RIPPLE SALVO…#281… NYT response to LBJs assertion: MOH awardee’s courage “far outweighs the reluctance of men who exercise so well the right of dissent but let others fight to protect them from those whose very philosophy is to do away with the right of dissent.”….. but first…
Good Morning: Day TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY of remembering what has been forgotten: OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…
8 December 1966… HEAD LINES AT HOME from the New York Times on a rainy Thursday in the big city…
Page 1: “Tories Denounce British Bid in U.N. To Curb Rhodesia Conservatives break with Labor over plan to ask for mandatory sanctions and a ‘disaster’ is forecast. Ian Smith regime in Rhodesia seeks to be heard by U.N. Security Council. A larger conflict is possible.”… Page 1: “Leader of Syria Aske Jordanians to Remove Their King”…”The Syrian Chief of State Dr. Nureddin Attassi offers arms to all and urged Jordanians to overthrow King Hussein and his government. ‘The Jordan Governement is the stumbling block in the way of lieberation of Palestine. Revolutionary forces in Jordan should close ranks so that they may devote all of their energies to the decisive battle with the traitor king.’…” Page 1: “Soviet Anti-Missile Steps Spur Study of U.S. Needs”… “President Johnson ponders whether to deploy costly Nike-X missiles around the United States as the intelligence experts try to determine what the Soviets are up to. anti-missile facilities are being constructed all over Russia, not just Moscow and Leningrad. An increase in Soviet space shots has also stirred concern. What are the Soviets up to?… Page 1: “A Congress Panel is Studying the Draft”… “The House Armed Services Committee disclosed today that it had it’s own civilian advisor panel studying the draft in addition to the President’s 20 member commission. At a conference in Chicago delegates voted to recommend the draft be replaced in favor of a system of voluntary service.” … Page 2: “Senator Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson was unhurt yesterday when a shell exploded aboard the USS Manley that injured three crewmwn. The Senator is aboard with a Congressional Delegation visiting in the theater of war.”…
8 DECEMBER 1966… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… NYT (9 December reporting 8 Dec ops) Page 7: “In the air war over the North yesterday United States Air Force pilots reported setting 18 structures afire during air strikes against a military barracks area 74 miles southwest of Hanoi…Other pilots said they had damaged a bridge east of Dienbienphu and hit 7 cargo barges off the coast of Vietnam.” … “Vietnam: Air Losses” (Hobson) There were five fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 8 December 1966.”…
(1) MAJOR LESLIE R. WILKENSEN and MAJOR W.E. SCHULER were flying a B-57B of the 8th TBS and 405th FW out of Phan Rang on a close air support mission in South Vietnam when hit by ground fire forcing their ejection over the South China Sea. They were rescued by a Navy ship…
(2) CAPTAIN MICHAEL LEWIS HYDE was flying an F-100D of the 510th TFS and 3rd TFW out of Bien Hoa on a close air support mission dropping napalm in the Mekong Delta. CAPTAIN HYDE’s aircraft was hit by ground fire and was flown into the ground. No ejection was attempted and CAPTAIN HYDE was Killed in Action supporting U.S. ground troops… He is remembered today, the 50th anniversary of his loss in combat…
(3) LCOL DONALD HENRY ASIRE, Commanding the 354th TFS, was flying an F-105D of the 354th TFS and 355th TFW out of Takhli and leading a major Rolling Thunder strike on the POL facilities supporting the Phuc Yen airfield when his division of Thunderchiefs was attaacked by several MIG-17s. In the melee LCOL ASIRE ducked into a cloud deck with a MIG-17 in hot pursuit and was presumed to have been shot down by the MIG about 15 miles northwest of Thai Nguyen. He was reported as Missing in Action and later, after the POWs were released in March 1973, as Killed in Action. His remains were returned to the United States in 1989… He sacrificed his life for his country while in the van as a leader of warriors… God bless him on this 50th anniversry of his death in combat…
(4) MAJOR J.K. YOUNG and CAPTAIN F.H. PORTER were flying an F-4C of the 480th TFS and 366th TFW out of Danang and shortly after lifting off the runway at Danang their Phantom was hit by small arms fire requiring the pair of aviators to eject. They were rescued by an HH-3 based at Danang,,,
(5) An 0-1C out of H&MS 16 and MAG-16 crashed while scouting for potential helicopter landing sites. Both aviators in the O-1 were rescued…
RIPPLE SALVO… #281… On 6 December President Johnson personally presented the Medal of Honor to a Sergeant of Marines for acts of heroism in South Vietnam on 18 August 1965. The President’s remarks ruffled the feathers of the New York Times editors. Hmmm…didn’t get any of the hairs on my neck out of place. In fact, LBJ’s sentiments get my applause. Of course, I never have been, or will be, politically correct… What do you think?…
NYT lead editorial, 7 December 1966, titled “HONOR IN DISSENT”… (dissent: to withhold assent; to differ in opinion)
“President Johnson rewarded bravery in Vietnam with a well merited Medal of Honor for a Marine from Queens, Robert O’Malley–and then inexcusably marred his tribute with the implication that dissenters against the war in Vietnam are little better than cowards who allow others to do their fighting for them.
“Sergeant O’Malley’s courage, the President said, ‘far out wieghs the reluctance of men who exercise so well the right of dissent but let others fight to protect them from those whose very philosphy is to do away with the right of dissent.’
“The words reluctance and let others fight to protect them carry the ugly connotation that the dissenters are afraid to fight against Communists who would stifle dissent. This is a crude distortion of the issues.
“The trouble is, as so often with President Johnson is that he personally seems to resent dissent. He has as much right to disennt against dissenters as they have to dissent against his Vietnam policies. But this is quite different from casting personal aspersions against those who honestly disagree with his policies or his approach, in whole or part.
“President Johnson would get more of the consensus he seeks if he deemed those Americans who do differ as honorable, as intelligent and as brave as those who support him fully. Politics by insinuation and innuendo does not become the office of the President of the United States.
“The country can be thankful that it has brave men like Robert O’Malley willing to fight beyond the call of duty while in the service of the country. The United States can also be proud that it has institutions and a structure that permit its citizens to express honest dissent, even though those who do so may be maligned by the highest official of the land.”………….
I’ll be watching the December 1966 NYT Letters to the Editor for comments from honorable, intelligent and brave dissenters who honestly feel maligned by the President’s crude distortions, personal aspersions, insinuations and innuendo….
Lest we forget… Bear -30-