RIPPLE SALVO… #110… GUILT DAY… but first…

Good Morning: Day ONE HUNDRED TEN of an odyssey through some exiting history– the “air war”…

18 JUNE 1966…ON THE HOME FRONT… (NYT)… A fair Saturday and only 81 for a high…

Page 1: “Inquiries Begin In Tanker Crash”…the collision on Thursday afternoon was described by Coast Guard officers as the city’s most tragic since the loss of 1,030 lives were lost in the fire aboard the General Slocum in the Upper East River in 1904. In addition to 20 killed the collision and subsequent fires also claimed 122 who are still missing with little hope of recovering them from the wreckage– “The hunt for victims is futile,” said a Coast Guard officer. The scene of the collision has a record for collisions second to none. Since 1953, 26 accidents have occurred in that area near the Bayonne Bridge. The Port of New York Authority has recognized the need to widen the channel in the area as tankers have gotten bigger but the project remains unfunded… Page 1: “Money Devalued In Vietnam” as regime’ moves to stabilize constantly rising prices. “To meet a grave economic crisis, Government sources said the exchange rate for the piaster hither to 73.5 to $1 was changed to 118 per $1. This brought the official rate to the same as that enjoyed by U.S. servicemen. Three other steps have been taken to deal with the crisis: salaries of public workers and military personnel have been raised; the Government has decided to sell gold on the open market to force down the black market price; and cumbersome controls on business and commercial transactions have been lifted… Page 1: “Saigon Policeman Is Slain On the 6th day of Rioting”… killed by a Buddhist youths who took refuge in the Secular Affairs Institute of the United Buddhist Church. “Combat and ordinary policemen then formed in front of the compound and threatened to invade if the youths were not handed over’ About 20 young men and women emerged and were shoved in a van and driven away. The rioting came after a 20 year old girl self immolated. She was the 10th suicide by self-immolation…

Page 2; “Kosygin Resumes Hard Line On Policies of U.S.”…Premier Aleksei Kosygin of the Soviet Union warned today in a speech in Finland that European nations were in danger of getting involved involuntarily in a war started by the United States anywhere in the world. NATO is injurious and dangerous for peace. Through their Vietnam policy and their unwillingness to pay heed to world opinion, the governing circles of the United States are moving further and further to international isolation. Many European states, including neighbors of yours, are bound with the United States obligation of NATO military-political alliance. There is a real danger that these states even against their will and desire can become involved in military conflicts started by American ruling circles anywhere in the world…The United States will never conquer the people of Vietnam, however much it may build up its forces in the area.”

18 June 1966…PRESIDENT’s DAILY BRIEFING… CIA(TS sanitized)... The government’s confrontation with the militant Buddhists has reached a turning point. In Hue’, where there are now four battalions of loyal troops and field police, the government has tightened the grip. Police apparently raided Tri Quang’s headquarters pagoda today, and have banned all demonstrations. General Nhuan, commander of the unreliable First division, has been relieved by a paratrooper general, and his fate is not known… Leaders of struggle forces have been given an ultimatum to surrender within 24 hours or be attacked by the troops. The three-day general strike in Saigon called for by the militants of the Buddhist Institute has failed. Even shops near the Institute pagoda itself apparently remained open for business today. That part of the city remains disturbed, however, and is now off limits to all US vehicles after Molotov cocktails were heaved this afternoon at three US Army jeeps on official business. The main pagoda has been completely sealed off by government police following the murder of a policeman this morning by a mob of youths who apparently took refuge inside. The US Embassy in a general assessment of the recent role of the Buddhists, estimates that the split between the Buddhists moderates and militants is most likely to heal, sees hope that Tri Quang will be thoroughly discredited by current developments….

18 JUNE 1966…ROLLING THUNDER OPERATIONS… NYT (19 June reporting 18 June ops)… “US Says It Has Lost 376 Planes in Vietnam War”… a total of 265, or more than two-thirds went down during bombing raids on North Vietnam, which began 16 months ago. A spokesman for the United States military command said 111 aircraft had been lost over South Vietnam. The figures do not indicate helicopter losses which are known to be more than 60. Meanwhile, it was disclosed that 12 US servicemen were killed yesterday when a Navy C-130 Hercules transport plane crashed into the sea off the Vietnam coast. the aircraft was flying from a field in south Vietnam to Okinawa. Debris was found including four bodies… (RTR #109 reported and identifies 14 personnel killed and only one body recovered.) United States warplanes flying over North Vietnam yesterday knocked out the second Soviet supplied anti-aircraft missile site on consecutive days. Navy planes unleashed air to ground missiles and rockets at the radar sites and radar control trucks. Multi-colored fireballs were seen rising from the site, about 140 miles south of Hanoi. In the South B-52s completed their first year of saturation raids of Vietcong strongholds from their base in Guam….There were no American fixed wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia on 18 June 1966, fifty years ago today…

RIPPLE SALVO… #110… FATHER’s DAY this Sunday…”Mighty Thunder,” the brains of this RTR outfit, is delivering our message for this day of celebrating Fathers in accordance with the Presidential edict that makes the third Sunday in June the day to recognize Fathers, whether they rate it or not… For me, the day is one of silent guilt and I do whatever I can to go low profile and duck the recognition. I believe it would be better to have two Mother’s Days so we could all give credit where credit is due. Let’s face it, Fathers get all the easy chores and not many of them by comparison with the Queen Mother. This is especially so in a Navy family, and I suppose for every military family. Long separations, tight money, dozens of moves, multiple schools for kids, and always an uncertain road ahead. Toughest job in the Navy? Navy wife and Mother... and the wife of a warrior, who signed on to go in Harm’s Way, high responsibility, and demanding duty: the path to command, and then another command and another… That is a woman whose calendar sparkles with 365 Mother’s Days every year…  

On the other hand, I think I did my best (C+) to make up for the long absences by doubling up when I was home. My kids, thanks to their Mother, are offspring to be proud of, and I am. And then some… but, I could have been a better Dad… I still have some time…

This Father’s Day I will be thinking about all the kids, and their brave Mothers, whose fathers did not come home from the war.”They Were Our Fathers,” will be a part of my day. Try this… http://www.wrse.org/local-programs/they-were-our-fathers        

Lest we forget….        Bear        ……….  –30–  ………..