RIPPLE SALVO… #141… “AMERICANS UNACCOUNTED FOR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA=1,618″…but first…
Good Morning: Day ONE HUNDRED FORTY-ONE of remembering the warriors– dead, alive, and MISSING– in SOUTHEAST ASIA…
20 JULY 1966… PAGE ONE NEWS ON THE HOME FRONT… NEW YORK TIMES… A partly cloudy Wednesday in Manhattan…
Page 1: “Negro Killed In Cleveland; Guard Called In New Riots”… “A Negro man was killed tonight as sporadic street violence surged through a run down neighborhood on this city’s east side for the second straight day. At least 211 persons were injured. Governor James Rhodes proclaimed a state of emergency and called up a force of about 1,500 Ohio National Guardsmen to quell the renewed rioting. The first troops began moving into Hough, the turbulent riot zone, near midnight. Tonight’s riot victim, who was killed in an outburst of gunfire was the second in two nights of disorders here. Police battled snipers shooting from rooftops. The police returned fire using pistols, shotguns and tear gas. The sniper fire was directed at the police from a four story building after officers arrested four Negroes, one of them a small boy. The police have made more than 100 arrests from mobs of Negroes as police swept from block to block…”Page 1: “Forty Negroes Leave Brooklyn Homes”… “Forty Negro tenants moved early this morning from two Brooklyn apartment homes after a series of violent outbursts between Negro and Puerto Ricans in the especially tense Brownsville section. The violent incidents began two weeks ago after a white Puerto Rican threw a bag of water that burst near a Negro Puerto Rican baby.”… Page 1: “Chicago Officials Voice Concern”…”over apparent gang alliance with rights leaders.” The concern being the appearance on the West Side that the alliance gives the gangs the prominence and importance they seek for classically criminal ends. The city strategy of dealing with teen age bands has been to isolate individual members from the gangs to direct whose who are willing toward more normal socially productive activity… a gang alliance with civil rights leaders challenges the city strategy…”
Page 1: “Hanoi Indicates Trials Of Fliers But No Executions”…”Two North Vietnamese diplomats were reported today to have declared that captured American pilots would be tried as war criminals. At the same time, President Ho Chi Minh hinted that the prisoners would not be executed. The first official statements of plans to try some of the prisoners were given by the North Vietnamese Ambassadors to Peking and Prague. Both were quoted to the effect that the American pilots were not considered prisoners of war but criminals, who would be tried and judged by the North Vietnamese authorities. Since the start of American air raids on Hanoi and Haiphong on 29 June, North Vietnam has built up a vigorous propaganda campaign charging down fliers with war crimes evoking popular demands for their trials and threatening severe punishment, including death. The campaign provoked anxious private as well as public effort by the United States to head off the trials, and that failing, to caution Hanoi against execution or any other severe penalties.”…
20 July 1966… The President’s Daily Brief… CIA (TS sanitized) North Vietnam: Hanoi may be trying to lower somewhat the heat generated by the recent talk of possible trials and executions of captured US airmen in North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese press representative in Laos, just back from a stay in Hanoi, told a Western journalist today that he is sure no death sentence will be carried out. He added, however, that he thinks there will be “war crimes” trials and that airmen will be given long prison terms. The North Vietnamese charge’ in Algiers publicly suggested today that Hanoi is no hurry to commit itself to trials of the airmen. (the rest redacted and still classified as of September 2015)…
20 July 1966…OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…New York Times (21 July reporting ops on 20 July)…Page 1: “2 More U.S. Craft Downed By North Vietnamese Fire”…”Two more United States warplanes were shot down by North Vietnam yesterday (20th) the United States command announced today. The seven Americans aboard–six in one of the two aircraft–were listed as missing. This raises to six the number of American aircraft downed in the North in a week. Yesterday American pilots encountered a record barrage of 29 surface-to-air missiles and a flight of challenging MIGs during the strikes at oil deposits and other targets in the North Vietnam heartland. During these missions two United States planes were downed, one by missile and the other by a MIG-17. The early reports of yesterdays action said that 3 American planes had been downed, but that was corrected. Today’s losses brought to 297 the total number of aircraft downed since the United States offensive against the north started February 7 of last year. The plane with the six-man crew was an RB-66 twin engine reconnaissance craft. It was shot down 70 miles north-northwest of Hanoi. The second plane was an F-105D Thunderchief, which was shot down while on a strike mission 60 miles north-northeast of Hanoi.”…also page 1:”Air War Intensifies”… “A United States Navy F-8 Crusader was shot down over North Vietnam today (19th) in the record barrage of surface-to-air missiles sent up by the North Vietnam defenders. The days air losses in the increasingly intensive air war in North and South Vietnam also included a jet fighter shot down by a MIG-17 and in South Vietnam an observation airplane and two helicopters. Air Force, Navy and Marine aircraft flew a record number of 518 individual bombing and strafing missions in the South, destroying more than 650 buildings in rural and wilderness areas. The official spokesman in Saigon did not confirm that one of the 29 SAMs fired near Hanoi had hit the Navy Crusader that was lost since security rules guard against disclosing how effective particular enemy anti-aircraft weapons are…”
Page 1: “Other aircraft losses were: an F-100F Supersaber carrying a combat photographer and a pilot crashed on a strafing attack 15 miles west-southwest of Saigon killing both men. An Army UH-1 and an O-1 mid-air near Pleiku killed six in the Huey and one in the O-1…Air Force flew a total of 54 missions over the North concentrating its efforts on 16 relatively small POL storage areas. Thirteen were against Boder in the panhandle, bringing to 31 the total to strike that POL target in three days. Bomb damage for today’s 54 USAF missions included 15 secondaries and 19 fires. Air force pilots also struck two SAM sites 35 miles north-northwest of Hanoi. Navy pilots flew 42 missions against POL storage areas, including a depot 19 miles northwest of Haiphong with 1000-pound bombs and a fuel refinery and storage area near Vinh.”… Short note on the page: “Hanoi radio reports 9 jets down and many captured pilots.”
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Chris Holson) for 20 July 1966, Page 67: Four aircraft….
(1) CAPTAIN MERRILL RAYMOND LEWIS was flying an F-105D of the 34th TFS and 388th TFW out of Korat and leading a flight of four Thunderchiefs on an attack on the Vu Chua railroad bridge northeast of Hanoi and was hit by 85mm anti-aircraft fire as he approached roll-in. His wingmen observed to aircraft burst into flames and the aircraft fell off into a dive. CAPTAIN LEWIS was thought to have escaped from the aircraft, but no parachute or beeper were seen or heard. CAPTAIN LEWIS’ remains were recovered by the North Vietnamese at the crash site 25 miles northeast of Kep and returned to the United States for positive identification in September 1989. CAPTAIN LEWIS was Killed in Action leading an attack on and facing the enemy fifty years ago today. He paid the “last full measure” for his country… Lest we forget… we remember!
(2) CAPTAIN WILLIAM HARLEY MEANS, 1LT EDWARD LEE HUBBARD, CAPTAIN LAWERENCE BARBAY, CAPTAIN NORMAN ALEXANDER McDaniel, CAPTAIN GLENDON WILLIAM PERKINS and 1LT CRAIG ROLAND NORBERT were flying an RB-66 of the 41st TRS and 460th TRW out of Takhli on an ELINT mission in support of a strike group attacking a target north of Hanoi. The aircraft was in orbit at 29,000-feet 25-miles north of Thai Nguyen when hit by one or two SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. CAPTAIN MEANS fought hard to keep the aircraft flying and managed to put 55 miles toward a safe area before having to abandon the aircraft. all six crewmen successfully parachuted out of the doomed aircraft. All but 1LT NORBERT were captured and interned as POWs for the duration and were returned in 1973. 1LT NORBERT was an electronic warfare officer and did not accompany the crew into captivity. A North Vietnam interrogator told one of the crew that 1LT NORBERT died of burn injuries soon after his capture. He was declared dead by the USAF in 1978. (There is no information on the recovery or return of his remains…No man left behind?) …1LT NORBERT you are remembered…
(3) COLONEL WILLIAM HUMPHREY NELSON was flying an F-105D of the 355th TFW on an armed road reconnaissance mission 35 miles southwest of Hanoi and was downed on his second staffing attack on a truck. COLONEL NELSON was assigned to the staff of the 355th TFW and was the highest ranking Air Force officer to be Killed in Action since March 1964. COLONEL NELSON died a warrior’s death serving our country fifty years ago today… Lest we forget…
(4) CAPTAIN R.A. WALMSLEY and 1LT S.W. GEORGE were flying an F-4C of the 555th Wolfpack and 8th TFW out of Ubon on a night road reconnaissance hunt and kill mission over North Vietnam just north of the DMZ when hit and damaged by ground fire. CAPTAIN WALMSLEY elected to return to Ubon and successfully brought the crippled aircraft home but crashed on the night landing killing 1LT GEORGE and seriously wounding himself. Guts. 1LT GEORGE was listed as Killed in Action fifty years ago this day…he rests in peace…
RIPPLE SALVO… #141… MISSING…FOREVER… My sources for the following are a superb tale written by the wife of a Marine who was last seen in his A-4 participating in a strike mission out of Danang to attack gun emplacements in the Ban Karai pass in Laos. His aircraft was struck on a strafing pass and was last seen going into the clouds on fire. (see my RTR post for 29 April 1966). CAPTAIN WILLIAM FRANCIS MULLEN, USMC is still missing. His wife BABARA MULLEN KEENAN has written a book I most highly recommend for all you guys who left a loving wife and a couple kids behind to carry the fight to our enemy in North Vietnam. This is the story that might have been for our families. The book is entitled “Every Effort: One woman’s courageous search for her missing husband–a true story.” St. Martin’s Press, 1986… try abebooks.com...they can line you up with a used copy for about five bucks… get it, read it and count your blessings…you got a ticket for a round trip… this is a story that gives real meaning to a pledge to “leave no man behind.” I will quote a little that should be all you need to put you on the hunt for a copy of “Every Effort.”
The other source for this day is the 9 June 2016 “Vietnam-Era Statistical Report” on line at the Defense Department’s POW-MIA unit. Here are some numbers I pulled out for you who don’t want to chase down the full three pages of very good information. I will have this available on this site, RTR, permanently, by next weekend. Promise. Read it and weep for the our “Americans Unaccounted-For In Southeast Asia.” The bottom line is: 1,618 men remain missing. Of those, 463 are thought be in North Vietnam; 798 are best guess lost in South Vietnam; 49 are missing in Cambodia; and 301 are down in Laos. On the positive side– the recovery effort continues– with “further pursuit” intended for 1,030 of the 1,618 who remain unaccounted for. Another 91 cases have been “Deferred” for the time being, and 497 have been called “No Further Pursuit” on the basis of all leads having been exhausted. In addition, we can all salute the joint recovery folks who have accounted for 1,028 of our missing since 27 January 1973. And the searches go on… NO MAN LEFT BEHIND…
“EVERY EFFORT’ …CAPTAIN WILLIAM (BILL) MULLEN perished on 29 April 1966. (While missing he was twice promoted and is now carried as LIEUTENANT COLONEL). In April 1985 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts Bill Mullen’s son Terry, a six foot-five image of his father was called home from college in New Hampshire to give a short speech to the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars at a dinner meeting attended by his proud Mother, Barbara Mullen Keenan, who writes… I quote: (pages 349-351)…Terry Mullen speaks…
“My father, Lieutenant Colonel William Mullen, a Marine Corps pilot, was sent to Vietnam in 1965,’ he begins. “one year later, two weeks before he was supposed to come home, his plane was shot down on a bombing mission in Laos.
“In 1973 almost six hundred POWs came back from North Vietnam. President Nixon and Dr. Henry Kissinger, however, had signed no agreement for release of the prisoners in Laos. There are five hundred sixty-six servicemen still missing in action in Laos. None of the men shot down there was ever released.
“After 1973 Dr. Kissinger tried to buy the prisoners from the North Vietnamese for three and a half billion dollars in aid, but Congress refused to vote the money. President Nixon became involved in Watergate and the missing men were forgotten in the years that followed.
“I don’t understand how our country can allow men to be captured in a war then desert them. Some of these men would have been held for fifteen or twenty years by now. The United States should tell the world about this tragedy. President Reagan should send the Secretary of State to Laos to talk with the Communist government there. We should ask ourselves what the life of a serviceman is worth. If necessary, our country should pay any amount to get those men released.
“Our government continues to receive information from refugees, satellite photos, and U.S. intelligence sources that report that live American prisoners have been sighted in Southeast Asia. No one knows how many men could have survived, but even if one is still alive, we owe it to him to bring him home.
“I hope people who care will make others believe that this terrible thing has happened and demand that our government get them released somehow. We found a way to bring hostages home from Iran, and these men have been held twenty times as long.
“I want to say something personal now. I was only two and half years old when my father left for Vietnam. I never really knew my father. But I do know some things about him. He is tall, his hair is dark and curly, and his eyes are blue. He was a fine pilot. He laughed a lot and had a lot of fiends. He was a good baseball player, and he played the piano. He loved to sing; his favorite song was ‘Danny Boy.’ I know a lot more things about my father. But I never knew my father.
“If my father is dead, I want him brought back and buried in Arlington with the rest of the dead heroes. Because no matter what anyone thinks of the futile and tragic war in Vietnam, the men who fought there were heroes.
“If my father is alive after all these years, he must think we have forgotten him. I want to know that we haven’t. There is still time to bring him home. If others are alive, we must bring them all home.
“My wish is simple. If my father is alive, I want to know him, not things about him. If he is dead, I want to be able to put a flower on his grave.”
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Barbara Mullen Keenan chose this quote to wrap up her heroic story: “The following is a statement by former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Eugene Tighe, U.S. Air Force, (retired), as quoted in the Congressional Record, 1985… “During my tenure in the DIA, the MIA/POW issue was a key issue for me and of high priority. I ordered a daily update every morning on my desk. I saw more information daily that any man in the world. The evidence is clear to me that there are Americans being held against their will in Southeast Asia.”……….
Lest we forget….. Bear ………. –30– ……….