…WHERE THERE ARE SAR HH-3s AND SH-3s AND CREWS WITH UNBOUNDED COURAGE THERE IS HOPE IF YOU ARE A DOWNED PILOT, AS THERE WAS ON 18 JULY 1967 WHEN THREE INTREPID A-4 WARRIORS FROM USS ORISKANY… HARTMAN, DUTHIE and WOOD WERE DOWN, BUT NOT OUT, because there was HOPE and there were both Air Force and Navy Angels there and ready to lay it all on the line for them…and the SH-3 crew of LT DENNIS PETERSON, ENS DONALD FRYE, AX2 WILLIAM JACKSON and AX2 DONALD McGRANE did… above and beyond the call of duty…
RIPPLE SALVO… #500… ROLLING THUNDER 57, THE FINAL TWEAKS PERFORMED AT THE WHITE HOUSE… but first…
Good Morning… Day FIVE HUNDRED of a return to the air war fought fifty years ago code-named OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER and the incredibly courageous American air crews who carried the Vietnam war into the gauntlet of defenses in the heartland of the enemy…they were called River Rats and Yankee Air Pirates…
18 JULY 1967…HEAD LINES from The New York Times on a muggy, partly cloudy Tuesday in New York City…
Page 1: “Congress Votes Rail-Strike End–Lines Prepare to Resume Today–Commuters Take Tie-Up In stride-President Johnson Heeded– Workers Are Ordered Back to Work As Johnson Signs Bill”… “…calling for an end to the strike, the first nationwide railroad strike since 1946.”… Page 19: “Colt and Strikers Called to Capital”…”The Federal Mediation Service today summoned both management and labor to Washington in an effort to end the strike at Colt Industries, Inc., the sole provider of the M-16. More than 2,000 employees of Colt’s firearms plant t Stamford, Connecticut are idle.”… Page 17: “Dr. Benjamin Spock Says He Will Run As Peace Candidate If Asked...only if neither party ‘nominates a man in 1968 with a sincere desire to end the war in North Vietnam.’ “... Page 37: “John Coltrane, Jazz Star, Dies, Inventive Saxophone Artist, 40...Considered one of the most gifted modern jazz musicians of the decade.”…
SUMMER 1967: “Newark Rioting Is Declared Over; Troops Will Move out–But Police Slay Suspect in Theft After Governor Hughes Lifts Security Measures… while sniping incidents continue, it is grinding to a halt.”… Page 1: “Negroes And Whites in Plainfield Agree On a Plan of Peace…troops moved out and Negro leaders agree to do their own policing ‘and work actively to make their fellow Negroes realize the violence must stop and they must keep it cool, baby.”…”New trouble broke out in Elizabeth, New Brunswick and Jersey City. In Elizabeth 200 Negro youths rioted smashing windows and looting. In Jersey City 40 persons were arrested in sporadic incidents of violence.”… page 23: “Strife Has Left a Bitter Legacy–Newark Negroes Resentful of Tactics Used By Troops...’If you think we’re going to take the kind of stuff they were putting down and just forget it you must be crazy,’ said one raider.”…
SIX DAY WAR/MIDEAST: Page 1: “U.N. Begins Suez Watch in Canal Dispute...observers have taken up positions on both east and west banks.”… Page 1: “Eban In U.N. Calls Arab Recognition A Parley Condition–Replies Sharply to Syrian Charge Israel is Guilty of Ugliest Colonialism–Stiffer View Detected–Accusations Said to Reduce Chances for Substantial Action by Assembly”...”Ebba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister set forth a condition for peace talks with Arabs, the recognition of Israel’s statehood, sovereignty and international rights.”…
VIETNAM: Page 1:”U.S. Casualties Exceed Saigons–Figures Since May 1 Indicate that Burden of Fighting is Shifting Decisively to American Troops”… A study of casualty lists since January 1 shows that while more Soputh Vietnamese soldiers were killed than American soldiers in the first five weeks of 1967, the situation has been reversed. South Vietnam has more than 650,000 men under arms and the United States command stands at 465,000 men. Since the first of my 2,427 Americans have been killed, compared with 2,010 South Vietnamese…5,838 Americans have been wounded in the sme time frame and 2,231 South Vietnamese have been wounded. Tor the first six months of 1967 the number of Americans killed in action is 4,996; South Vietnamese-5,562. Total Americans killed in action since 1961 now at 11,534 with 68,850 wounded in action.” (Humble Host notes: 47,000 more Americans will die for the cause in Vietnam before its over. Sort of rankles the hades out of me when I hear a Member of Congress say: “There isn’t anything over there worth the life of one American boy,” as they watch 47,000 more die in vain.)… Page 1: “White House Pleas Sent to Vietcong–Calls On Them and North Vietnam to Allow POW Inspection”... “The White House called on the National Liberation Front, the political arm of the Viet Cong, and on North Vietnam to permit the inspection of American prisoners and to return the seriously wounded and sick among them… the Untied States knows that more than 160 American military personnel are confined in North Vietnam. Several hundred more are considered missing because the NLF and North Vietnam withhold the names of prisoners and generally prohibit prisoners from sending letters.”… Page 2: “U.S. Statement On POWs”... “The United States calls on the National Liberation Front and North Vietnam to permit impartial inspection of prisoners and urges them to repatriate those wick and wounded prisoners who qualify for repatriation under the covenants convention. The Government of the United States reiterates this willingness to discuss such exchanges at any time in any appropriate was, using intermediaries or directly, by public means or privately.”…The Red Cross remains uninvolved because of North Vietnam’s contention that American captives are war criminals, not prisoners of war and the Geneva Convention does not apply to the American prisoners…. Employment of B-52s in Southeast Asia reached 2-year milestone on 17 July…
18 July 1967… The President’s TS Daily CIA Brief: SOUTH VIETNAM: The Assembly’s election committee voted to disqualify the Thieu-Ky ticket. Even though the Assembly as a whole is expected to reverse the decision later today, the committee’s action is not sitting well with the top military leaders, who are now meeting to decide what to do about it...NIGERIA: All US government personnel, including AID contract employees and Peace Corps Volunteers are being evacuated from the eastern region except for an augmented Consulate staff...CONGO: The retreating mercenaries have stopped in the Punia area southeast of Kisangani. President Mobutu has told Ambassador McBride that his troops would have a tough time driving them out of this inaccessible jungle area….Mobutu expects them to escape by air and has no way of stopping them… LAOS: Ambassador Sullivan has told Premier Souvanna that he will hold up replacing the ten T-28s lost in the Communist penetration of Luang Prabang airfield Sunday until positive improvements in the security of the field are made. MIDEAST: entire section remains redacted after 50 years…
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM…MAJOR GLEN P. YORK, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE… the AIR FORCE CROSS… 18 JULY 1967…
“The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS to MAJOR GLEN P. YORK, United States Air Force, for EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force in Southeast Asia as Rescue Crew Commander of an unarmed HH-3E Rescue Helicopter of the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, Danang Air Base, Vietnam, near Nam Dinh, North Vietnam, on 18 July 1967. Despite the knowledge that a preceding rescue force had been damaged and driven away by intensive anti-aircraft fire, MAJOR YORK unhesitatingly entered an extremely hostile area to rescue downed United States Navy pilot. In the approach to the pilot’s position, one of MAJOR YORK’s escort aircraft was hit and forced to withdraw. MAJOR YORK deliberately disregarded continuous heavy fire from all directions and hovered over the downed pilot until he was safely hoisted aboard. Through his EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, MAJOR YORK reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force”…
18 July 1967: Operation Rolling Thunder…New York Times (19 July reporting 18 July 1967) Page 9: “Among the target struck yesterday were the Donson petroleum storage area 13 miles northwest of Haiphong, the Quichan storage complex 59 miles southwest of Thanh Hoa, the Hagia highway bridges and railroad bridges 20 miles north of Hanoi and the Kep railroad yard 38 miles northeast of Hanoi….In the South Air Force and Marine pilots flew 452 sorties. Helicopters and fixed wing aircraft sank 134 sampans, 71 of them in one attack five miles northeast of Tamky in Quangtin province. Only limited and sporadic contacts were made in the ground war.”... Page 9: “Hanoi Radio reported 4 planes downed and the total shot down by the North is now 2,106″…
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Hobson) There were four fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 18 July 1967…
(1) LCDR RICHARD DANNER HARTMAN was flying an A-4E of the VA-164 Ghost Riders embarked in USS Oriskany…
(2) LTJG LARRIE J. DUTHIE was flying an A-4E of the VA-164 Ghost Riders embarked in USS Oriskany…
(3) LTJG BARRY T. WOOD was flying an A-4E of the VA-164 Ghost Riders embarked in USS Oriskany…
Chris Hobson tells the story (“Vietnam: Air Losses,” page 109): “The 18th turned out to be another bad day for the Oriskany with the loss of three A-4s and one pilot. VA-164 mounted a raid on the Co Trai railway and road bridge, which had been the target just five days earlier. LCDR HARTMAN had successfully bombed the target and was leaving the are when his aircraft was hit by AAA. The Skyhawk caught fire and HARTMAN ejected about 25 miles south of Hanoi. Encouraged by the recovery of LCDR VERICH on the 16th, a SAR mission was quickly organized and aircraft from VA-164 orbited over HARTMAN’s position to provide protection. However, this was an extremely ‘hot’ location and after about 12 minutes another VA-164 A-4 was hit by anti-aircraft fire. LT DUTHIE was jinking to avoid being hit but there was just too much flak in the sky that there was very little chance of avoiding it for long. His flight controls began to fail and his oxygen supply failed, probably as a result of the oxygen tank being hit and burning through the aircraft structure. LT DUTHIE ejected and came down near Nam Dinh, about 45 miles southeast of Hanoi.
“Worse was to follow a little while later as a rescue attempt was made by a Navy SH-3 by strong anti-aircraft fire. One of the escorting A-4s from DUTHIE’s VA-164 section was hit as it pulled out of a 45-degree dive to launch Zuni rockets against firing gun positions. LT WOOD noticed his fuel guage was rapidly unwinding indicating a fuel leak as he jettisoned his ordnance and made for the coast. He ejected about eight miles out to sea and was picked up a boat from the SAR destroyer, the USS Richard B. Anderson. Meanwhile, both Navy and USAF rescue forces were attempting to reach LT DUTHIE. In the face of intense ground fire that damaged several helicopters and escorting aircraft, an HH-3E, piloted by MAJOR GLEN YORK, made a successfully pickup. MAJOR YORK was awarded the AIR FORCE CROSS (see above) for this daring rescue.
“The next day (19 July 1967), an SH-3A from the USS Hornet’s HS-2 and piloted by LT DENNIS W. PETERSON attempted to reach LCDR HARTMAN once again. The helicopter was hit by ground fire and crashed killing all on board, including the pilot LT DENNIS PETERSON, ENSIGN DONALD P. FRYE, AX2 WILLIAM B. JACKSON, and AX2 DONALD P. McGRANE. Following this tragedy the SAR mission to rescue LCDR HARTMAN was reluctantly called of. It had cost the Navy two A-4s and an SH-3 helicopter with the lives of four killed in action…. (The remains of FRYE, JACKSON, AND McGRANE were returned in OCTOBER 1982. The remains of LT PETERSON were returned in November 2000 and identified in 2011)…
“Meanwhile, through all this activity overhead, LCDR HARTMAN was in hiding on a karst hill and in radio contact with his flight. He evaded the North Vietnamese for three days and was resupplied by air during this time. However, he was eventually captured and either killed at the time of capture or died soon after in a POW camp. His remains were returned by the Vietnamese on 6 March 1974.” (See also today’s MIGHTY THUNDER POST for Brown Bear’s tale of the attempt to bring Dick Hartman home from his nest on a karst in the badlands.)
(4) CAPTAIN R.R. HEADLY and 1LT G.A. KUEHNER were flying an F-4D of the 555th TFS and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a flak suppression mission near Xom Duong Quan in the Annamite mountains (which the Mugia Pass penetrates), 35 miles west of Cap Mui Ron and the Gulf of Tonkin. They were second best in the shootout and were hit by AAA. CAPTAIN HEADLY was able to fly the aircraft for a few miles before the two airmen had to eject. They were both rescued by HH-3. This was the first combat rescue mission where a Jolly Green Giant used air-to-air refueling to extend the range of the SAR helos.
RIPPLE SALVO… #500… Humble Host hopes you have time to read some or all of the three formerly TS/Eyes Only documents I am linking from the State Department Office of the Historian. It is most strongly recommended that you read all of the #247. “Notes of Meeting” document. This is a great look into the thinking with respect to Rolling Thunder targeting of the guys at the notorious Tuesday meetings. This was an early Tuesday evening meeting in the cabinet Room at the White House where Rolling Thunder target authorization for the rest of 1967 was set in concrete. This is a memo full of the little facts that will support your explanation to grandkids how the targeting was micromanaged from the Head Shed. Little details like the 129 targets which have not been authorized that Secretary McNamara said were largely unimportant; “many within 10 miles of Hanoi and four miles of Haiphong”… “The Secretary said twenty three targets would be proposed within the four mile center of Haiphong. The Secretary said if these targets are permitted, ships will be hit.”… Note the footnote: “On July 20 the execution of RT 57 began.”..
Document 245 at: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d245
Document 247 at: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d247
Document 248 at: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v05/d248
Let the second half of this self-imposed immersion in the history of an air war gone by begin… come on in, the water is fine… 500 blogs to go…
RTR QUOTE for 18 July: GRETTA PALMER (“Permanent Marriage”) “Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy.”…
Lest we forget… Bear