RIPPLE SALVO… #916… NYT, 6-SEPT-68, PAGE 1: “408 U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN A WEEK–Toll is Highest in 3 Months–Enemy Deaths in Same Period Put at 4,476″… “…A spokesman acknowledged that there had been no major American battles during the week and added that the high number of deaths apparently reflected the heavy fighting in the preceding seven-day period.”… but first…
Good Morning…Day NINE HUNDRED SIXTEEN of a return to the years of Operation Rolling Thunder, the air war of 44-month duration fought in the unfriendly skies of North Vietnam fifty years ago…
HEAD LINES from The New York Times of Friday, 6 September 1968…
THE WAR: Page 1: “IN THE WAR TODAY… The allied command announced that South Vietnamese troops had killed 143 enemy troops in three days of fighting in the Mekong Delta. The Government forces lost 8 killed and 25 wounded. This command also announced tha the North Vietnamese fired a surface-to-air missile at a Marine jet yesterday wile it was on a mission in the North. Seventy strike missions were flown against the enemy targets. The Marine fighter-bomber dodged the missile and was undamaged. American military sources said the missile was fired from a point near the coast of the South China Sea 1.2 miles above the demilitarized zone, a point believed to be the southernmost from which the North Vietnamese have fired a missile. The fighting in the Mekong Delta was centered about 62 miles southwest of Saigon… as the government troops swept the battlefield they found eight heavy weapons–machine guns and mortars–22 rifles and a typewriter.”…MORTAR ROUNDS FALL ON SAIGON…Enemy gunners lobbed mortar rounds into Saigon early Friday striking the Cautre police station in the southwestern section of the cit with two rounds. there were no casualties.”… Page 13: “WHITE HOUSE SAID TO HAVE WEIGHED WIDER BOMBING OF NORTH VIETNAM TWICE IN LAST THREE MONTHS”… by William Beecher… “…The first time was in June, during the heavy rocket attacks on Saigon. had the attacks ‘continued another three or four days,’ said one ranking diplomat in Saigon. ‘I’m convinced the President would have allowed our bombers to attack military targets near the 20th Parallel up from the 19th Parallel, where they are now held.’… Now that rockets are falling once again on the outskirts of Saigon and on Danang and other South Vietnamese cities, the implications of an expansion of the area under attack are once more being studied officials here concede.”…
PEACE TALKS… Page 42: JAMES RESTON: “THE PEACE TALKS: SHOULD THE REPUBLICANS BE REPRESENTED”… “President Johnson and his sides are now engaged in various diplomatic activities which will clearly affect the vital interests of the United States long after Mr. Johnson has left the White House. The Paris peace talks on Vietnam are one example…. There is no question here of interfering with President Johnson’s authority or freedom of action. It is his right and duty to act for the nation until January 20 next, but his successor must live with his decisions, and either carry them out or repudiate them out or repudiate them, and this is what raises the problem…. If a peace treaty is negotiated at Paris, it will undoubtedly have to be ratified by the Senate elected in November…. He (Nixon) is entitled to be represented in the decisions he may have to implement. The continuity of policy by informed officials is the main thing for the nation.”… (out of context)…
Page 1: “CLARK CLIFFORD EXEMPTS MISSILE DEFENSE FROM BUDGET CUT– PENTAGON IS CONTINUING WORK ON SENTINEL–Designed To Thwart Chinese Attack–Strength Called Vital–State Department Cancels A Bands Trip to Soviet–Other Moves Weighed”… Page 1: “ATOM PACT FACES SENATE INACTION–President Told That Invasion Of Czechoslovakia Raised Opposition To Russians”… Page 1: “RUSSIAN ENVOY IN PRAGUE FLIES TO MOSCOW fOR TALKS”… Page 3: “SOVIET MOVE BARS CUTS IN NATO NOW– Alliance Weighs Effects Of Czechoslovakia Invasion– Pravda Accuses NATO–Soviet Charges Rejected, Called Outrageous”… Page 4: “WARSAW SAYS PRAGUE ‘ZIONISTS’ SEEK TO SPEED PULLOUT OF FORCES IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA”… Page 4: “Vienna Gives Jobs To Skilled Workers–Czech Brain Developing As Trained Workers Leave”…
6 SEPTEMBER 1968… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (see above clip on SAM firing just above the DMZ at a Marine fighter-bomber)… VIETNAM: AIR LOSSES (Chris Hobson) There were three fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 6 September 1968…
(1) An A-4F (in a tanker configuration) of the VA-93 Blue Blazers embarked in USS Bon Homme Richard suffered an engine explosion and the pilot was forced to eject over the Gulf of Tonkin. He was rescued to fly and fight again…
(2) A C-130E of the 345th TAS and 314th TAW out of Ching Chuan Kang was lost on an airlift flight from Tuy Hoa and the five airman in the crew were killed in action. CAPTAIN DAVID HORACE RISTER, CAPTAIN LEONARD SELANIKO, MAJOR EUGENE WINFIELD HARTMAN, TSGT RALPH JAMES LUND, and SGT JESSE OCHOA perished 50 years ago this day and are remembered with respect and admiration…
(3) COMMANDER KENNETH LEON COSKEY, Commanding the VA-85 Black Falcons, embarked in USS America, and his B/N LCDR RICHARD G. McKEE were flying an A-6A on a night single aircraft, low level mission to interdict river traffic between Vinh and Ben Thuy on the Song Ca River when downed by ground fire. The Intruder was armed to hit two targets. After attacking a road ferry at Linh Cam 10 miles southwest of Vinh, COMMANDER COSKEY and LCDR McKEE proceeded easterly at 4,000-feet to place 10 MK36 weapons in the river at the Ben Thuy ferry crossing. The aircraft was hit by 37mm and 144mm ground fire and started to pitch and roll violently forcing the two aviators to eject. The aircraft and the two men came down on an island in the river just to the east of Ben Thuy. COMMANDER COSKEY suffered a broken leg and was captured. He would finish the war as a POW in Hanoi. LCDR McKEE was rescued by a heroic HC-7 helicopter crew.
HC-7 RESCUE 54 OF 6-SEPT-68…A UH-2A Kaman Seaprite helo Clementine Det 107 on USS Horne (DLG-30) SSAR Combat Night –Inland 3.5 miles, Song Ca River island near Vinh… Pilot: LT SAMUEL H. ARUNDALE; CO-PILOT LTJG DOUGLAS H. WASSMER; 1st CREW: AE-3 TERRY W. GRUBBS; and 2nd CREW: AN CHARLES F. JOHNSON lifted off USS Horne at 2150 for 26 mile run to the beach. Arrived on scene at 2205 with 4-minute search in extremely hostile country. Located survivor by strobe light and PRC-63 Survival Radio. Retrieval complete at 2211 by hook pickup. Survivor on board SAR Destroyer at 2232…
THE SAR STORY: A-6A Intruder AE-506, Buckeye 506. Narrative by CAPTAIN DOUG WASSMER, USN (retried)… by phone to Ron Milam (Squadron Historian) January 2011…
“SAR crew stationed on the USS Horne… During the day the helo crew and the CIC of the ship had practiced almost the exact procedure to be utilized later…pre-planning. Prior familiarity with the rescue area, updated photographs of area, and charts with enemy defense sites annotated. While on deck, during the practice sessions, pilot Lt. SAM ARUNDALE, instructed the crew to build a shield for the rotator beacon, located on the tail stabilizer. The crew found a soup can, cut it in half and taped around the light. This would prevent the direct light from being seen from the ground, but visible from above when in a sharp turn. Notified at 2140 by 1MC that a plane had been shot down…helo crew launches from USS Horne at 2150, 26 miles out, climb to 4,000-feet, and finding A-4 escort, headed for feet-dry. Approaching the coast, the helo noses over, beginning a power descent at 140-knots.
“At the coast, a flak curtain appeared, helo flew through as the A-4s commenced a race track formation. The helo, guided by the radio beacon, strobe light, PRC-radio. At 2205 Clementine 2 nears LCDR McKEE. Multiple PRC-63 radio signals in the area rendering the UHF-DF useless. McKEE uses voice commands to assist in helo positioning. Area well lighted, being a short distance south of a lighted military base. McKEE in the Song Ca river, helo crew at 2210 sees strobe light, pulls into hover, M-60 weapons malfunction, drop cable/hook. green tracers are passing beneath the helo. 2211 McKEE hooks –up and away…
“CDR COSKEY is next to pick-up. 2212 helo approached the signal beacon area, helo pilot turns on spotlight to see two North Vietnamese holding up COSKEY. Helo changes direction and approaches again, receiving heavy automatic and semi-automatic fire. The helo tries another approach. The hostile fire intensifies. The inability of the rescap A-4s to suppress the fire while helo in area. Appears COSKEY is dead and being used as a trap. Small arms intensifying. Clementine 2 heads for feet-wet to USS Ship… “… Disappointment COMMANDER COSKEY not rescued, lots of lessons learned… no damage to helo…
Awards: LT SAMUEL H. ARUNDALE, the SILVER STAR… LTJG DOUGLAS H. WASSMER, AE3 TERRY GRUBBS, and AN CHALRES F. JOHNSON the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS… oohrah…
SUMMARY OF ROLLING THUNDER LOSSES (KIA/MIA/POW) FOR THE FOUR 6 SEPTEMBER DATES OF THE FOUR YEARS OF THE OPERATION OVER NORTH VIETNAM…
1965, 1967… NONE
1966… LTJG NORMAN LEE BUNDY, USN… (KIA)…
1968… COMMANDER KENNETH LEON COSKEY, USN… (POW)…
RIPPLE SALVO… #916… AMERICAN VIETNAM WAR CASUALTIES … KILLED IN ACTION… 27,509, SO FAR… 30,500 TO GO… On top of that, the total Wounded in Action in the first week of September 1968 passed 171,000 (91,000 requiring hospitalization)… Combined casualty count now 200,000 in a WAR OF ATTRITION. Four more bloody years to go…
Let we forget… Bear