RIPPLE SALVO… #173… CHECKING STARS… but first a little reflection…
Good Morning: Day ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY THREE of living in the past and remembering the steady courage of the Rolling Thunder aviators…
21 AUGUST 1966… THE TOP OF THE NEWS AT HOME… NYT… A partly cloudy Sunday in New York City…
Page 1: “New York Area Will Get U.S. Aid To Spur Job Rise”…”The Brooklyn Navy Yard area was declared eligible yesterday for Federal aid. The government agreed to help the city create new employment and income opportunity in the area, hard hit since the Department of Defense closed the 165-year old installation June 25. In announcing what it described as the first such action resulting from the closing of military installations, the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce declared the shipyard and its neighboring area eligible for financial aid to revitalize its economy.”… Page 1:…”Airlines Resume Half of Flights, Bookings Heavy”… “Five airlines whose 4,100 daily flights were grounded during a 43-day strike that ended Friday, resumed about half their operations yesterday. Some planes carried more crew members than passengers. The resumption of service, which is expected to become complete today, meant a return to payroll–and to steak instead of salad–for 101,000 airline workers, a scrapping of ingenious travel schemes by anxious business men and tourists, standing in ticket lines again for stranded European travelers, and sighs of relief for resort hotel owners who have empty rooms.”…
Page 1:…”Terrorists Raid Danang G.I. Club:…”At least nine Americans were wounded last night in the northern city of Danang when terrorists threw five hand grenades into a crowded United States non-commissioned officers club. Military policemen said two Vietcong threw the grenades. Two soldiers shot and killed one and wounded the other. Of the Americans wounded eight were servicemen…only three of the hand grenades exploded. The attack was the first in Danang in several months.”…
Page 3:…”U.S. Finds Ho Chi Minh Trail Grows”…”United States sources say the North Vietnamese have succeeded in greatly enlarging and improving the so called Ho Chi Minh trail through Laos to South Vietnam in the last 18-months. Despite daily air strikes, the sources declared, the North Vietnamese have been able to turn a web of what were once simple tracks or paths into a complex of dirt roads over which their Soviet made supply trucks can move. Since the middle of 1965, according to these sources, new routes have been added…Bombing and rains have hampered but not stopped movement all the new roads. The big entrance to the trail from North Vietnam are the Mugia Pass and through the DMZ at the 17th parallel.”… Page 7:…”Zone Raided Daily”…”American war planes are attacking the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam every day with tactical air strikes. Spokesmen would not comment on a North Vietnamese charge that U.S. planes bombed three villages in the six mile wide buffer zone, but said that ‘there are daily strikes in the zone and when we find supply dumps, anti-aircraft sites or other military targets, we go in and hit them. As long as the North Vietnamese keep infiltrating and putting supplies in the zone, we will continue to hit it. Raids on the DMZ began July 30 when B-52s struck ammunition dumps, gun positions and other targets.”…
Page 4:…”Ky Junta Facing Problems In Vote”…”The military junta may find it difficult to elect a bloc strong enough to control the constitutional drafting assembly to be elected September 11. Forty seats, or a third plus one of the 117 seats in the constituent assembly, would be enough for effective control since a Government decree says that the ruling directory of 10 generals and 10 civilians can reject any provision unless overruled by a two thirds majority.”… Page 7;…”Senator Ernest Gruening, Alaska Democrat, in a speech on Long Island urged the halting of the ‘stupid, indefensible war in southeast Asia. The United States doesn’t want elections in South Vietnam because the would lose. Not only are we intruders, we are aggressors.’…”…. Page 17: “Bonn Accused Of Starfighter Crashes”… “The Commanding General of West Germany’s Air Force today charged politicians, including the Defense Ministry, with negligence relating to the series of crashes of the F-104 Starfighters that have plagued the Luftwaffe in recent years (they held back security equipment that might have saved pilots lives. ‘since 1961, 61 of the Luftwaffe’s Starfighters have crashed. Thirty-six pilots have died as a result of the crashes.”…Page 18: “TFX Controversy Boiling Again” as Senate bars funds in face of issues of aircraft weight of Navy version of the controversial fighter. The Navy contends the aircraft weight of 77,500-pounds is too heavy for carrier operations.”…
21 AUGUST 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… NYT (22 August reporting 21 August ops) Page 1: “…Navy jets from the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt attacked rail yards and oil and fuel tank areas just outside of the city of Thanh Hoa in North Vietnam and Air Force fighter-bombers struck at Dong Hoi on the coast 50 miles north of the DMZ. Raids on the North yesterday cost one Air Force plane, a photo reconnaissance RF-4C Phantom, was shot down 30 miles northwest of Dong Hoi. One crewman was rescued (CAPTAIN HAWKS … see RTR #172)…the other was listed as missing (1LT MILIKIN–KIA…see TRT #172)….
“Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) …Two aircraft downed in Southeast Asia on 21 August 1966…
(1) LT ALLAN RUSSELL CARPENTER was flying an A-4E of VA-72 Blue Hawks embarked in the carrier USS FDR was on an armed reconnaissance mission and had competed one 2’75 rocket attack on a number of railway trucks 5 miles south of Thanh Hoa and was climbing through 8,000-feet for a second attack when his engine began to fail. He turned for the coast and coaxed his failing aircraft over the Gulf and as the aircraft became engulfed in flames he ejected and was rescued by a Navy helicopter. the cause of his engine failure was either ground fire in the heavily defended target area or ingestion of 2.75 rocket “foreign object damage,” a significant problem throughout the war. LT CARPENTER would be shot down again in November and finish the war as a POW….
(2) CAPTAIN NORMAN LOUROSS WELLS was flying an F-105D of the 354th TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli on a POL strike 5 miles northwest of Kep and was hit by anti-aircraft fire as he was recovering from his bombing attack. CAPTAIN WELLS was able to control his heavily damaged aircraft east to feet wet over the Gulf of Tonkin where he ejected as the aircraft became uncontrollable. He was rescued by Navy helicopeter… He too would be shot down again in carrying the fight to the enemy in his homeland…
RIPPLE SALVO… #173… HAPPENSTANCE… On this day fifty-years ago today two gutsy strike pilots were hit by triple A over their respective targets, nursed their aircraft east to the Gulf of Tonkin, and ejected. Both were recovered by Navy helicopters and returned to fly and fight a day or two later. CAPTAIN WELLS was an F-105D aviator on his 75th mission and LT CARPENTER was a Navy Light Attack pilot in his first months of combat. Both pilots would subsequently be shot down a second time but unable to keep their aircraft flying. Both ejected and were captured and imprisoned as POWs after safely parachuting into North Vietnam… CAPTAIN WELLS was downed on his 78th mission. LT CARPENTER was downed on his 107th mission (a great story yet to be old) on 1 November 1966. Both would survive the war and fly again… Gentlemen, awesome guts and terrible luck… here’s to you…with highest erspect and admiration…
Shorthitting tonight…gotta watch some stars… and ponder the good life lived in the arena… here’s to our country and all who have served, and are serving, in “The Central Blue.”…
Lest we forget… Bear ………. –30– ……….