…SSGT GENE KARL HESS…and A2C LARRY EUGENE WASHBURN …
(3) A U-10B from Nha Trang was accidentally dropped by a heavy lift helo as the aircraft was being recovered after a forced landing…oops…
RIPPLE SALVO… #109… The Debaters… but first…Sunday 19 June is Father’s Day… “Mighty Thunder” on this site is doing the special day justice for RTR… and the focus of our thoughts on this Father’s Day is the 20,000 Americans whose Fathers gave the last full measure in the service of our country during the Vietnam War…Readers are encouraged to share the stories of some of those children who lost their Fathers in the war. And please share my admiration and respect for Jill Hubbs, who is a driving force among the 20,000 children who lost their Fathers during the Vietnam War…
The Debate: “Stay and Fight” or “Cut and Run.” At this point in our war in Vietnam the overwhelming support in Congress for the war and throughout the country began to erode. On one side: the voices of LBJ, McNamara and Rusk. On the other side: Senators Mansfield and Fulbright. 3v2. And on this day fifty years ago here’s what James Reston had to say about the debate and the debaters….
“The outlook now is for a hot and bloody summer of fighting in Vietnam followed by another effort to arrange a cease fire before the constitutional assembly elections in September. Officials here are increasingly confident, despite the political turmoil in Saigon, that the American expeditionary force will be able to punish the enemy severely in the next two months, and that may improve the chance of negotiating a 30 or 60 day truce before the vote…This is still the basic point of conflict between the President (McNamara and Rusk) on the one hand, and Senators Mansfield and Fulbright on the other. The President and Secretary Rusk are said to believe that it will not be necessary to take on the entire North Vietnamese Army of some 400,000 men in a long war, but merely to demonstrate that it can wipe out the main divisions this summer. The Senators fear this is just one more optimistic assumption that will prove to be wrong…
Watch these RTR and RS spaces for exciting developments in our rear view mirror…
Lest we forget… Bear ………. –30– ……….